The required internship must be credit-bearing (taken as IDS 470) and approved by Professor Titus & the Center for Career Development. In order to receive approval, internships must be a minimum of 160 hours, include clear outcomes, and provide the student a meaningful opportunity for professional development. Internships may be paid or unpaid.
Students are strongly encouraged to complete their internship during the summer, but accommodations will be available for those interested in completing this requirement during the academic year, in the local area or through a college-affiliated semester study-away program. Professor Titus will serve as a liaison with students completing internships. Students may request to work with any member of the Public History Advisory Committee as their faculty mentor for the internship.
All students enrolled in IDS 470 will be expected to engage in ongoing self-reflection through a weekly work journal. Integration of the internship experience with the student’s course of study at Gettysburg will be achieved through a 10-15 page essay exploring the seminal questions about public history practice raised through the student’s field experience. Faculty mentors should provide students with an assortment of relevant readings at the beginning of the summer to guide their reflection, and students should draw substantially on these readings in their essay.
A substantial portion of the student’s grade will be based on the performance evaluation submitted to Career Development by the student’s supervisor at the end of the internship experience. The essay and work journal will be due no later than the end of the summer, although individual faculty mentors may choose to impose earlier deadlines.
Summer internships must be presented to Professor Titus for approval by May 15; one month in advance of the June 15 registration deadline maintained by the Center for Career Development. Internships for spring and fall semester must be presented at least one month prior to the student’s start date.
Finding an Internship
Profs. Titus and Carmichael and members of the Advisory Committee will be available to assist students in investigating and applying for internships, but responsibility for securing a suitable internship position will ultimately rest with the student.
Students are encouraged to make use of Center for Career Engagement resources in their search and to consider applying for a stipendiary summer position through the Civil War Institute’s Brian C. Pohanka Internship Program. Established in 2011, the Pohanka program offers Gettysburg College students a special opportunity to do paid work on the frontlines of history, giving public tours of iconic historic sites, leading children’s programs, gaining hands-on experience with original artifacts, creating multimedia products, and conducting independent research.
