Course coordinator
Dr Sarah Ball
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- 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 and School consent must be obtained prior to enrolment. The Internship is based on a mutually agreed partnership between the student and an external organisation. The student agrees to carry out a research project on a topic/issue of direct interest to the external organisation. In return, the external organisation agrees to provide the support necessary for the project to be completed within a definite time frame. Secondary supervision is also provided by an academic staff member from the School. Established internship partners include: the Queensland Government, the federal and Queensland parliaments, and a number of other national, government and non-government agencies. The availability of internships is limited. Applicants will be awarded places on academic merit taking into consideration their GPA and previous study history. All additional costs incurred by students undertaking this course remain the responsibility of the student. Further information including how to apply is available on the POLSIS website Internships - School of Political Science & International Studies - University of Queensland
The internship program provides students with an opportunity to work in a host organisation that operates in a field related to their studies. The internship must be negotiated in advance with the Course Coordinator. Costs incurred by students undertaking the course remain the responsibility of the student. Students undertake a minimum of 120 hours for the internship, working with a host organisation identified and selected by the student and approved by the Course Coordinator. Students are required to complete a 2,000-word log book and 4,000-word written report, and to supply written confirmation from the host organisation that they have successfully completed their internship.
Applications for POLS7125 must be submitted via the Placement Management system available at my.UQ - https://placements.uq.edu.au/.
Applications for Semester 1 close on 25 January. Applications for Semester 2 close on 25 June.
Please note that ethical clearance and fieldwork safety forms must be completed before the Course Coordinator can approve an internship (see below).
ETHICAL CLEARANCE
It is a University requirement that an Ethical Clearance is obtained for any research project involving human subjects that is undertaken while participating in an internship. Working with their internship supervisor, students are expected to seek ethical approval for any interview, survey or other research involving people. If your internship will not involve undertaking research in this way, then you do not need ethical clearance.
Applications should be submitted by using the MyResearch link https://my-research.research.uq.edu.au/
Further information can be found here https://www.uq.edu.au/research/research-support/ethics-integrity-and-compliance/human-ethics/ethics-application
It is not necessary to lodge an application for Ethical Clearance with your initial application. However, this must be done prior to commencing research.
TRAVEL PLAN
You must comply with the University's Safety Guidelines. The Travel Plan Form is available at http://www.fbs.uq.edu.au/travel-dev/ﾠ.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
8 units of postgraduate POLS courses
Restrictions
Required GPA of 5.0 across 8 units of postgraduate POLS courses
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Sarah Ball
Timetable
Additional timetable information
There are no scheduled classes for this course.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to allow students to develop their research, analytical and communication skills while they acquire practical and professional knowledge in a workplace setting.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement |
Confirmation of completion
|
Pass/Fail |
31/10/2025 5:00 pm |
| Notebook/ Logbook, Reflection |
Log book (2000 words)
|
Pass/Fail |
31/10/2025 5:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique, Reflection |
Report (4000 words)
|
Pass/Fail |
31/10/2025 5:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Confirmation of completion
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Written
- Category
- Placement
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
31/10/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Each student must obtain and supply to the Course Coordinator written confirmation from their host organisation indicating that the student has successfully completed the internship. Ideally this letter should be written on official letterhead, but an email written directly to the Course Coordinator is acceptable where that is not possible.
Hurdle requirements
Students who do not pass the oral response hurdle in this assessment task can only receive an overall grade of N (Non-graded Fail) for the course. Students who receive an overall score of N are eligible to apply for a supplementary assessment.Submission guidelines
Submission:
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.
Students who do not pass the oral response hurdle in this assessment task can only receive an overall grade of N (Non-graded Fail) for the course. Students who receive an overall score of N are eligible to apply for a supplementary assessment.
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.
Log book (2000 words)
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Notebook/ Logbook, Reflection
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
31/10/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Write a max 2000 word Log book that details your role/position in the organisation, the daily tasks you perform and the objectives set for you by the host organisation. It is primarily a descriptive account that narrates what you did during your internship, elaborating on the tasks that were given to you, how you carried them out, and any difficulties you encountered. You can set out the Log book in a variety of ways, incorporating text, narrative prose, and tables, to help present the activities undertaken, times and summary issues.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Internship oral response (Hurdle)
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools. This will be achieved through an oral response hurdle. Once submitted, the student will be required to demonstrate that the Report and Log Book are their own work by responding to questions relating to their internship experiences. This will be scheduled during the week after submission and will be undertaken by the course coordinator. The response will take up to 15 minutes and involve answering targeted questions. The only criteria is that the student demonstrates the report reflects their own work and experience.
Hurdle requirements
Students who do not pass the oral response hurdle in this assessment task can only receive an overall grade of N (Non-graded Fail) for the course. Students who receive an overall score of N are eligible to apply for a supplementary assessment.Submission guidelines
Submission:
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.
Report (4000 words)
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Reflection
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
31/10/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Write a max 4,000 word report on your internship. The report should be an essay reflecting on what you learned during your internship in terms of your role in an organisation that has an overarching purpose but confronts challenges and limitations that may be organisational, political, financial, or of another relevant type. You are not expected to advance an argument, as you would for a research paper, but you should place your experience in the context of what you have learned during your course. This involves drawing upon some of the theoretical and practical approaches that you have studied and applying them to your internship. A minimum of five (5) academic or policy-related texts should be used in the essay. This could include scholarly articles of an academic nature that provide a framework for thinking about organisational constraints, for example, or legislation or your organisation's publications that act as evidence for the constraints or purpose that you adduce in your report.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Internship oral response
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools. This will be achieved through an oral response hurdle. Once submitted, the student will be required to demonstrate that the Report and Log Book are their own work by responding to questions relating to their internship experiences. This will be scheduled during the week after submission and will be undertaken by the course coordinator. The response will take up to 15 minutes and involve answering targeted questions. The only criteria is that the student demonstrates the report reflects their own work and experience.
Hurdle requirements
Students who do not pass the oral response hurdle in this assessment task can only receive an overall grade of N (Non-graded Fail) for the course. Students who receive an overall score of N are eligible to apply for a supplementary assessment.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.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
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.
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.
| Pass/Fails | Description |
|---|---|
| P |
Course grade description: In order to pass the course a student must complete and submit the log book, report and confirmation of completion and meet the hurdle conditions. |
| F |
Course grade description: A student will fail the course if fail to complete any of the tasks above or do not meet the hurdle conditions. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Word Count and Word Limit Penalty
Students are expected to write to the word limit set by the Course Coordinator.
Essays and research reports are given a +10% leeway on the word count (unless the word count already stipulates a range).ﾠ
Students should note :
•The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word limit;
•The Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word limit.
Students should refer to the School of Political Science & International Studies Essay Guide for further information. The Essay Guide can be downloaded from POLSIS Student Supportﾠpage.
Supplementary Assessment
Supplementary Assessment is not available on the following assessment item because it is not possible to re-assess some of the minimum learning requirements for this item:
-Plan (Pass/Fail)
Marking Criteria/Rubric
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
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 |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Fieldwork |
On location with a host organisation You must complete a minimum of 120 hours fieldwork between the start of semester and the end of semester. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
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 for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.