Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Internship in Communication (Online)

COMM 4890-30I

Course: COMM 4890-30I
Credits: 9
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: COMM
CRN: 32098

Course Description

Provides the student with hands-on experience in advertising, news writing, editing, photography, publication layout and design, public relations, broadcasting, or social media creation and management under the direct supervision of a qualified professional communicator. Only three (3) credit hours may count toward the major. Students intersted in taking the Communication Internship course must: 1. Be a declared Communication major 2. Be a junior or senior 3. Have or have access to the required equipment for their internship. The Communication department does not provide these resources. 4. Meet with the SUU Communication Department faculty coordinator prior to the start of the internship to complete the required paper work and approval of the internship. Not all internship proposals will be accepted. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Pass/Fail] Prerequisite(s): Instructor permission Repeatable for Add’l Credit? Yes - Total Credits: 12 Registration Restriction(s):Communication majors only; Junior or Senior standing required.

Required Texts

There are no required textbooks for this class.

Learning Outcomes

Essential Learning Outcomes:
  • Communication – Students will develop and express ideas in writing, speaking, visually, and through design, which aligns with internship activities like advertising, news writing, editing, photography, publication layout, PR, broadcasting, and social media creation.
  • Teamwork – Students will demonstrate productive interaction with others in a professional setting, reflecting the collaboration required in supervised internships.
  • Integrative Learning – Students will connect academic knowledge to real-world professional contexts, synthesizing and transferring skills to new, complex workplace situations.
This course provides the student with hands-on experience in advertising, news writing, editing, photography, publication layout and design, public relations, broadcasting, or human resource development under the direct supervision of a qualified professional communicator. Learning outcomes vary widely based on internship placement and roles within an organization. As such, these goals are set by the individual student at the beginning of the semester and then tracked through reflection assignments throughout the semester, to make sure students are having a positive, goal-directed learning experience.

Course Requirements

Because the bulk of this course consists of the work that students complete while working for an organization, much of the learning comes from being on site and tackling assignments from the supervisor.  Students are asked to set goals, reflect upon them, document their experience in writing and photos, and document hours worked. The associated assignments all speak to these requirements.
  1. Complete a signed internship employment agreement with approvals from the faculty supervisor as well as the site supervisor.
  2. Create an internship preflection to layout goals and answer progress questions.
  3. Submit action shots taking place during the internship.
  4. Submit a reflection and progress questions.
  5. Submit an internship postflection and final paperwork documenting hours as well as the evaluation from the site supervisor.

Course Outline

This course is divided into three main modules, each with a required check-in assignment. These check-ins are designed to help you reflect on your progress and ensure you are meeting your learning goals. However, the majority of your time and effort will be spent on the internship itself. Because internships vary greatly in scope, responsibilities, and schedules, your day-to-day workload will depend on the specific tasks and projects assigned by your internship supervisor.
  • Unit 1: Course Introduction – Orientation to course expectations, internship requirements, and initial goal setting.
  • Unit 2: Midterm Reflection – A structured reflection on your experiences, progress toward goals, and any adjustments needed.
  • Unit 3: Final Paperwork – Submission of final evaluations, paperwork, and a summary of your internship learning outcomes.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

A majority of your work for this class will be completed as projects within your internship. Beyond that, there are a few Canvas class discussions and reflective pieces required within the course Canvas module. Students are expected to take the learning activities in this course—and their internships—seriously, as these internships may lead to full-time work upon graduation. As such, this course will be treated like a real job, where no late work or tardiness is acceptable.

All assignments, including the pre-flection, reflection, and post-flection, must be completed by their original due date. No late work will be accepted under any circumstances.

Attendance Policy

While this is an online, asynchronous course with no regular attendance or meetings with me required, you are expected to maintain consistent engagement in your internship and demonstrate punctuality in all professional responsibilities. Conduct yourself professionally at all times, complying with all company-specific rules, guidelines, and expectations agreed upon at the start of your internship.

In addition to completing all Canvas assignments on time, you must also fulfill the agreed-upon number of weekly on-site work hours to receive a passing grade. Your required work hours are determined by the number of credits for which you are registered. Consistent attendance, timely arrival, and full participation at your internship site are essential—just as they would be in any professional workplace.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.