Internships and the Sociological Perspective: Applying Principles of Experiential Learning

Most sociology departments provide students with the opportunity to participate in an internship. Yet faculty members often remain skeptical about the academic rigor of such experience-based learning. This paper argues that internships help students achieve the educational goals of most sociology programs. lnternships provide students with an extended opportunity to apply the sociological perspective to a real world setting. They also enable students to improve their analytical skills and their ability to make use of the sociological imagination. Like any instructional method, professors must carefully plan and structure internships to ensure that they are effective. Whenever possible, internships should require: (1) careful site selection, (2) a detailed learning agreement or contract, (3) attendance in a concurrent seminar, and (4) a set of cumulative assignments or a portfolio for evaluation.