Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. Also required is 90 credits in peace and conflict studies, or 90 credits in a related relevant discipline and at least 30 credits in peace and conflict studies or the equivalent.

To be registered for the course, the student needs to provide documentation from the place of internship, containing the following:

1) A few lines about the place of internship (what it does/works with).

2) A few lines stating what the student - as an intern - will be working with.

3) Information about who the student's supervisor/mentor will be at the place of internship. This is for the student's own benefit, to ensure that there is somebody who is responsible for the student during his/her internship. This should include this person's formal position and contact details.

4) The time-period in which the student will do his/her internship.

5) This document needs to be signed by the student's supervisor/mentor or another responsible person at the student's place of internship.

Learning outcomes

The course aims to offer the opportunity to develop skills in peace and conflict studies in a professional setting. The objective is to provide professional experience in the form of practical training that is relevant for professional work as an investigator/analyst at state agencies, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) and international organisations. Furthermore, the course aims to provide an opportunity to develop a professional attitude towards employers and colleagues.

At the end of the course students are expected to:

• Be able to give an account of the objectives, mode of operations and societal role of the organisation/agency where the internship was conducted.
• Have acquired experience and knowledge of the relevant methods and routines needed for working as an analyst/officer.
• Have developed a professional attitude towards employers and working colleagues.
• Adhere to the Department's Policy on Ethical Guidelines for Student Work.

Content

The course is normally taken at a workplace of relevance for Peace and Conflict Research/Studies, e.g., one at which the student may apply as well as expand on the knowledge acquired during his/her studies. The internship is a professional practice and the student shall, to the extent that supervisors, trainers and workplace conditions permit, carry out tasks normally assigned to investigators and analysts. Supervisors and course convenors should strive to provide tasks in a variety of fields and at different level. During the practice, students are trained in using skills of inquiry and analysis as they are applied in the field of action where practice is implemented. If the supervisor so decides, there may be seminars at the department during the practice course.

Each student must have an individual plan for the course, which includes the content and structure of his/her work placement. It shall be worked out between the student and the assigned supervisor/mentor and be accepted by the course convenor. During the practice period, student and course convenor should keep in touch with each other to ensure the quality of the practice and the implementation of the individual plan.

Instruction

Periodic and scheduled tutoring hours. Attendance is mandatory during the hours of work prevailing at the practice site and for any seminars scheduled in the course.

Assessment

When the internship has ended, the student is required to submit a written report of his/her term of internship to the course convenor. The report should encompass the student's description of the place of internship - its organisation, aims, resources - as well as an account of what assignments were given to him/her. The report should include a reflection on how the internship related to the student's previous studies. More general comments should also be included of the pros and cons of the specific place of internship, as well as constructive feedback on how negative aspects could be decreased.

A letter from the employer containing his/her evaluation of the student's internship period is required. The letter of evaluation shall be signed by the student's supervisor/mentor at the placement. Based on the student's report and the supervisor's assessment, the course convenor issues one of the following grades: Pass (G) or Fail (U).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

Other directives

The Department does not guarantee an internship placement to the student, neither is it responsible for finding an appropriate workplace - this is the student's responsibility. However, based on the experience and information provided by previous students and workplaces, the Department can when necessary recommend suitable placements.

Students must inform the Department as early as possible about his/her plans for a practice placement. The Department then determines whether the organisation, authority, agency or business, etc., is appropriate. The requirement for early information is important since, in some cases, the course convenor may not accept the place of internship. This could be due to a number of reasons, such as security issues or a lack of peace and conflict profile at the proposed place of internship. The acceptance of the convenor is required in order for the student to register on the course.

The internship can be done in Sweden or abroad. The key factor is that the workplace has a clear peace and conflict profile, so as to allow the student to apply in practice the knowledge so far attained during his/her Master studies.