PSYC 394/395: Senior Internship
As part of
the senior capstone experience for psychology majors, completing a Senior
Internship or Thesis will afford students the opportunity to get first-hand
knowledge of an area of psychology that interests them. As students have learned from many of their
classes, it is difficult to separate the science of psychology from its
application. The goal of the senior
internship is for students to learn how these two aspects of psychology are
interrelated. Whether students complete an Applied Internship or a Research
Internship, they will have the opportunity to delve into a psychological
literature in depth and to develop a greater appreciation for what applied
psychologists or research psychologists do.
Beginning in Fall 2005, all seniors will enroll for
PSYC 394 in the fall semester of their senior year and PSYC 395 in the spring
semester. These .5 credit courses
together are what comprise the senior experience in psychology. PSYC 394 focuses on the internship itself. For students doing applied internships, the
classes will focus on the practical application of psychology at their
internship site. Internship sites where
students have been placed have been varied and have recently included: The
Children’s Guild, Family Building Blocks, Liberty House, Salem-Keizer Schools,
Willamette University Admissions Office, Marion County DA’s Office Victim’s
Assistance Program, Mid-Valley Women’s Crisis Service, Salem Police Department,
Head Start, and Salem Hospital Psychiatric Unit. For students doing research
internships, the fall semester will focus on helping students design their
original study and collect their data. In order to enroll in PSYC 394, students
must have completed PSYC 252: Research Methods and Analysis I and PSYC 300:
Internship Orientation. PSYC 395 classes will support students in the writing
of their scholarly paper. For applied
interns, this will be a thesis paper where students must use the relevant
psychology literature to support an argument they are making. For research interns, this will be an
APA-formatted report of their empirical study.
In order to enroll in PSYC 395, students must have completed PSYC 253:
Research Methods and Analysis II and PSYC 394.
Click on the link below to view the most recent
course syllabus.