Course coordinator
Professor Brian Head
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Politic Sc & Internat Studies
This is a restricted entry course.
To be eligible to apply to POLS3801 students must (a) be enrolled in a program in which POLS3801 can be credited, (b) completed at least 12 units of POLS courses, and (c) achieved a GPA of 5 or higher for these courses. Eligible applicants are not automatically guaranteed a place in the course.
The Internship is based on a mutually agreed partnership between the student and an external organisation. Interns are expected to carry out a project on a topic/issue of direct interest to the external organisation. Established internship partners include: Queensland Parliament, Queensland Government Departments, MPs and Senator's Electoral Offices, Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (UQ) and the Centre for Policy Futures (UQ), and other national and international, government and non-government agencies. All additional costs incurred by students undertaking this course remain the responsibility of the student.
Please note: Students accepted to participate in the PEATLI project over the winter break may be eligible to enrol in POLS3801 in Semester 2. Students participating in the UQ Embassy Internship Program in Summer semester may also be eligible to enrol in POLS3801 in Semester 1 or Semester 2. Further information including how to apply is available here.
An internship within the School of Political Science and International Studies is an elective 2-unit course. To be considered for the POLS3801 internship, students need to be enrolled in an undergraduate degree at the University of Queensland and have completed 2 years of full-time equivalent study.ﾠ
The internship is designed ﾠto provide students with the opportunity toﾠutilise the research and report writing skills developed throughout their undergraduate program in a relevant work context. A wide variety of organisations may offer internships, in the public, private, and community sectors.
Students enrolled in an Internship are expected to produce a high quality research report based on the research conducted for the internship. Students are placed in the most appropriate available organisationﾠto ensure they will be able to further their research skills and expand on their knowledge.
In recent years, students have been placed with members of the Australian House of Representatives and the Senate whose offices are located in the greater Brisbane area, with members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, in departments within the Queensland public service, with various local government offices, with research and advocacy groups, and with private consultancy firms. The School endeavours toﾠensure that placements are available in research areas relevant to the majors taught within the School and for social science and humanities students more broadly.ﾠ
Course requirements
Assumed background
In order to be considered for this course, students need to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- ﾠﾠ be enrolled in an undergraduate degree at the University of Queensland
- ﾠﾠ be enrolled in a major inﾠaﾠprogram that POLS3801 can count as credit towards
- ﾠﾠ have completed 2 years of full-time equivalent study.
- ﾠﾠ completed at least 6 POLS courses (#12 units of POLS courses)
- ﾠﾠ achieved aﾠGPA of 5.0 or higher for completed POLS course
ﾠ
PLEASE NOTE: Meeting these eligibility criteria does not mean automatic or guaranteed placement. Whether an actual placement offer will be made will depend on:
(a) the availability of a suitable placement with adequate 'on-site' supervision, and
(b) the availability of an academic member of staff willing to provide academic supervision.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
Two years of full-time study, 12 units of POLS-coded courses and GPA 5.0> for these courses.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
GT381
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Professor Brian Head
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
There is a limited formal teaching program for this course.ﾠ Students ﾠenrolled inﾠ an Internship will be primarily engaged in theﾠ preparation of a research report for their Internship organisation and are likely to spend up to one day per week with their designated organisation.ﾠThe research report is supervised jointly by the student's ﾠmentor in the Internship organisation and by an academic staff member of the School of Political Science and International Studies.ﾠThe classes scheduled for this course will be primarily concerned with organisational issues related to the course,ﾠ guidanceﾠ in report writing requirements and skills, and providing support for interns in their placements.
Aims and outcomes
POLS3801 aims to establish Internship placements that provide students with the opportunity to utilise the analytical, research and communication skills developed throughout their undergraduate program in a relevant work context.ﾠIn particular, the course seeks to:
- further develop students' research, analytical and communication skills in a relevant work context;
- further develop students' understanding of Australia's political or policy system through practical engagement in a relevant work situation; and
- provide students with opportunities to acquireﾠfurther practical and professional skills in the field of political science.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Clearly define the scope and limitations of a policy research topic in conjunction with leaders in a partner organisation.
LO2.
Design, develop and implement an in-depth analysis of an identified workplace issue or problem.
LO3.
Co-develop policy improvements where relevant in conjunction with supervisors.
LO4.
Produce a comprehensive and professional report addressing the issue or problem.
LO5.
Engage in a professional, ethical and productive manner with team colleagues in the partner organisation.
LO6.
Demonstrate professional behaviour appropriate to an early career professional.
LO7.
Identify and articulate skills and knowledge developed through workplace professional experience.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Agreement Form (downloadable form to be signed by student and external supervisor) | 10% |
21/03/2025 5:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique | Organisational context paper - 1500 words | 20% |
11/04/2025 5:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Presentation (5 minute snapshot)
|
20% |
12/05/2025 5:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique | Report - 4000 words | 50% |
30/05/2025 5:00 pm |
Assessment details
Agreement Form (downloadable form to be signed by student and external supervisor)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
21/03/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
Students must complete a two page 'project outline' (to be submitted via Turnitin), which clearly states:
1. Agreed research question - make sure you have a well-defined question, and ensure your supervisor and you are in agreement about what it is you will research.
2. Agreed method(s) - Agree with your supervisor which qualitative or quantitative method(s) you will be using to examine the above research question. This should be short but substantive. For example, 'desktop research' is an insufficient description. You should be more illuminating, e.g. 'Comparative case studies of legislation in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. The key focus of comparison will be: aims and effectiveness, with effectiveness judged by a systematic review of the relevant literature.'
PLEASE NOTE - The Project Outline & Internship Agreement (POIA) Form can be downloaded from the course's Blackboard site (see 'learning resources'), and should be completed and uploaded through Turnitin before the due date.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Organisational context paper - 1500 words
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
11/04/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L05, L06
Task description
This assignment requires you to describe any relevant aspects of the organization's history, its aims, its organizational structure, its working procedures (how it manages its main activities), and the wider context within the organization is seeking to fulfil its mission.
QPRI interns can use their Parliamentary Proceedings paper for this submission, and follow the QPRI guidelines rather than the above writing guidelines. All other interns are expected to adhere to the above guidelines when writing their Organization & Institutional Context paper.
Submission: This assignment must be submitted to the School of Political Science and International Studies using Turnitin (for marking purposes).
Plagiarism Warning: Please ensure your assignment meets the UQ Academic Integrity standards (see POLSIS Essay Guide and/or UQ's website on Academic Integrity). Assignments containing one or more sections paraphrased or copied verbatim from other sources without adequate referencing will be reported to the POLSIS Integrity Officer, who will subsequently subject the assignment to closer inspection and reach a decision as to whether penalties for academic misconduct should be applied.
Artificial Intelligence Warning: Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Presentation (5 minute snapshot)
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
12/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Interns are expected to present a 'short and snappy' 5-minute overview of their internship research/report and then answer 2 questions.
Interns are expected to prepare and use a PowerPoint (maximum 5 slides), and to address the following five points;
1 - The aim(s) of the research
2 - The method(s) being deployed
3 - The main finding(s)
4 - Implications and/or policy-related recommendations
5 - Suggestions for future research
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Please submit your slide presentation via email to charene.hare@uq.edu.au by the due date/time.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
If you are unable to present on the due date, please let the course coordinator know and a revised due date/time for a presentation via Zoom will be arranged.
Report - 4000 words
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
30/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Interns are to write a report of between 3500 and 4000 words, depending on the negotiated topic. The internship report should clearly articulate (1) the broad topic of significance being investigated, (2) the specific central question, (3) the methods used to examine this question, (4) the main research findings, and (5) the implications of these findings for current policy practices and/or stakeholder engagement.
A very good report will typically address these five aspects, so you may want to consider structuring your research report in this way.
The completed report must be submitted (a) to the School of Political Science and International Studies using Turnitin (for marking purposes), with a copy provided to the internship organisation in a format preferred by that organisation.
Plagiarism Warning: Please ensure your assignment meets the UQ Academic Integrity standards (see POLSIS Essay Guide and/or UQ's website on Academic Integrity). Assignments containing one or more sections paraphrased or copied verbatim from other sources without adequate referencing will be reported to the POLSIS Integrity Officer, who will subsequently subject the assignment to closer inspection and reach a decision as to whether penalties for academic misconduct should be applied.
Artificial Intelligence Warning: Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
ﾠGrades will be awarded on the following basis:
1. Fail 1 - 19%
2. Fail 20 - 44%
3. Fail 45 - 49%
4. Pass 50 - 64 %
5. Credit 65 - 74 %
6. Distinction 75 - 84 %
7. High Distinction 85 - 100 %ﾠ
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Additional assessment information
The course coordinator will mark the final report and provide feedback (using Turnitin's standard feedback mechanism).
Word Length Penalty
Unless otherwise indicated, in the case of written submissions with a specified word count, you are given a +10% leeway on the upper word limit. If your written submission is over this leeway limit, it will attract a 10 percentage point penalty. For example, if your essay is 1,500 words, you may write up to 1,650 before attracting a word count penalty. If your essay exceeds the upper word limit, it will attract a 10% word count penalty. Therefore, if your essay is worth 40 marks, you will lose 4 marks from your allotted grade. Unless specified, penalties only apply to exceeding the word length, not for failure to write a sufficient amount.
Students should note:
• The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word length;
• References in the Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word length. If you are using footnotes, any content included in footnotes beyond the specific text reference will count towards the word length.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Essay Guide
The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.
The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments.
Essay Writing Assistance
The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.
There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you.
The day and time of these sessions will be finalized at the beginning of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.
Student Services
Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.
Library Resources
UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.
The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.
There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.
Email: librarians@library.uq.edu.au
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Seminar |
Seminar 1 INDUCTION SEMINAR Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Fieldwork |
Getting to know the organization - Familiarize yourself with the organization's overall aim(s) - Gain a solid understanding of the aim(s) of your project - Ensure you are in agreement with your supervisor Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L05, L06 |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Fieldwork |
Reaching agreement about the research project - Articulate the research question your research will examine - Consider potential research methods (in addition to Literature Reviewing) - Ensure you are in agreement with your supervisor - Apply for Ethical Clearance if research involves human participants Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Seminar |
Seminar 2 RESEARCH SCOPING SEMINAR Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Fieldwork |
Reviewing relevant social science literature - Review the existing literature examining your research topic - Identify relevant existing knowledge and possible knowledge gaps - Decide whether literature reviewing will suffice to meet organization's needs Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Fieldwork |
Independent research - Finalize 'Literature Review' section for the final research report - Deploy additional research methods (if necessary) - Data collection (statistics, policy documents, archives, survey/interviews*) * NOTE: Ethical Clearance required if research involves human participants Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Fieldwork |
Independent research - Data collection (statistics, policy documents, archives, survey/interviews) - Systematic data analysis (identify patterns/compare patterns) - Write and/or revise draft research report, incorporate feedback Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Seminar |
Seminar 3 RESEARCH REPORTING SEMINAR Learning outcomes: L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid Semester Break |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Fieldwork |
Independent research - Data collection (statistics, policy documents, archives, survey/interviews) - Systematic data analysis (identify patterns/compare patterns) - Write and/or revise draft research report, incorporate feedback Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Fieldwork |
Independent research - Systematic data analysis (identify patterns/compare patterns) - Identify best way to represent findings (e.g. graphs, tables, diagrams) - Write and/or revise draft research report, incorporate feedback Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Seminar |
Seminar 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PRESENTATIONS SEMINAR Morning Session (10:00-12:30) Afternoon Session (13:30-16:00) Interns will be allocated to either the morning or afternoon session Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Fieldwork |
Independent research and Report Submission - Independent research and Report Submission: - Write/revise final research report - Consult with supervisor and agree on presentational and referencing style - Ensure adequate referencing (see UQ academic integrity website for more details) - Note that Final Research Report (3000-4000 words) will be due on Friday 30 May in week 13 (see Section 5. Assessment) Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Fieldwork |
Independent research and Report Submission: - Independent research and Report Submission: - Write/revise final research report - Consult with supervisor and agree on presentational and referencing style - Ensure adequate referencing (see UQ academic integrity website for more details) - Note that Final Research Report (3000 to 4000 words) will be due on Friday 30 May in week 13 (see Section 5. Assessment) Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.