NOTE: This syllabus represents the course as it was run from 2020-2024. While this is the Spring 2024 version, it is relevant for all courses within those years.

HER-V 350 (Formerly HER-A 453)
Professional Practice Internship

+ HER-K 411 (Visual Research in Photography)

Instructor

Aaron Ganci

aganci@iu.edu

Office hours by appointment (HR 150) or via zoom: https://iu.zoom.us/my/ganci?pwd=d1RibVVsMUtGa1h5RkV0UTVTM0ZNUT09

 

Being successful in this course:

• Your reflections are not just assignments but an opportunity to think deeply about your internship experiences and how they influence your professional growth.
• Take your time! Your thoughtful reflections will help you in this course and prepare you for your post-college life and career.
• Developing the habit of self-assessment and critical thinking is essential for you to learn early so you can confidently and purposefully navigate your future career.

 

If you already completed your internship and are taking this class now, no worries—you’re still in the right place! Instead of reflecting on your experiences in real-time, you’ll revisit and analyze what you learned during your internship.

 

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Your instructor, Aaron

Hi everyone! I am so excited to lead this class, and I look forward to learning more about each of you and your unique backgrounds over the following weeks. Here is some useful information on how to get ahold of me:

Email: Canvas inbox is my preferred means of contact. However, you can also email me at aganci@iu.edu. I don't usually respond to emails over the weekend or after 6pm. I work early in the morning though, and you will probably get a response before you wake up the next morning.

Office Hours: You can schedule a meeting with me any time. Just send a request via email. I'm usually on campus Monday-Wednesday and remote on Thursday and Friday.

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Course Overview

This course offers visual communication design and photography students the opportunity to learn through a supervised experience in professional work settings. In addition to activities associated with their internship, students participate in a series of dissuasions and writing prompts to reflect on their on-the-job learning. 

Format Internship and Online Asynchronous

 

Course Content

In this course, you will participate in an internship experience with a business or organization of your choosing. You are required to search for and secure your internship. Coursework will primarily happen at your internship but will include supplementary coursework that happens asynchronously online. Online coursework is comprised of a series of discussions and individual writing prompts that ask you to reflect on your learning throughout the internship. Your performance will also be evaluated by your internship mentor at the end of the course.

 

Internship requirements and suggestions

You are responsible for securing your internship. Acceptable internships need to meet two basic criteria: 

1. You must work at your internship for a minimum of 150 hours during the term.
2. You must have a professional mentor in the organization that can oversee your work and support your learning. Your mentor should have content knowledge in the area you are working (ex: designer, art director, creative director, photographer, social media manager, developer, etc.) This requirement ensures that your internship will facilitate an appropriate learning environment.

 

The VCD faculty also suggest the following:

• If at all possible, you should seek ‘paying’ internship opportunities. While the internship is primarily a learning opportunity, you are providing value to the organization that you should be compensated for. We will not deny a non-paying internship but prefer that you be paid.
• Design and Photo work happens in a variety of settings. As long as you and employer agree on the format and venue of your internship (remote vs. in-person), we will accept it. We have had many students successfully take part in remote internships.The most important aspect is that you are in regular contact with your mentor.
• It is often hard to perfectly align internships to the academic calendar. It is ideal to complete the course synchronously with the internship. However, it is okay to start this course late or complete it during the term after the internship has concluded (ex: completing the internship during the summer and taking the course in the fall term is acceptable). 

 

 

 

Learning Outcomes

You will learn how to…	In order to help you become a…	You’ll know you’ve learned this through your performance in…
Course Learning Outcome		Course Activity
Apply design skills in a professional setting		Written reflection, mentor evaluation
Collaborate with professionals in a chosen domain	Communicator	Written reflection, mentor evaluation
Produce professional deliverables according to a manager’s expectations	Problem solver	Written reflection, mentor evaluation
Manage time effectively		Written reflection, mentor evaluation
Describe learning through written reflection on experiences	Communicator	Written reflection

 

Readings

As defined by internship mentor.      

 

Assignments

Written reflections (50%)

Brief: Respond in writing to discussion-based or individual reflection prompts

Public Presentation (30%)

Brief: Deliver a presentation to the sophomore students about your internship experience.

Mentor evaluation (20%)

Brief: Your mentor will evaluate your performance and growth during the internship through an online survey.

 

Grading

Instructor feedback will be delivered as written notes, audio or video recording, or in-person discussion. We will use the following grade scale for each project. Deductions for late work will be assigned on a case-by-case basis.

 

Grade	Percentage
A	93-100
A-	90-92
B+	87-89
B	83-86
B-	80-82
C+	78-80
C	73-77
C-	70-72
D	60-70
F	50-60

 

Schedule

Weeks	Topic/Activity
1	Reflection: Internship Expectations and Introductions
3	Reflection: Organizational Culture
5	Reflection: Technical Skills
8	Reflection: Midterm reflection
10	Reflection: Technical Skills
12	Reflection: Communication Skills
14	Reflection: Overall growth
16	Final Reflection
16	Mentor evaluations distributed

 

 

Accommodations: Students seeking accommodations because of disability must register with Accessible Educational Services and follow the procedures of that office before accommodations will be given. All forms must be completed and students must identify themselves to me sufficiently in advance of any exams so that I have time to make the accommodations. Accessible Educational Services is located in UC (Taylor Hall rm. 137, aes@iu.edu, tel. 274-3241. I follow their recommendations and I consult them for advice when I have questions.

 

Academic misconduct: Academic dishonesty of any sort undermines the very principles on which educational pursuits are founded, and if encountered, will be dealt with as the most serious of offenses. If you are ever in doubt about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please consult the university's Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, or ask me directly. Ignorance of the standards is not an excuse.

 

Administrative Withdrawal: Students who miss more than 50 percent of their class meetings of a given section during the first four weeks of the fall or spring semesters may be administratively withdrawn from that course unless documentation of contact with their course instructor, academic unit, or academic advisor is provided. Undergraduate students may be administratively withdrawn regardless of class level.

 

Regular Withdrawal: I hope you won’t need to drop this class! But if you do, pay attention to the date and make sure you are aware of all the potential ramifications for your tuition, financial aid, and degree progress. Information about withdrawing can be found here: https://indianapolis.iu.edu/academics/classes-registration/register/withdrawal/

 

Religious holidays: IU Indianapolis respects the right of all students to observe their religious holidays and will make reasonable accommodation, upon request, for such observances. Students seeking accommodation for religious observances must make a request in writing by the end of the 2nd week of the semester to the course instructor and should use the Request for Course Accommodation Due to Religious Observance Form

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Technical Standards Policy: Herron School of Art & Design applicants and enrolled students must be able to fulfill the requirements and demands of the courses for the degree program they have chosen. Reasonable accommodations will be made for students who are registered with IU Indianapolis Accessible Educational Services.