Internship Class takes place on Monday at 5 pm or Tuesday at 6 pm (the lesson is the same in both classes each week)

Syllabus:

Week 2 (9/6 – 9/12): Building a Movement: Personal Recruitment Skills

In this class you will learn the importance of recruiting people to your organization, the principles of effective recruiting, and the main recruitment tactics. You will gain practice building a personal connection with individuals while recruiting.

Week 3 (9/13 – 9/19): Seeing the Potential in people: Leadership Development

In this class you will learn the importance of involving volunteers and how to continue developing their leadership skills. We will read and discuss a reading about Fred Ross and Cesar Chavez.

Week 4 (9/20 – 9/26): Making a Splash: Planning Events

In this class you will learn the importance of holding events on campus and how to plan an event. You’ll then practice planning for an upcoming event that you have.

Week 5 (9/27 – 10/3): Sharing your Opinions: Writing LTEs

In this class you will learn what a Letter to the Editor is and tips for writing one. You will write an LTE in class that you will then submit later that week.

Week 6 (10/4 – 10/10): Campus Activism: Dead or Alive?

In this class we will discuss Campus Activism now as compared to the 60s. We’ll read two articles from campus newspapers that reflect opinions on this topic and share our own opinions on how activism has changed and whether it is more or less effective.

Week 7 (10/11 – 10/17):  Increasing your Impact: Building Coalition on Campus

In this class you will learn the importance of building coalitions with other groups and people on campus. We will brainstorm different groups/people that you could meet for your upcoming programs and then practice contacting them and asking them to get involved.

Week 8 (10/18 – 10/25): Improving your own Personal Effectiveness: Time Management

In this class you will learn some good tips for managing your busy schedule including everything from your school work and extra curricular activities to working out and watching your favorite tv show.

Week 9 (10/25 – 10/31): The Importance of Grassroots Organizing

In this class you will hear from a special guest (TBA) elected official on the importance of grassroots organizing and how these efforts impact what our leaders in politics think and decide.

Week 10 (11/1 – 11/7): Developing a Message

In this class you will learn the importance of developing a message and the components of a good message. You will develop a message for an upcoming opportunity you have to use it (i.e., advertising, an event, a presentation, briefing, etc).

Week 11 (11/8-11/14): Lobbying Decision Makers

In this class you will learn the importance of meeting with people who are making decisions on the issues you care about. You will learn the important steps on how to prepare for these types of meetings and then we will practice role-playing these types of meetings.

Week 12 (11/15 – 11/21): UW Madison’s student-run funding system: A brief History

In this class you will hear from Stacey Hafner, UW Alum and current Midwest Organizing Director for US PIRG about the history of student segregated fees and funding attacks on the University of WI Madison.

Week 13 (11/22 – 11/28): NO CLASS-Thanksgiving Break

Week 14 (1129 – 12/5): The Tripod: Strong Activist Groups

In this class you will learn the three main factors that help to measure the strength of an organization. You will evaluate your own organization on theses factors and determine what strengths and weaknesses your organization has based on these factors and then create a plan on how to improve your organization for the following semester.