Individual think tank - Research internship

During the minor you can also opt for an individual research internship instead of the think tank. During your internship you will not only work on an existing research project within a research group that is related to the theme of the minor or - if you are going to do an elective minor in 2024 - with your study programme, but will also work on making the societal relevance of this project visible (valorisation). This way you will work on the same learning objectives as during the think tank.

Entry requirement

For the think tanks in semester 2, an entry requirement no longer applies with effect of the academic year 2024-2025.

For the think tank in semester 1 (LET-LETMI-DT00), there is still an entry condition and therefore also if you want to complete this individually. The entry criterion for (the individual completion of) the think tank in semester 1 is that you have passed a thematic course (LET-LETMI-TH%) or the course Study Abroad: Academia and Society (LET-LETMI-RF12).

In case you do not meet these requirements, but you want to do (an individual completion of) the think tank in semester 1, please apply to the examination board for an exception to the sequentiality. 

Time schedule

Please note: If you are considering an individual fulfilment, keep in mind the timeframe. Arranging an individual fulfilment takes at least 2-3 months and requires submitting a request to the examination board. This request must be submitted by 15 July for an internship in the first semester internship and by 15 December for an internship in the second semester.

Requirements

You spend 280 hours on the individual internship - just as you would do on the think tank. This includes drawing up and working on the research plan and report, the final product and the evaluation.

Keep the checklist below in mind while finding an internship:

  • With my intended internship, can I achieve all the learning objectives listed in the table under Individual internship?
  • Does the societal issue and the research question that I will be working on during my internship fit with the theme of the minor or - if you are going to do an elective minor in 2024 - with your study programme?
  • Does the scope of my internship (including completion) amount to 280 hours?

Learning objectives

After your internship you can:

  • make the societal relevance of a scientific research project visible in daily research practice;
  • in consultation with the supervisor and the research group, draw up a research plan for a research project in which you define and delineate the project and describe and plan the activities;
  • in consultation with the supervisor and the research group, divide and carry out the activities, working together constructively;
  • present the outcomes of the research in a clear and societally relevant way;
  • reflect on your own qualities and your development in working in a research group and on the research process.

Completion and assessment

  1. Research plan & paper
    The focus of your internship will be on doing scientific research on a societally relevant question. In the research plan you describe the structure of your research, discuss the relevance of your question in relation to the theme of the minor and explain how you want to work (incl. time schedule). In the end you present the outcomes of your research in a scientific paper.
  2. Final product
    With the help of the research plan, you will ultimately come up with an answer to the research question which you then need to present in a clear and societally relevant way. You can be as creative as you like: the final product does not have to be a written product, but can also have be a poster, infographic, video, animation, etc. Discuss this with your supervisor beforehand.
    When choosing the form and content of the final product, clearly keep the intended recipients (the general public) in mind.
    More information on the final product can be found in the Factsheet (pdf).
  3. Evaluation
    At the end you will reflect on your internship in a short report. This evaluation contains the following:
    • a brief overview of what you learned from working as a team;
    • a brief overview of what you learned during the research process;
    • a brief overview of what you learned from the setbacks and failures during this process.

Because in this research internship (just like in the think tank), the process of cooperation, problem exploration and development of a final product is at least as important as the result itself, the internship will be assessed with a pass/fail. You will not get a grade.

Research at the Faculty of Arts

More information about ongoing research projects within the Faculty of Arts can be found on the websites of the two research institutes:

Centre for Language Studies

Radboud Institute for Culture & History