Internship Credits in Sociology

The sociology department has partnered with the CAS Experiential Learning Connector to launch CAS SO 499, a course that will provide Sociology credit for internships.

CAS SO 499 joins real world experience in social change and social impact work with seminar-based coursework that encourages critical reflection and builds skills of sociological research and analysis.

SO 499 must be taken concurrently with CAS IN 299, which has its own course meetings, syllabus and requirements. IN 299 is a course designed to complement the experiential learning students do in their internships; it focuses on critical self-reflection and the development of career readiness competencies. The instructor for IN 299 serves as the primary contact for professional and logistical questions regarding the internship placement.

While SO 499 meets in concert with IN 299, it approaches the same internship site through a different lens: as a social context and site for the production of sociological knowledge, or what we call in sociology, a “fieldsite.”

Students interested in registering for SO 499/IN 299 are responsible for first securing their own internship placement and then successfully completing the application process for the CAS Internship Program, which is outlined on this page: https://www.bu.edu/cas-connector/programs/cas-internship/

In order for the internship placement to be eligible for credit in SO 499, the organization or group must have a mission focused on social impact or social change: either responding to the harms caused by social problems, or altering mechanisms within the social structure. Many placements will be at non-profit organizations, but other sites are also eligible, such as social movement groups, social impact ventures, or state agencies. In addition to the documents required for IN 299, students must provide a 300-word explanation of how their site works towards social impact or social change, submitted to maxgreen@bu.edu.

Applications for Fall 2024 open on March 1, 2024 and are reviewed on a rolling basis until the course is full. Registration in IN 299 and/or SO 499 is contingent upon application approval.

Students are expected to spend a minimum of 6 hours per week at their Boston-area placement site for the duration of the semester.