2016
Experiential Learning in Terrorism Studies Syllabus
BSST 386 (2 credits)
Academic Internship Coordinator: Marcella Morris, Education Coordinator,
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
[email protected]
8400 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 250 College Park, MD 20740
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Completed 61+ credits by the end of Summer I 2016
Minimum GPA: 2.5
INTERNSHIP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT
The internship experience must:
 The experience must be new to the student; the internship cannot be a continuation of a current
internship or one for which a student has previously earned credit.
 The Internship must be done with a professional work site or institution with direct supervision.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will:
 Gain valuable career related or other workplace experience under professional guidance and
supervision.
 Have opportunities to utilize some of the ideas, theories, and techniques learned in college courses.
 Develop or enhance their reflective writing skills.
REQUIREMENTS
This course has two components: your actual Internship and two reflective papers based on your internship
experiences. Your grade for this class will be determined by your performance in both areas. However, there
are also logistical requirements that students must meet as well. These are defined below.
Students must:
 Confirm their internships and complete and submit a learning contract to Marcella Morris, BSST
Internship Coordinator. Scan and upload a copy to ELMS. The instructor reviews each applicant’s
transcript and learning contract.
 Submit time logs signed by their internship supervisor every two weeks on the schedule listed below.
 Comply with all rules, regulations, and policies of the Internship site or organization.
 Perform to the best of their ability the tasks assigned by the Internship supervisor.
 Complete course assignments described below.
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COURSE POLICIES
Please refer to the Office of Undergraduate Studies page for University policies related to courses:
http://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html.
Assignments and Grading
I strongly encourage you to keep a journal. Each day of your internship you should record your primary
activities and your reactions to what you are doing and learning about yourself, the organization, and your work
environment. Be honest, realistic, and thoughtful. The assigned papers are opportunities to reflect, react,
assess, and analyze your internship experiences.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Your professional internship responsibilities include submitting your course requirements on the required due
dates. This includes turning in your time logs every two weeks on the scheduled dates and papers on the
stated due dates listed below.
COURSE LOGISTICS:
PAPER FORMAT:
Include your name, BSST Internship course number, date submitted, and assignment title. Compose your
papers using one inch margins and 12 point Times New Roman, double spaced. Include page numbers.
Cite sources, using current MLA style. These are graded college writing assignments; spelling, grammar, and
organization count. (Useful Writing Center links
http://www.english.umd.edu/academics/writingcenter/resources/links)
Carefully proofread and correct your work prior to submitting it.
SUBMISSION OF PAPERS
Papers 1 and 2 must be submitted via ELMS by the deadlines listed here.
Paper 1: Length: 3.5-5 typed pages
DUE: October 21, 2016 at 11:59 pm via email.
Papers provide you with an opportunity to briefly describe and to thoughtfully reflect upon and respond to what
you have been doing and learning about yourself, the specific work environment, professional responsibility,
and connections of previous work and University experiences, including classes, at your internship. Begin your
Paper 1 with a 75 -150 word description of your internship-location, hours, and responsibilities, and what
proportion of your time you spend on different duties. Paper 1 is not a list of what you did each day at your
internship. You are to thoughtfully reflect on the specific work environment, your responsibilities, and your own
role in the organization. Think and write about connections between your internship and your previous work
experiences and your classes at Maryland. Consider your assignments, your interactions with your supervisor
and others in the work place, your achievements and your concerns. Discuss any mistakes you have made.
Discuss your fit and satisfaction with your internship. What do you individually need to do to enhance your
internship performance and how will you do this? What are you learning about yourself? Please provide and
discuss specific examples to support your work.
Paper 2: Length: 4.5-6 typed pages
DUE: December 16, 2016 at 11:59 pm via email.
This final paper should be based on your entire internship experience. This is not an update of Paper 1. Paper
2 must be original and not repeat information provided in Paper 1. Please respond to the following:

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How has your actual internship experience compared to your expectations on the first day of your
internship?
Explain how what you learned in this internship will impact your future academic studies and career
goals.
What was the highlight of your internship? Why?
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Write about a problem or disappointment you experienced through your internship.
What are the most important skills you developed and the most critical knowledge you gained during
your internship?
Evaluate (honestly) your work, performance, and contribution as an intern. How could you have been
more effective and responsible?
Assess the on-site supervision of your internship. Have you received enough mentoring and how have
you responded to feedback & constructive criticism? What did you learn about supervision that you
will use-and perhaps not use-when you are in a supervisory role?
SUPERVISOR EVALUATION
In a professional setting, the evaluation of your work by your supervisor is a critical factor. For this course, we
count the final evaluation for your supervisor in two ways. Overall it counts for 50 points, 30 of those point are
in satisfactory internship completion, 20 of those points are calculated based on your supervisor’s final ranking
of your performance. The final supervisor evaluation is available in the files tab of ELMS and is due by the last
day of classes of the semester.
FINAL PRESENTATION
All students must make a presentation on their internship at the end of the term. Presentations should be 1015 minutes and discuss the internship itself, their general taskings, and policy-focused takeaways. More
details will be made available in advance of the final presentation. Students interning through START’s
internship will satisfy this requirement through the final internship presentations. Students interning through
START must make Marcella Morris aware of their final presentation dates. Students interning externally must
schedule another presentation time with Marcella Morris. Presentations must be completed no later than
December 12, 2016.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
As para- or pre-professionals, BSST interns must meet established deadlines in their work environment. This is
also true for their BSST internship assignments and time logs. Interns must submit time logs signed by their
internship supervisor, utilizing the designated BSST Internship time log forms, every two weeks or on a
schedule agreed upon with their instructor. The two Papers have specific due dates, as noted in this syllabus.
Failure to submit time logs every two weeks or papers when due without procuring the Internship Coordinator's
approval in advance will result in a loss of points on that assignment. Assignments turned in late without prior
approval of the Academic Internship Coordinator will not be eligible for full credit.
TIME LOGS
You must submit the BSST Internship time log form (see below) every two weeks or on a schedule agreed on
with the instructor. List the date and number of hours each day you intern (e.g. September 3: 3 hours) in
chronological order, total the hours each week, and have your Intern supervisor sign and date her or his
confirmation and approval of your hours. You are responsible for maintaining copies of all time logs. Time
logs must be completed in black ink or typed and must be legible. Fully legible time logs must be scanned and
emailed to Marcella Morris.
GRADES
Your grades for all assignments in the course will be numerical values. Numerical scores correspond to letter
grades as follows:
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
98-100
93-97
90-92
88-89
83-87
80-82
78-79
C
CD+
D
DF
73-77
70-72
68-69
63-67
60-62
0-59
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REQUIREMENTS
Assignment
Paper 1
Paper 2
Supervisor Evaluation
Bi-Weekly Timelogs
End of Semester
Presentation
TOTAL:
Timelog 1
Timelog 2
Timelog 3
Timelog 4
Timelog 5
Timelog 6
Timelog 7
Timelog 8
Possible
Points
15
15
30
20
10
10
Due Date
October 21—11:59 pm, via ELMS
December 16—11:59 pm, via ELMS
Before the intern’s last day on site, but no later than
11:59pm on December 12, 2016
Bi-weekly, via ELMS
By appointment. No Later than December 12, 2016.
100
Bi-Weekly Timelog Due Dates:
September 9, 2016 11:59pm
September 23, 2016 11:59pm
October 7, 2016 11:59pm
October 21, 2016 11:59pm
November 4, 2016 11:59pm
November 18, 2016 11:59pm
December 1, 2016 11:59pm
December 14, 2016 11:59pm
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BSST Internship Time Log
To be completed and submitted every two weeks (beginning the first Friday after the fourth day of your
internship or as discussed with the instructor)
Please print neatly and legibly using black ink or type the following required information
Print or type student name ________________________________________________________________
BSST 386 Summer I # of Credits _____
Internship Project _________________________________________
Please list the date and # of hours interned on that date.
15 minutes = .25 hours, 30 minutes = .5 hours, 45 minutes = .75 hours, 60 minutes = 1 hour
Date
[ex. 2/6
Hours worked
3.5]
Date
Hours worked
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Subtotal:
______
Subtotal:
______ Total this period: _____ hours
Print Your Intern Supervisor’s name (please print) ______________________________________________
Intern Supervisor Approval signature
X.______________________________________________
Date signed____________________
Please note:
Intern hours may not be approved in advance
Time logs must be legible and signed by supervisor to be counted
If a supervisor temporarily delegates responsibility for signing your time log to another professional, this must
be documented in writing
Interns and intern supervisors should keep copies of all approved and submitted time logs
Late submission of time logs will result in a loss of points unless extensions for legitimate reasons are cleared
in advance (one point per day will be subtracted for late work).
*Please submit completed and approved time logs to Marcella Morris via ELMS.
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