Albany Semester Program

OAP 492, Course Syllabus

Instructor: 
Rob DiCarlo, Assistant Director, Career Services                                             

Contact Information: 
Rob DiCarlo, rdicarlo@brockport.edu or 585-395-5422 or 2392
Dr. Dena Levy, Chair, dlevy@brockport.edu or 585-395-2584

                                      

Background and History:

The Albany Semester Program was originally started by a group of SUNY colleges interested in placing students in administrative / executive branch internships within state agencies in Albany.   For the past 25 years, Empire State provided the administrative support for the program as well as coordinated the academic content and placement of interns.  In 2002, Empire State discontinued the program which has afforded The College at Brockport the opportunity to take over the Program.

Purpose of the course:

Participants in the Albany Semester Program are required to register through the Office of International Education.  The College at Brockport students register for OAP 492.61 (15 credits).  Other SUNY students register for OAP 492.79 (zero credit) and students from private colleges register for OAP 492.78 (zero credit).  Students from non-Brockport campuses secure credit through their home institution.  These courses are intended to expose you to both tangible and intangible aspects of the world of work.    Many of these aspects will be interpersonal or reflective in nature.   Others, such as business etiquette and professional conduct will be covered.  In addition, you will also learn about New York State government. 

Course Requirements:

Angel  / Cyberseminar – When you log onto Angel, you will find a variety of resources available to you such as the course syllabus, journal template, readings and our chat room, the Albany CyberSeminar.  We will be holding weekly chats at a mutually agreed upon time (Friday afternoons at 2:30 pm).    If the cyberseminar is scheduled during working hours or you have to use a work computer, please clear this with your immediate supervisor. 

Portfolio – An important part of any internship is the work you generate.  You should organize your work portfolio into some type of presentable binder.  You may include memos, photographs, press releases, articles you have written and anything else developed during your internship.

Weekly Journals -  (refer to journal template and journal guidelines posted in Angel)   Journals must be uploaded into Angel environment.  Any other format will not be accepted.  The journals are confidential and will only be read by the course instructors not your internship supervisors. 

Paper Assignment - Write a paper that incorporates your readings especially from Gerston's Public Policy Making and Stonecash's Governing New York State along with research connected with your placement. Focus on the implementation of one policy administered by your office-the choice of policy is up to you. Be sure to incorporate the three questions Gerston includes as "questions for further thought" at the end of chapter five.

The paper should be approximately 12-14 pages in length with reasonable fonts and margins. The body of the paper should be numbered. Additionally, a cover page and bibliography are required. The paper is due upon completion of the internship. You may email the paper or send it as a hard copy. In either case, the paper must arrive by the date specified. The paper must also be uploaded into Angel. The grade for the paper is a function of your ability to reflect on the internship experience as it relates to the study of politics and government and to explore the nature of implementation in connection to a policy featured in the placement. The quality of writing and clarity of expression, along with demonstrated use research materials is also part of the assessment of the paper.

Please provide a paper prospectus—a brief discussion of top topic or topics selected and the organization of the paper—for approval by the course instructor and where appropriate your campus instructor.   Due dates for the prospectus and paper will be discussed at the initial orientation.    The paper prospectus will be graded on the quality, completeness and timely submission and will count towards final paper grade.

The four academic requirements are weighted equally and comprise one third of your overall grade.  The other two thirds of your grade will be based on supervisor feedback (formal and informal).    For non-Brockport students, your final grade may be determined by your home campus internship coordinators.  I however, will provide them with ample feedback on your performance (academic and work) to help them make this final grade determination.

Final Presentation – At the conclusion of your internship, you will be required to do a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation.   Included in Angel is more detailed description of the presentation and what is expected of you.  

Things to be completed at the beginning of your internship:

Intern Work/Learning Contract – This form should be typed with copies kept by the student, supervisor and one sent to the program coordinator. 

Things to be completed at the middle of your internship: 

Intern Evaluation:  Interim Assessment – This form is completed by your supervisor and returned to The College at Brockport. 

Intern Self-Assessment – (refer to handout)   The final questions should be typed and error free. 

Résumé assignment – (refer to résumé example).  This assignment requires you to either develop a résumé or update your current résumé to include your Albany internship experience.  Note, the example is a traditional chronological résumé which is the format preferred by most organizations. 

Final Intern Evaluation – (refer to handout).  A critical part of any internship is feedback (informal and formal) for the intern.    The supervisor’s evaluation must be done at the end of the experience and is weighted heavily in your final grade for the internship.   You should schedule a time for the supervisor to go over the evaluation.   Your supervisor will be provided their own copy of the evaluation, but it is your responsibility to see that we get it back in a timely fashion. 

Intern Post-Program Evaluation– (refer to handout).  We want to hear your comments, suggestions and even criticisms to help us improve the program

Suggested Purchases (optional, but highly recommended)

1.  Business suit – You will be required to attend a variety of meetings and functions during your internship.  Having a business suit will make you feel more comfortable and allow you to better fit in.  Also, a business suit is a must for any interview for employment or graduate school.   

2.  Daytimer / Planner – Everyone should have some system for keeping track of important dates, appointments, assignments… Franklin – Covey makes a very nice (although pricey) daytimer.  I use the At a Glance system that runs $15.  Palm Pilots are also quite useful.   Any good time management system revolves around some type of organizer – get one if you haven’t already!

3.  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey – Full of strategies to help the reader become more organized and effective in their day-to-day lives.  While I don’t expect each of you to write your own personal vision / mission statement, this book has great ideas for career and work happiness. 

4.  The Successful Internship by H. Frederick Sweitzer and Mary A. King – A very useful guide for all interns.  Covers learning styles, journaling, self-exploration, communication styles….

5.  Public Policy Making:  Process and Principles by Larry N Gerston  (We will provide you with a copy of the Gerston book.)

6.  Governing New York State, Fourth Edition by Jeffrey M. Stonecash  (We all provide you with a copy of this book as well.)

7.  Career Intelligence by Barbara Moses

Other resources – In Angel you will find a folder “Career Resources”.  Here you will find articles, websites and other items I think you might find useful. 

Grading -  The internship is graded on a letter grade basis. Only under unusual and extraordinary circumstances will incompletes be granted. 

Additional Comments – For the non-Brockport students, you will also have to meet any home campus requirements in addition to the requirements outlined in this syllabus.   In developing this syllabus and in fairness to all participating students, we have tried to take into consideration other campus requirements.  However, individual campuses may require additional work, readings and assignments.  Please note, that all students (regardless of campus guidelines) must complete the requirements outlined in this syllabus. 

Compensation – All participating students will receive a stipend paid in installments throughout the semester.  Fall and Spring students will receive $3,000 and Summer students will receive $2,500.   This stipend is considered taxable income and you will receive a 1099 form from The College at Brockport.  It is important that you let us know where you want your stipend checks and your tax forms to be sent.  Incorrect or incomplete addresses may delay your getting paid.   Discontinuing the internship or termination will result in forfeiting the stipend.