ENG 495 gives students the
opportunity to get hands-on experience in a field related to English studies.
The Department of English matches a student intern with an appropriate host
organization, and depending on the host’s needs, the intern spends the semester
assisting with writing, editing, copyediting, research, public relations, and
other communications-oriented tasks.
Interns commit to working
8-12 hours each week for their host organizations. These are unpaid
internships; students in the program earn three academic credits, and the
internship experience counts as one of the 400-level electives for the English
major. Students who qualify for the internship program are usually in the
final semesters their degree programs at the university. They are mature,
professional, and well prepared to take on appropriate responsibilities.
The host organization plays a direct supervisory role with
the intern, assigning work and giving feedback as necessary. The UHM-based
supervisor of the internship program remains in contact with the students
throughout the semester and is always available if questions or concerns arise.
Interns send the supervisor weekly reports on their activities, and they write
a mid-semester and final report on their experience. Along with the final
report, students also submit a sample job-application letter and a resume. As
appropriate, they also compile a portfolio of work they have completed during
their time with the host organization. In addition to these writing
assignments, students commit to attending two in-person, on-campus meetings
during the semester.
Sponsoring an intern requires hosts to devote time to orienting and
supervising a temporary staff member, so we strive to place only the strongest
students with our community partners. Students must first interview with the
UHM-based supervisor and submit a sample of their writing. The host
organization will then interview the prospective intern, and may decline to
take on students who appear to be unsuitable for the position.
Internships offer
invaluable experience with the day-to-day operations of the kind of
publications, businesses, and organizations in which English majors and minors
typically seek employment. An internship on your resume and a strong letter of
recommendation from your host will give you an advantage when you’re applying
for jobs.
You will need an override
to enroll in ENG 495. Please contact John David Zuern at zuern@hawaii.edu if you’d like to pursue an
internship this coming semester.
In addition to the hosts
listed below, you may organize your own internship with an organization you
identify yourself. All internship arrangements have to be approved by the UHM
supervisors of the internship program.
UHM Internship Program Hosts
(at the discretion of the supervisor of ENG 495, students may
conduct internships with other organizations)
Hawaii Book and Music Festival (spring
semesters only)
The Hawai‘i Book and Music Festival employs two UHM interns to
help plan this large-scale event, which takes place in May. Interns write
biographies of participants, contribute copy to the festival program and Web
site, maintain the festival’s presence on social media, and help in other ways
with promotion for the event.
This magazine devoted to remodeling, architecture, and
landscaping in Hawai‘i has been an excellent host for several UHM interns, who
get hands-on experience in magazine publishing and writing. Each intern has
been assigned articles that have appeared in the publication, so this
internship is a great way to start building a portfolio.
This organization promotes literacy among adults and children
throughout the community through various programs, a book mobile, and libraries
located in public housing projects in Honolulu. Interns assist with event planning,
publicity, grant writing, and the operations of the libraries.
Hawaii Theater Arts Education Program
Run by noted actor Eden-Lee Murray, this program would be a new
partner for our department. You’d get hands-on experience with planning drama
education programs for young people, along with writing, editing, and
public-relations experience. (Make sure to watch Eden-Lee’s video on the site.)
This print and online publication offers interns a chance to
gain experience with writing, proofreading, and editing for a magazine with a
focus on fashion, lifestyle, travel, and food.
This publisher focuses largely on visitors to Hawaii, with
publications like the Hawaii Drive Guides and Spotlight’s Hawaii Guides. The
internship involves writing, proofreading, editing, image editing, layout, and
design.
Working for the UHM campus newspaper gives you the opportunity
to publish work quickly and to gain writing, copy editing, and interviewing
experience.
Mānoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing
Published by UH Press, this journal publishes fiction, poetry,
and nonfiction from throughout the world. Interns gain hands-on experience with
the proofreading, editing, planning, and production processes that go into
producing a high-quality literary periodical.
An independent scholar working on philosophy, Asian history,
education, and gardens. You would work as a research assistant, conducting
research and assisting with correspondence, proofreading, and copy
editing.
Nella Media
Group/FLUX Magazine
Nella Media Group publishes the lifestyle magazine FLUX
along with Innov8, the Go! Mokulele in-flight magazine, and the Chinatown
Newspaper. Interns with NMG get access to all the dimensions of magazine
publishing and are assigned articles that appear in NMG publications. All our
interns with NMG have had enriching experiences.
Nude
(print and online surf culture magazine)
In the words of one of its founders, Matt Luttrell, this
magazine is “an ambitious new media startup, focused on surfing, that
looks to harmonize the beauty of a print publication with a powerful app
exploring the magazine’s subjects via short film.” An internship with this
emerging company would give valuable insights into what it takes to get a
multimedia publication up and running.
Pacific New
Media, UHM Outreach College
This program runs workshops on Web design, photography, social
media, and other media-intensive topics. Interns work on event planning, social
media writing, video production, and other support activities. The staff at PNM
is supportive and dynamic, and the internship will put you in touch with media
and technology leaders here in Hawai‘i and throughout the US.
An organization devoted to encouraging adults to read aloud to
children run by former Hawai‘i First Lady Lynn Waihee, Read to Me is a new
internship partner for us. Tasks would include writing, editing, event
planning, and public relations.
Working closely with Oʻahu chapter coordinator Stuart Coleman,
this intern will help support the ocean-focused public education and advocacy
work of the Surfrider foundation. Stuart is a successful writer with years of
experience in publishing and freelancing.
Tinfish publishes books of experimental poetry, often focused on
the Pacific region, broadly defined. Interns help with copy editing,
proofreading, production, and event planning and gain valuable experience with
the world of small presses.
Contact
John David Zuern <zuern@hawaii.edu>
for more information on the internship program.