Course details
GWS 660 pairs a community-based internship with a weekly seminar to frame students’ work experiences in a gender studies context. In the internship program, GWS students develop professional skills, learn how local organizations work, and build networks of colleagues in the Madison area.
Students must complete the application and be accepted in to the program before enrolling in Gen&WS 660.
Why take 660?
Gen&WS 660 internship sites are vetted! We invite organizations to participate with a clear set of expectations and a commitment to provide meaningful, rigorous, and autonomous learning opportunities for students.
The seminar portion of Gen&WS 660 makes this course unique and, sometimes, magical. Students come together weekly to learn from each other about different professional settings and rethink what feminist work looks like. Together, the internship and the seminar set the stage for a professional network that helps launch your career.
How to Apply
Applications for spring 2023 have closed. Please contact Susan Nelson at susan.nelson@wisc.edu if you have questions about how 660 fits in your future course plans.
Recent Internship Sites
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, the Office of the Gender & Women’s Studies Librarian, PATCH – Providers and Teens Communicating on Health, Wisconsin Women’s Council, Girls, Inc., the Guerilla Feminist, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, Pediatric and Transgender Health (PATH) Clinic, Legal Action of WI, The Literacy Network, Public Health Madison Dane County, and more.
GWS 660 FAQs
Do I need an internship before applying?
No. The Gen&WS 660 instructor recruits a group of internship sites and supervisors who will interview students. Students contact the agencies where they are interested in working to arrange an interview. The agency then selects the intern that they would like to hire.
Can I continue with an internship that I already have?
This is certainly a possibility. Reach out and let the instructor know more about the situation and we’ll see how we can make it work.
What if I am not offered an internship?
We have many partners looking for an intern. All the students who enroll in the course will have an internship.
Course Goals
Students get out of the internship experience what they put into it. In the 660 application, and during the semester, students set goals to measure individual growth. Even before the course begins, prospective students clarify what they hope to learn during an internship through the application process. It is important for student to ask themselves how a commitment like this will fit into their spring schedule.
The goal of the seminar is to bring together a group of GWS students excited to step outside of the classroom to engage in feminist praxis while learning what feminist work looks like in a variety of community-based settings. Students leave this course with a more developed set of professional skills and an increased level of professional confidence.
What program alums have to say…
This is a fantastic and valuable class – I learned so much!
I gained a lot of knowledge about feminist activism that I haven’t learned in other GWS courses.
The combination of internship experience and advanced coursework was very unique and valuable.
The field experience is incredibly valuable & I made SO many wonderful and important connections.
It is a wonderful experience – both the internship and the supportive (learning) community.
I learned SO much. This class is so valuable every GWS student should take it!