Internship Opportunities in Sociology & Anthropology

Some of our students obtain sociology 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 (SOC 450) that corresponds with an internship. 

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

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.