The Canadian Studies Internship Course (CANS 499) allows students to earn up to 3 credits towards their CANS degree while gaining experience working in areas relevant to their field of study. Students will be directed to approved internships or will bring other internship opportunities to the department for approval. The internship involves a minimum of 150 hours of work (normally with an approved host institution or organization that is deemed to be of relevance to Canadian studies).
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to U2 and U3 students after completing CANS 200 (with a minimum grade of B), and 30 credits of a 90 credit degree or 45 credits of a 96-120 credit degree. Students must also have a minimum CGPA of 3.0 and must obtain the approval of the CANS Program Director. Students may register in the Fall or Winter semester for Summer internships.
Course requirements
The internship shall consist of a minimum of 150 hours of work, documentation of the internship experience, and a major topical paper that discusses an aspect of the internship from an academic perspective. An evaluation from a supervisor of the institution must attest to the successful completion of the student's tenure at the institution. The documentation of the internship experience must be a maximum of 5 pages; the topical paper should be at least 20 pages. In the evaluation, the topical paper shall count for no less than 65% of the final grade, which will be assigned by the student’s academic supervisor.
Application process
Once the student has secured an internship, she or he must complete the Canadian Studies Internship Application Form [.pdf] and seek out an academic supervisor to oversee the internship and to discuss, conceptualize and evaluate her or his topical paper. Students should complete this process well in advance of the start of the internship (preferably in the term that precedes the start of their internship). The application form must include a proposal for the topical paper as well as an outline of the internship (learning goals, description of the organization, specific activities, etc). The application must be supported by a letter from the host organization indicating the willingness of a responsible person and the sponsoring organization to assume the task of supervising the student's internship work. The application must be approved by the student’s academic supervisor, the Canadian Studies Program Director and the Arts Internship Officer before the student will be able to formally register for CANS 499.
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Information on finding internships can be obtained from the Faculty of Arts Internship Office. To access the database of internship opportunities, click here.
Note that a valid McGill ID and Minerva PIN are needed to access the database.
