ABSTRACT
This experience report argues that Technical and Professional Communication internships are strong sites for students to engage in social justice-oriented work. Yet, we must address embedded inequities that exist within internship programs themselves. This report details an Internship Fellowship Program that offers both financial and social support for TPC students pursuing such internships. Successes and challenges are discussed, as well as recommendations for implementing similar initiatives at other institutions.
- Godwin Y. Agboka and Natalia Matveeva. 2018. Citizenship and Advocacy in Technical Communication: Scholarly and Pedagogical Perspectives. Routledge, New York, NYGoogle Scholar
- Rebecca Walton, Kristen Moore, and Natasha Jones. 2019. Technical Communication after the Social Justice Turn; Building Coalitions for Action. Routledge, New York, NYGoogle Scholar
- Godwin Y. Agboka. 2013. Participatory localization: A social justice approach to navigating unenfranchised/disenfranchised cultural sites. Technical Communication Quarterly 22, 1, 28–49.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Rebecca Walton, Maggie Zraly, and Jean Pierre Mugengana, 2015. Value and validity: Navigating messiness in a community-based research project in Rwanda. Technical Communication Quarterly 24, 1, 45–69.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Rebecca Walton, Kristen Moore, and Natasha Jones. 2019. Technical Communication after the Social Justice Turn; Building Coalitions for Action. Routledge, New York, NY, p. 145Google Scholar
- Jennifer Bay. 2006. Preparing undergraduates for careers: An argument for the internship practicum. College English 69, 2, 134-141Google ScholarCross Ref
- Katherine T. Durack. 2013. Sweating employment: Ethical and legal issues with unpaid student internships. College Composition and Communication, 65, 2, 245-272.Google Scholar
- Joey Senat, Stan Ketterer, and John McGuire. 2020. Between a rock and a hard place: Attitudes and practices of mass communication programs regarding unpaid student internships. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 75, 2, 177-195.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Gerard Callanan and Cynthia Benzing 2004. Assessing the role of internships in the career-oriented employment of graduating college students. Education & Training, 46, 2, 82–89.Google ScholarCross Ref
- George D. Kuh. 2008. High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. American Association of Colleges and Universities.Google Scholar
- Marco Murillo, Karen Quartz, and Jaime Del Razo. 2017. High school internships: Utilizing a community cultural wealth framework to support career preparation and college going among low-income students of color. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR) 22, 4, 237-252Google Scholar
- Kevin Gray. 2022. Paid internships: Moving toward greater equity, setting pay. National Association of Colleges and EmployersGoogle Scholar
- Janel Bloch. 2011. Glorified grammarian or versatile value adder? What internship reports reveal about the professionalization of technical communication. Technical Communication 58, 4, 308–327Google Scholar
- Tiffany Bourelle. 2012. Bridging the gap between the Technical Communication classroom and the internship: Teaching social consciousness and real-world writing. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 42, 2, 183-197.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Charles H. Sides. 2021. Internships in a pandemic. Programmatic Perspectives 12, 1, 106-126Google Scholar
- Huiling Ding. 2020. Building international partnerships: Challenges, lessons, and best practices in building accelerated BA-MS 3+2 joint degree programs. Programmatic Perspectives 11, 1, 88-108.Google Scholar
- Kirk St. Amant. 2003. Expanding internships to enhance academic-industry relations: A perspective in stakeholder education. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 33, 3, 231–241.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Mimi Collins. 2020. Open the door: Disparities in paid internships. NACE Journal 19.Google Scholar
- James R. Jones, Tiffany Win, and Carlos Mark Vera. 2021. Who Congress Pays: Analysis of Lawmakers’ Use of Intern Allowances in 116th Congress, Pay Our Interns. Google Scholar
- Katherine T. Durack. 2013. Sweating employment: Ethical and legal issues with unpaid student internships. College Composition and Communication, 65, 2, 245-272.Google Scholar
- Elisabeth Kramer-Simpson, 2018. Matching technical and professional communication students with internships. Programmatic Perspectives 10, 2, 100-124.Google Scholar
- Rebecca Walton, Kristen Moore, and Natasha Jones. 2019. Technical Communication after the Social Justice Turn; Building Coalitions for Action. Routledge, New York, NYGoogle Scholar
- Jennifer Bay. 2006. Preparing undergraduates for careers: An argument for the internship practicum. College English 69, 2, 134-141Google ScholarCross Ref
- Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin. 1990. Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage, Newbury Park, CAGoogle Scholar
Index Terms
- Social Justice and the Technical and Professional Communication Internship
Recommendations
TEALS's Plans for Addressing Social Justice in Computer Science Education: Creating Inclusive CS Communities
SIGCSE '21: Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science EducationThe number of high schools offering computer science (CS) courses continues to increase. Unfortunately, we are still finding disparity of access and participation of Black and African American students. CS education should be inclusive to everyone to ...
Industry Mentoring and Internship Experiences at a Community College Baccalaureate Program in Software Development
SIGCSE 2024: Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1Community college students cite career advancement as their top reason for enrolling, with over 70% of first-year students expecting to participate in an internship as part of their college experience. However, surveys indicate only between 10% and 25% ...
Catch 'em Early: Internship and Assistantship CS Mentoring Programs for Underclassmen
SIGCSE '18: Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science EducationRecruiting and retaining STEM majors has been an ongoing challenge for colleges and universities. This research paper describes two initiatives to recruit and retain Computer Science (CS) majors that were implemented at Siena College starting in the ...
Comments