AIS 484 Internship

The American Indian studies internship affords students the opportunity to relate their learning to the professional environment, through a structured practical experience. Interns may earn up to three credits by contributing 50 hours per credit to their placements and successfully completing assigned academic tasks.

Course Rationale

Internships contribute to the education of the whole person by emphasizing the importance of work and by providing opportunities for self-reflection. Your internship should be chosen to build on your own interests and to relate what you have learned in school to its application in the workplace. In addition, your internship should help you evaluate yourself as a worker and as a potential employee in a particular professional field. Through the internship, you will enhance your feelings of self-worth and confidence in performing in the workplace.

While you are on the job, you should not only apply lessons learned in school to your particular job tasks, but you should also explore vocational possibilities and seek to discover what kinds of work you enjoy. In addition, you will be able to build on your résumé and professional portfolio. Internship experiences should also offer you access to potential mentors in your professional field.

Securing an Internship

American Indian studies students are required to find their own internship sites. Native American organizations such as non-profit groups, service providers and tribal government departments make excellent choices for the student seeking an internship. Some of the organizations that have hosted AIS interns in the past include: Heard Museum, Intertribal Council of Arizona, Heaven Sent, Washington Internship for Native Students and American Indian Technologies International.

    Internship Opportunities

    • American Indian Law Center, Inc. Pre-Law Summer Institute 
    • American Indian Student Support Services 
    • American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Internship Program — Summer
    • American Philosophical Society Phillips Fund Grant for Native American Research
    • American University Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS)
    • Center for American Archaeology American Indian Program
    • Dartmouth College Charles A. Eastman Dissertation Fellowship
    • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Native American Alaska Native Program
    • First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) Internship Program
    • The George Washington University Native American Political Leadership Program
    • Harvard Medical School, Division of Medical Sciences Four Directions Summer Research Program
    • International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management (IIIRM) Internship Program, Fellowship Program
    • Iroquois Indian Museum Education Internship
    • Native American Rights Fund (NARF) School Year Clerkships/Internships Summer Clerkships
    • Newberry Library D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian History
      • Frances C. Allen Fellowship for Women of American Indian Heritage
      • Susan Kelly Power and Helen Hornbeck Tanner Fellowship
    • School of American Research Indian Arts Research Center
      • Eric and Barbara Dobkin Native American Artist Fellowship
      • Rollin and Mary Ella King Native American Artist Fellowship
    • Seneca Gaming Corporation (SGC) Internship Program
    • Smithsonian Institution
      • National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Native Arts Program Internship Program
      • Native American Awards Program Community Scholar Awards Internship Award Visiting Student Award
    • Society for the Preservation of American Indian Culture (SPAIC)
      • Lynn Reyer Award for Tribal Community Development
    • Morris K. Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Internship
    • United Nations Indigenous Fellowship Programme For 2008
    • University of Arizona American Indian Language Development Institute
    • University of Montana InPsych Summer Program

    Internship Forms

    For further information call 480-965-3634.