History Internships

Consult the list of history internship providers below. If a location interests you, you should reach out to the organization near the end of the semester preceding the one in which you hope to intern to ask if they are accepting applications. If they are, you should then apply directly to them.

If you would like to approach an organization that can sponsor an internship but that organization is not yet listed on the Stanislaus State S4 site, you will need to initiate the application and/or conversation with the organization and then submit the paperwork to have it listed on S4. Here is a good article to help to prepare you to approach such organizations: “Creating Your Own Internship.” University Career Services at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. ND.

To assure a good fit between organization, supervisor and intern, we recommend to our internship providers that the internship matching process include an interview. Here is a good source on the topic: Loretto, Penny. “Top Internship Interviewing Tips.” The Balance Careers. November 20, 2019

If you are selected for an internship, the internship provider will contact Dr. Jennifer Cullison and advise her of the planned placement (including number of hours and thus number of units expected for the term – see below).

In order to register for HIST 4940 or HIST 5940 all students must have approval of the Internship Instructor. Therefore, upon notification of the internship provider, the Stan State History Internship professor (Dr. Cullison) will review your placement. She will notify you of her decision and, if positive, provide you with a course enrollment code. Once you have that, you should enroll in the appropriate section of History 4940/5940.

The course component of history internships are designed for history majors and public history certificate students. The course component will allow you to apply, integrate, and explore your educational experience as an intern in a public or private organization. The experience will be under the joint supervision of the organization and the history department.. Depending on the hours arranged to work, you may be eligible for 1-4 credits per semester.

All students are required to complete 48 hours of internship work for every credit hour they receive for their History Internship. This entails 48 hours for 1 credit, 96 hours for 2 credits, 144 hours for 3 credits, or 192 for 4 credits. During a regular semester this averages out to about 3, 6, 9, or 12 hours of work per week for 1-4 units of internship.

Once enrolled in the course, you will be provided a syllabus and schedule of assignments due for your academic credit. You will be required to attend a minimum number of course sessions (most likely online), to be arranged.

To remain enrolled in the course, each student must submit several required documents via our campus portal to the CSU integrated management system for off-campus learning experiences, CalState S4 (or S4 for short). See below for more details.

Undergraduates may repeat the course for a total of 6 units however you may only apply a grand total of six units of individual study (Hist 4980) and internship (4940) toward the major’s upper division requirements.

Graduate students may repeat the course for a total of 6 units however you may only apply a grand total of six units of individual study (Hist 5980) and internship (5940) toward the MA requirements.

Once enrolled in History 4940/5940, you must complete the required university paperwork for placement. Documentation needed, related to enrollment, includes:

• Choosing Your Site
  Students are responsible for selecting their internship site and verifying that the site is listed on the S4 system. If you select a site that is not on the S4 database, you must alert your faculty member in the first two weeks of class. Sites not on S4 will be required to submit the necessary University paperwork - this includes a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for internships, to be arranged with the Service Learning and Academic Internships Office - this process can take a few weeks. You cannot start at your internship until it is listed in the S4 system.
• Site Supervisor Letter of Introduction
  You must provide your supervisor with the department’s “Internship Introduction Letter.” This outlines for your supervisor what the expectations are for both you and your supervisor to complete the internship successfully. You and the internship supervisor should sign this form and you should return it to me as outlined on the letter. You should also keep a copy for your records.
• General Student Internship Learning Plan and Participation Guidelines (S4)
  You are required to complete the General Student Internship Learning Plan and Participation Guidelines for on the S4 site. This form provides the university with basic internship information, emergency contact information, learning objective and participation guidelines. You are also required to complete a Liability Waiver also on the S4 site. Once complete, the form will be on file in the Office of Service Learning and the Department of History.

You must complete steps 1-4 before starting your internship hours.