One of the hallmarks of majors in the Sociology and Anthropology Department is the internship requirement for a one semester, minimum 96-hour placement at an agency or organization during the junior or senior year. The internship gives students the opportunity to experience what it is like on a daily basis to work in their chosen professional area. Not only do students gain significant professional experience, but they make connections with professionals working in their fields that can be valuable for future networking and recommendations. Some internships lead to employment after graduation. Internships are faculty-supervised through a 4-unit course in which students intern at least 2 days per week for a minimum of 12 weeks, attend class once a week, and complete a variety of assignments relating to the placement.
The department has over 160 established internship placements for which a relationship with the University and the Department are already in place. These include local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, museums, juvenile group homes, parole and district attorney offices, schools, primate rescue facilities, homeless shelters, community centers, immigration and day labor centers, crisis hotlines, children’s services, youth recreation services, and women’s shelters, to name just a few. Working with their internship supervisors, students are also able to set up new placements with agencies or organizations they identify on their own. Students who have full-time jobs may do their internships where they work, but must fulfill requirements outside of their normal job description. Below are links to a list of the currently established internship placements in Southern California (an internship placement book is also available for use in the department office), and the procedures for setting up new internship placements. Anthropology majors may intern during the summer months at an approved physical, archaeological or cultural anthropology field school, with permission of their academic advisor.
Students who wish to work in government agencies are encouraged to identify an internship placement well before the semester in which they will register for the class. Government agencies frequently require background checks that can take several months to complete. Internship hours cannot be completed outside of the course context, and must be completed during the term in which the student is registered for Internship. Once a student has registered for SOC/ANTH 497: Internship, a letter and/or email will be sent out from the department with instructions about what needs to be done prior to the beginning of classes.
The internship course may be repeated for credit.