Overview of the Sociology Internship Program

The UNLV Department of Sociology welcomes your interest in the internship program. The internship is an important part of your sociological training. Our view is that to learn sociology, one must "do" sociology; concepts must be conveyed through the comparative analysis of diverse experiences. Such experiences can come from a variety sources, one of which is the internship.

The sociology internship provides an opportunity for experiential learning that can help students apply and extend their sociological imagination, including conceptual abilities and analytical problem-solving skills, in settings beyond the classroom. Internships also help prepare students for future employment through exposure to potential work settings, developing contacts, building resumes, and the exploration of career goals. The skills acquired or extended through the internship experience are precisely those that many employers value in liberal-arts graduates: analytical and synthesizing abilities, empathetic understand of others, independence, risk-taking ability, and interpersonal collaborative skills.

In short, the sociology internship offers students a unique academic experience, while at the same time enhancing marketability to future employers. Ultimately, the internship helps to achieve a primary goal of a sociology education within the liberal arts tradition—the ability for students to connect their formal education to the analysis and understanding of the social world.

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