University of Southern Indiana
Political Science Department

Court Internship Application Form

POLS495 (3 credit hours, 150 hours of work

Name ________________________________ Soc. Sec. # __ __ __ - __ __ - __ __ __ __
             First                      Last
Phone (__ __ __) __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ e-mail _________________________________

Street Address ___________________________________________________

City ______________________________ State __________ Zip ____________

When my internship begins, I shall have completed:

____ total semester hours (the minimum is 62)

____ semester hours in my major (the minimum is 12)

On the date of this Application:

Overall GPA is ____ (minimum is 3.0)

GPA in major is ____ (minimum is 3.0)

Major(s) ____________________________________________

Minor(s) ____________________________________________

Semester and year of internship (circle semester):

Fall Spring Summer I Summer II Summer III Year: 20__ __

Prior to initial approval, the applicant must:

• Have initial meetings with the supervising professor and the Coordinator of Internships and Cooperative Education
• Submit a completed application and the supporting materials that follow:
  • Resume
  • Transcripts from USI and all other colleges or universities attended
  • A 500-700 word original essay about how the Indiana state court system should be reformed. This essay must be typed or electronically printed on white paper with one-inch margins. It must be double-spaced. The applicant’s name must be centered at the top of the first page and the title of the essay must appear directly below the applicant’s name.
  • A letter of recommendation from a faculty member testifying to the applicant’s academic ability, maturity, oral communication skills, written communication skills, organizational skills, and motivation to succeed.

Prior to final approval, the applicant must:

• Be interviewed by the Judge supervising the intern;
• Meet with the Judge, the Coordinator of Internships and Cooperative Education, and the supervising faculty member and complete the Internship Learning Goals form, the Internship Work Agreement form, and the Work Responsibilities form;
• Submit to the Registrar’s Office an appropriate registration form signed by the applicant’s academic advisor and a petition form to enter a closed course (signed by the supervising professor);
• While participating in this Program, agree to enroll for no more than 15 credit hours (including POLS495) during the Fall or Spring semesters and no more than 6 credit hours during summer sessions;
• Pay all tuition and fees;
• Sign a confidentiality agreement.

Course expectations include, but may not be limited to, the following:

• A minimum of three meetings with the supervising faculty member;
• A 500-700 word essay submitted to the supervising faculty member during the last week of the internship. The essay must evaluate the extent that learning objectives have been met and discuss the importance of the internship to the intern’s educational and career goals;
• A daily log of internship activities. The log must be delivered to the Coordinator of Internships and Cooperative Education by 12:00 noon on Friday at the end of the second, fifth, tenth, and concluding weeks of the internship;
• Readings assigned by the supervising professor;
• Exams or other evaluations related to the assigned readings;
• A major policy paper analyzing a problem and proposing solutions pertaining to the state court system;
• Presentation of the results of the Policy Paper before local judges and other interested policy makers;
• Two written evaluations of the internship Program.

Application deadlines:

The application and supporting materials must be submitted to the Coordinator of Internships and Cooperative Education (Ms. Pamela Doerter) in OC1012. The application and supporting materials must be submitted prior to the end of the late registration period for the semester that the internship begins.

Applicant’s signature: ____________________________________ Date: ___ - ___ - ___

Supervising Professor’s signature: __________________________ Date: ___ - ___ - ___

Coordinator’s signature: ___________________________________Date: ___ - ___ - ___

Supervising Judge’s signature: ______________________________Date: ___- ___ - ___