Internships offer unique opportunities for hands-on practical learning. Through
them, students enrich their classroom experiences and see how the insights from Women’s Studies scholarship translates into the “real world” and vice versa.
The Department offers a variety of internships through women’s and gender organizations in Gainesville, some of which are listed below. Students are also encouraged to develop their own internships out of their own community networks, or through the offerings at the Career Resource Center and the UF-Gainesville Chamber of Commerce Bridge Program. Some internships in national and international organizations can be found through the National Women’s Studies Association website, and many others are available through this website Many students in Women’s Studies have taken advantage of the internship course and report that it was one of the best experiences of their college careers.
Some GSW Internship Providers
- Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center
- Bread and Roses Women’s Health Services
- Child Advocacy Center
- Days for Girls-Alachua chapter
- Gainesville Girls Rock Camp
- Girls on the Run
- League of Women Voters
- PACE Center for Girls
- Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network
- Peaceful Paths Education and Prevention
- Samuel Proctor Oral History Program
- (may require one year commitment, but check with them)
- Smathers Graduate Internship Program
- Veteran’s Affairs Women’s Program (North Florida/South Georgia)
- UF Center for LGBTQ+ Engagement
- UF Police Department of Victim Services
Internship Guidelines
These guidelines are for students who wish to pursue an internship course under WST 4940 or WST 6946 for 1 to 3 credit hours. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk with the undergraduate/graduate coordinator.
- You must APPLY for an internship; you cannot just enroll in it as you do for a class. Your internship must involve work related to gender, sexuality, or women’s issues in order for it to count towards the Women’s Studies major/minor, although you do not have to be a major/minor to enroll.
- If you hope to pursue an internship with an organization other than those listed above, you will need to check with the undergraduate/graduate coordinator first to make sure it is appropriate.
- Once you’ve identified an organization you are interested in and clarified the GSW goals you hope to achieve by working there, you should make arrangements with your supervisor about what work you will do, how much time you will spend in the placement each week, and with whom you will be working. Ask about the standards for dress, breaks, and personal conduct in the workplace to avoid conflicts around these issues later. The number of credit hours you earn will depend on the number of hours you work each week at the organization:
- 1 credit = 3 hours per week =40 hours per semester
- 2 credits = 7 hours per week= 80 hours per semester
- 3 credits = 10 hours per week= 120 hours per semester
- Complete the Internship Application undergraduate or graduate (WST 6946). Once your application is approved, the coordinator will register you.
- The internship is taken as S/U. Undergraduates and graduate students need to complete different tasks in order to receive credit.
For Undergraduates
You will be enrolled in an asynchronous Canvas course as a companion to your work at your internship site. You will need to complete regular time logs to track your hours, which your supervisor will approve. Additionally, there will be multiple reflection and discussion activities on Canvas to help you make the most of your internship experience.
For Graduate Students
At mid-term, you need to:
- Complete a 2-3 page progress report that reflects on your experience thus far and poses questions that you may address in your final paper.
At the end of the semester, you need to:
- Provide the Department with a brief letter from your internship supervisor attesting to your participation in their organization for the requisite number of hours.
- Provide your faculty sponsor with an 8-10 page, double-spaced summary of your internship experience. This should include your goals in doing the internship, how you incorporated the insights of Women’s and Gender Studies into your work practice, what you learned, how what you’ve learned has contributed to your education, and what impact, if any, you see it having on your life.
- International students must check with the University of Florida International Center about eligibility for internship before enrollment.
The Internship Applications contain more detailed information about schedules, deadlines, evaluation parameters, etc. Please read them carefully to make sure that you understand everything that is expected of you as both a student enrolled in WST4940/6946 and a member of a workplace.