Internship report

Internship report

Bachelor's degree programs

The following information is intended for the internship report in the Bachelor's degree programs. Different regulations apply to term papers in the Master's degree programs (see the Master's degree programs tab).

The internship report usually takes the form of an academic term paper. It is expected that one part of the report is dedicated to the description of the field of practice and the specific activities, while another should deal with the question of the applicability and relevance of the sociological/political science knowledge in the field of practice (see Reflection). The exact length and content of the internship report can be agreed upon with the mentor, but generally follows the provisions of the module handbook with 8 to 10 pages.

The following structure is common, for example:

• Table of contents
• Brief description of the practical interest
• Brief description of the organization and integration of the internship into it
• Description of your own activities and everyday life during the internship
• Detailed reference to your sociological/political science studies (reflection, see below)
• Conclusion and final evaluation of the internship

Reflection of the internship

The internship report should include a longer chapter reflecting on your own activities and experiences during the internship. It is not primarily a matter of describing the field of practice or the problems of practice in sociological/political science terms or of writing a sociological analysis of practical problems. This is possible and can be interesting, but should not be the focus. Rather, you are required to reflect on your own internship experiences in the respective field of practice in relation to your studies. Based on your own experiences, you should reflect on the relationship between theory and practice. If you have problems with the preparation or questions about this, you can look at archived internship reports in the internship office for guidance.

Questions could be, for example:

• What experiences have you had regarding the application/applicability of the knowledge and skills acquired during your studies in this field of practice?
• Which skills were you able to contribute in what way and to what extent - where did you encounter difficulties? What specific skills and knowledge were required in practice?
• In what ways and for what reasons did you come up against the limits of a sociological/political science approach to problems?
• What characterized your internship as an internship of a prospective sociologist or political scientist?
• What could be the general contribution of sociology/political science in this and similar fields? What role do social scientists play there?

Master's degree programs

The internship in the Master's degree programs provides for a graded examination in the form of a term paper. As such, it follows the guidelines of the Faculty of Sociology. The examination therefore comprises a term paper with a length of 20-30. This term paper is not an internship report in the sense that it describes and reflects on your own activities during the internship, but is an academic term paper. This paper can be, for example, a sociological analysis of the organization or field in which the internship is completed, a sociological analysis of an aspect of the environment relevant to the internship organization or position, or the sociological treatment of an issue that is otherwise relevant in the context of the internship. The content of the examination must be agreed with the mentor selected at .

For the internship in the Master's degree programme, no previous professional achievements or other activities that have not been specifically agreed as a task-oriented internship with the organization or position providing the internship are generally recognized as a substitute for the internship. Students who already have practical experience are advised to take the opportunity to choose modules other than the internship module for their studies.