Writing Internships: Building Bridges Between Academia and Business

Abstract

Although many business curricula at baccalaureate institutions offer a diver sity of internships for their students, English departments generally offer only traditional teaching internships. Because of an increase in the placement of business majors and a decrease in the placement of liberal-arts majors, a con cern for the "marketability" of English majors, and a decline in enrollment in English departments, these departments nationwide have looked for ways to increase the visibility of their curricula. Writing internships can offer liberal- arts students the "pre-professional" experience needed to increase their employability and help generate new interest in English as a career avenue. This article is a chronicle of such a program at Millikin University.