Purpose
This course affords students the opportunity to apply what they have learned
in the classroom to a work experience in a justice agency or on a justice-oriented
research project conducted by faculty or a qualified research organization.
By working in the field, students will observe some aspect of the justice process
and will develop their knowledge by applying theories and empirical studies
learned in the classroom to those observations. During the internship students
may also develop some of the skills required of a justice professional working
in this area and gain insight into how the justice system looks from the perspective
of those who work in it or experience its consequences. Students are expected
to learn the requirements, opportunities, and challenges of professional work
in the area in which they are interning.
This course is designed to sharpen a number of academic skills: observation,
applying book learning to those observations, communication (both written and
verbal) in a variety of settings, analytic thinking, and research.
Prerequisites
The following courses must be successfully completed before enrolling in this course:
Ideally ADJ 479 will have been taken the semester before the internship is
conducted. If the student does not take ADJ 480 the semester following completion
of ADJ 479, the student is required to provide the instructor with an updated
contract and research plan for approval (no additional credit hours given) before
enrolling in this class.
Students may not begin an internship until they have received approval from the internship instructor for that internship (usually acquired while taking ADJ 479).
Format
Students may take this course for 3, 6, or 9 credits, or any combination over
more than one semester -- as long as they do not exceed 9 total accumulated
credits for ADJ 480.
Students are required to meet the minimum number of on-the-job internship hours
for the number of credit hours for which the student is registered:
3 credits of ADJ 480 - 115 hours on the job (average of 1 day per week)
6 credits of ADJ 480 - 230 hours on the job (average of 2 days per week)
9 credits of ADJ 480 - 345 hours on the job (average of 3 days per week)
In addition to working at their internship site, student interns maintain a
journal of important events and experiences and complete an internship project.
This is usually a written report that is submitted to the internship instructor
for a grade and also to the organization that hosted them as an intern. During
the semester, internship students meet as a group three times with the instructor
to share experiences and insights and to exchange ideas.
Note that you need a total of 9 internship credits to satisfy the internship requirement as part of the ADJ major, unless you take the internship as an elective. Students may take all their internship credits in one semester or spread them out over two or three semesters.
To complete the 15-credit internship "skills for the justice professional" option, students must take one 3-credit substantive topics course that is relevant to the student's internship experience. This is any course that satisfies ADJ requirements for the major and may be taken before or after ADJ 480 is taken. It may not be used to fulfill other requirements of the major, however.
Academic Integrity
All graded course work must be done independently. Students are bound by the
George Mason University Honor Code. Failure to abide by these conditions will
result in a failing course grade and may be referred to University authorities
for discipline.
Required Textbook
There is no required textbook for this course.
(Revised 08/01/02)