166-013 Parliamentary Internship

Students will only be permitted to take one Political Science Internship as part of a BA. Applications are made as part of the normal enrolment process in the year prior to the one in which the internship is to occur. This subject has a quota of 15 students per semester. The relevant quota application form must be lodged at the Faculty of Arts Office.

Usually 25 points of second/third-year politics.

In this subject students will have active experience working for a Member of Parliament in the settings of Parliament, the Parliamentary Library, Parliamentary Offices and electorate offices. Each student will complete a research project for the Member of Parliament on a topic of concern and interest to the MP. Academic supervision and support is provided by the department. Students have the benefit of developing their research and interpersonal skills while learning about the representative role of MPs and Parliament and their tasks of policy making and legislation. Students who complete this subject should have an understanding of the Parliament and the role of a Member of Parliament; have well-developed analytic, research, interviewing and report-writing skills; have practical skills enabling the provision of consultancy-type research services and have high-level interpersonal skills developed through interaction with a range of people including Members of Parliament.

A research essay of 6000 words and a reflective essay of 2000 words.