Guidelines for LAS 681 Latin American Studies Graduate Internship
Revised 8-1-07

The Latin American Studies Graduate Internships are designed to provide students with the opportunity to enhance their understanding of Latin American societies and to improve their Spanish linguistic skills by volunteering for an organization that serves the Hispanic community either in the Louisville area or abroad. Students studying Portuguese may choose to conduct an internship in Brazil or Portugal. Students must volunteer 80 hours of documented work as LAS interns. 

LAS 681 Graduate Internship Requirements and Checklist: 

 Signed Application Form
 Project Proposal
 Progress Reports 
 Time Sheets 
 Work Diary 
 Final Research Paper 
 Portfolio Binder 
 Letter of Evaluation
 Project Evaluation Form

LALS Internship Sites:

To date, students have conducted internships at the following sites: Adelante Hispanic Achievers, the Americana Center, Amigos en Louisville, Arcadia Community Center, Casa Latina, La Casita Center, CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates, Hispanic Latino Coalition, the Hope Clinic, Just Solutions: Mediation Services of the Council on Peacemaking, the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, the Klein Family Learning Center and the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Louisville Free Public Library, Sister Cities of Louisville, among others. Students have also conducted internships abroad in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, and Panama. For a complete list of internship sites, visit the LALS webpage.	

Contact Information:

Director of Latin American and Latino Studies: Dr. Rhonda Buchanan
Email: rhondabuchanan@louisville.edu 
LALS Office: Bingham Humanities 329C
Telephone: 502-852-2034 or 502-852-0502
LALS Webpage: http://louisville.edu/latinamericanstudies
Mailing Address: Department of Classical and Modern Languages/ University of Louisville/ Louisville, KY 40292

Instructions for the Completion of the LAS 681 Graduate Internship: 

Initial Consultation: 
The semester before enrolling in the internship, the student should consult with Dr. Rhonda Buchanan, Director of Latin American and Latino Studies, to discuss an appropriate venue for the internship and set up an initial consultation with the site supervisor.  

Registration Procedure: The student must complete the LAS 681 Application Form and return the signed form with all signatures to Dr. Buchanan. After submitting the signed application to Dr. Buchanan, the student may register on-line for the LAS 681 Latin American Studies Graduate Internship. 

Proposal: After the initial consultation with the LALS Director, the student should contact the organization to arrange a meeting with the site supervisor and prepare a proposal that includes objectives and benefits to the student and the organization. The student should submit a two-page proposal (typed and double-spaced) to Dr. Buchanan and the site supervisor. Dr. Buchanan will serve as the faculty advisor for the internship and as a liaison with the site organization. 

Progress Reports and Time Sheets: Each week the student should send a progress report weekly by email to Dr. Buchanan. A minimum of 10 progress reports is required to receive full credit (10% of grade). Each entry should include: the date, the number of hours completed, and a brief description of the activities accomplished that day. After each work session, the site supervisor or an organizational representative should sign the time sheet. If hours are completed away from the site, a description of the work and the hours should be entered on the time sheet and approved by the site supervisor. If any problem should arise, the student and/or site supervisor should inform Dr. Buchanan immediately. 

Work Diary:  As the internship progresses, the progress report entries should be saved as a document. When the internship is completed, the series of progress reports should be printed out as the work diary. The 80 internship hours should be completed no later than the last day of the semester.

Final Research Paper: The LAS Graduate Internship requires a research paper of 10 to 15 pages based on the student’s work at the internship site. The student should include personal observations about the Hispanic community that he or she served and also address the objectives that were outlined in the initial proposal and specify how these were met. In addition, the student should conduct research on the selected topic related to the internship and provide proper MLA documentation of all sources (written documentation, oral interviews, etc.). 

Final Portfolio: In a binder, students should submit: the work diary, time sheet(s), final report, and any materials related to the internship, such as: brochures, printed photos, promotional materials, lesson plans, translations, and digital material in CD format.

Letter of Evaluation and Project Evaluation Form: 

Two weeks before the internship ends, the student should request that the supervisor write a letter of evaluation on organization letterhead and send it and the Project Evaluation Form in a sealed and signed envelope to Dr. Buchanan. A grade will be assigned once all materials, including the letter of evaluation and Project Evaluation Form, have been submitted. 

Evaluation Procedures: 

10%		Application Form and the Project Proposal
10%		Weekly Progress Reports 
5%		Signed Time Sheets
10%		Work Diary 
30%		Final Research Paper
15%		Final Portfolio
20%		Letter of Evaluation and Project Evaluation Form

Grade Scale:

A 	91-100%
B	81-90%
C	71-80%
D	61-70%
F	0-60%