Internship Opportunities in Sociology & Anthropology

Some of our students obtain sociology- or anthropology-related internships through faculty members in our Department. Most, however, work with the Center for Career Development to research and apply for internships (the center has access to information, including databases, on internships suitable to various disciplines). Internships allow our students to gain invaluable professional training and hands-on experience applying what they learn in classes to real-life situations.

To earn credit towards the major, see the guidelines on how to design an Individualized Study (ANTH 450 or SOC 450) that corresponds with an internship. Click here

Here's what some of our recent majors have done as interns:

• Neena Schultz: During the summer of 2005, Neena (anthropology, 2008), interned at a non-profit agency in Philadelphia called JEVS Human Services (JEVS stands for Jewish Employment and Vocational Services). She worked with their public policy department on a project focusing on welfare-to-work programs. Through this position, Neena interviewed clients enrolled in welfare-to-work programs and collected their "stories." She compiled these stories into a booklet to be distributed to government officials, media, etc. in order to show them how the legislation actually affects people who depend on these programs and to dispel some of the myths of welfare recipients. This experience enabled Neena to develop skills in semi-structured interviewing. More importantly, it helped Neena to gain a deeper understanding of the social worlds and national politics of impoverished Americans. As a student interested in social justice and human rights, this was a meaningful experience.
  

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• Alex Bigler: During the summer of 2006, Alex (anthropology, 2008) interned at the Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut. The Peabody is a reknowned natural history museum that features an excellent collection of archaeological and ethnographic artifacts as well as outstanding paleoanthropology collection.

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• Tanya Dunsey: During the summer of 2006, Tanya (anthropology, 2007) interned at a law firm in Washington, D.C. that does human rights work pro-bono. While there she worked on a few cases dealing with the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and went to to Congress to distrubute materials for a few of the human rights-oriented cases that the firm handles. Through this experience Tanya was able to explore her own career goal of becoming a human rights lawyer.
  

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• Katie Rogers: During the summer of 2006, Katie (anthropology, 2008) interned at the National Canal Museum in Easton, PA, which is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. Katie served as a docent leading tours. In addition to polishing her skills in leadership and communication, Katie learned much about how a museum is run and how much museums touch the general public.

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• Susan Butcher: In her junior year, Susan was an intern at the Pretrial Services Agency at the Superior Court in Washington, D.C. Among other responsibilities, she conducted interviews with arrestees before and after their trials to ensure they followed the conditions of their release. Susan also held an internship at the AIDS Community Resource Center in Gettysburg in conjunction with a course on Medical Anthropology.

• Kristen Gaddis: During the summer of 1998, Kristen had an internship as a uniformed deputy at the Litchfield County Sheriff's Department in Connecticut. She was trained to help search and lock up prisoners, transport them to courthouses, secure and protect the courtroom, and scan visitors with metal detectors. Kristen recommends this kind of internship for sociology majors interested in criminal justice, criminology, and deviance.

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• Jennifer Karcher: In 1998, Jen worked at the Rights of Women Organization, a nonprofit organization in London where women can obtain free legal advice. As an intern, she put together monthly newsletters and handled phone inquiries. She was enthusiastic about attending women's conferences throughout England, which included a visit to Parliament.

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• Elaine Kesler: During the spring of 1999, Elaine served as a Human Resources Intern at Schindler Elevator Corporation in Gettysburg. She was responsible for writing articles, conducting interviews, and setting up training sessions in communications and teamwork, which gave her practical experience in applying sociology to human relations work.

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• Kristine Meier: Kristine has held two internships while at Gettysburg. During the summer of 2000, she interned at the Somerset Historical Center, which is part of the PA Historical and Museum Commission. She gave tours, organized activities for the Jr. Historian program, and worked on conservation and handling of artifacts. During the fall of 2001, she interned at MidPenn Legal Services, Inc. here in Gettysburg. By sitting in on client interviews and shadowing the staff, Kristine got to see firsthand how a law firm doing abuse, custody landlord/tenant and other civil matters for low income people operates.