The Department of African and African Diaspora Studies has opportunities for students to earn academic course credit while working as interns during the semester. Internships offer students the opportunity to utilize skills and knowledge from the classroom into real-world opportunities.
To earn credit, students must have an academic component in addition to their internship position. This is done by the student enrolling in AFRIC 489. Students will need class permissions to enroll in the course, which will be assigned by the Internship Coordinator once a placement has been secured.
Student Eligibility Requirements
AADS internship opportunities are open to all students regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, or gender. Non-AADS majors and minors may complete internships/AFRIC 489, but priority consideration will be given to AADS majors and minors.
Students seeking to enroll in AFRIC 489 must meet the following prerequisites:
- Must be a currently-enrolled student at UW-Milwaukee
- Must have achieved junior or senior standing and have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.25
- For non-AADS majors and minors, completion of at least one 300-level or above course in African and African Diaspora Studies
- Permission of the department to enroll
Responsibilities for Credit-Bearing Internships
All students who participate in an AADS internship experience/AFRIC 489 must complete the following requirements:
- Complete the Internship-Agreement-Form
- Take the internship course concurrently with the internship (credit will not be given for past internships)
- Must work a minimum of 120 hours (or 40 hours per credit) during the semester.
- Complete substantial appropriate academic work to earn academic credit, which is outlined in the syllabus they create with their faculty supervisor.
- The on-site supervisor must also contribute to evaluations of the student toward the end of the semester.
- The internship must be related to the students’ program of study
Procedure For Internship Course Enrollment
Please be sure to start this process with enough time before the semester starts!
- Students should connect with the Internship Coordinator Lin Haggerty, mshgerty@uwm.edu, as soon as possible and express their interest in completing an internship. Students can find an appropriate internship opportunity and apply on their own or the Internship Coordinator can provide assistance in the process of identifying, seeking, and securing an internship.
- Students will be assigned a faculty supervisor that will work with them for the academic component and they work to create a syllabus.
- Students communicate with the internship site to obtain an on-site supervisor.
- The student, faculty supervisor, and on-site supervisor sign the Internship-Agreement-Form and the student turns the form into the Internship Coordinator before the internship begins. The desired deadline to turn in the completed Internship Agreement is one week prior to the start of classes for the appropriate term but can be submitted up until the add/drop deadline. Email your internship coordinator if you are unable to make that deadline.
- Once the internship position is approved by the coordinator, the student will receive information on how to enroll in AFRIC 489 (Students cannot enroll in AFRIC 489 unless they have secured the internship first).
- The student begins the internship and follows deadlines for the academic component.
Placements
Placements can vary based on students’ interests, but tasks must be related to their program of study, and not merely administrative duties. Some common placements are government agencies and nonprofits. Students are encouraged to identify internship opportunities on their own, but they must obtain approval from the Internship Coordinator beforehand.
Organizations that are interested in AADS student interns include:
America’s Black Holocaust Virtual Museum via Nurturing Diversity Partners
Position Details: Assistant Exhibit Curator (Junior/Senior)
The Assistant Exhibit Curator helps ABHvM develop new exhibits and galleries by:
- Recruiting academic and public scholar-griots to volunteer to produce exhibits for ABHvM within their fields of study; helping them to meet ABHvM’s exhibit guidelines as to word count, popular language level, still and moving images, etc.; and posting these to the website,
- Researching, writing, editing, and posting their own original pieces according to the site’s guidelines,
- Working remotely as a highly responsive, communicative and dependable member of the team, and,
- Assisting with other tasks occasionally, as assigned.
Position Details: Social Media Writer (Junior/Senior)
The Social Media Writer helps ABHvM execute its social media efforts by:
- Assisting with the design and execution of ABHvM’S social media campaigns,
- Developing social media content that highlights the educational activities and mission of the museum,
- Posting (new exhibits, breaking news, events, etc.) across a variety of social media outlets, and
- Assisting with other occasional tasks, as assigned.
Position Details: Breaking News Blog Curator (All Undergraduates)
The Breaking News Blog Curator helps ABHvM aggregate, curate and archive current media and news stories as “Breaking News” exhibits by:
- Monitoring Black media and Black journalists for content that complements ABHvM’s mission,
- Selecting relevant and meaningful current content to spotlight,
- Producing new Breaking News posts that adhere to ABHvM guidelines and brand standards, and
- Assisting with other occasional tasks, as assigned.
For more information including required skills, qualifications, and responsibilities, please visit the above links.
African American Roundtable
Position Details: AART Community Engagement Intern
Job Summary: The AART Community Engagement Intern will serve as a support to AART staff. Their primary role is to support AART’s programming which includes and is not limited to the LiberateMKE campaign, Northwest side community engagement activities, digital communication, and other miscellaneous projects. The intern will be required to work 5-10 hours per week throughout the semester.
For more responsibilities, visit the position description above.
*If you are interested in one of the above internship opportunities, contact the Internship Coordinator Lin Haggerty, mshgerty@uwm.edu for information on how to apply.
This list will grow as our internship program continues to develop. You can find more opportunities on sites such as Jobs That Help and UWM’s Handshake.
Internship Coordinator
Lin Haggerty, mshgerty@uwm.edu, is serving as the Internship Coordinator for AADS. Contact her with any questions regarding internships, or to set up a meeting.