Latin American Studies, Practice/Fieldwork
Through an internship/fieldwork, the student acquires knowledge in the social sciences or humanities, or about Latin American culture and society. This knowledge is examined in written form, through a report.
Piles of Salt Salar de Uyuni Bolivia. Foto: Luca Galuzzi (Lucag), edit by Trialsanderrors, CC BY-SA 2.5 Wikimedia.
"The internship may take place in Sweden or abroad at organizations and institutions connected to Latin America.
A supervisor is appointed by the department, and a preliminary internship/fieldwork plan is drawn up between the supervisor and the student. The plan, as well as the internship placement, must be approved by the course coordinator before the internship/fieldwork begins. The purpose of the internship/fieldwork is to increase the student’s employability."
The overall document for a course is the course syllabus. In this description, we clarify how to complete the course. The course description should provide good guidance, but is not comprehensive. Further clarifications in oral or written form are given by the course coordinator. Do not hesitate to ask the course coordinator if questions would remain. To see who the course coordinator is, see further under Schedule.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in the social sciences or humanities related to Latin America. - Demonstrate advanced understanding of Latin American culture and society, gained through an internship or fieldwork in Sweden or abroad, at organizations or institutions connected to Latin America.
- Critically reflect on practical experiences in relation to theoretical perspectives covered in previous courses.
- Describe, analyze, and reflect upon the activities and tasks of the workplace.
Teaching Format
During the internship period, the student becomes part of the organization and performs relevant tasks.
The internship is an educational placement. Teaching takes the form of supervision at the internship site, where the student and supervisor engage in ongoing discussions about the student’s work and its relevance to the internship plan and to Latin American studies
The internship may takes place in Swedish, English, Portuguese or Spanish. The mid-term and final reports must be written in English.
Assessment
The examination is given in English.
The course is assessed through a written report in which the student reflects on and analyzes their experiences from the internship/fieldwork. The student must also submit a midterm report to the examiner, describing their experiences from the internship/fieldwork, and the linkage of this experience to Latin American studies. For the assessment of the final report, the student is required to submit an original certificate of attendance issued by the host organization or supervisor.
REPORTS
The midterm report should be between 2-3 pages long, and include the following sections:
•Introduction. One paragraph about the institution where you’re doing the internship.
•Context. One paragraph about the country or region you’re working with, and specifically its situation in terms of the issue you’re working on.
•Description of the internship: your main responsibilities.
•Personal and professional challenges you’re finding in your work as an intern.
•Personal reflection: a couple of paragraphs on your experience, as a sort of conclusion.
Deadline: The midterm report must be submitted 8 weeks after the term starts.
Final report: a deeper development of the main points contained in the midterm report is expected. You should include major personal and professional achievements gained during the internship.
A template for the final report will be available on the learning platform (Athena up until the spring term 2026, Canvas as from the autumn term 2026).
The use of an internship diary to gather the main learning processes, challenges and achievements is strongly recommended.
Each student will receive feedback from the supervisor.
Extension: 5 to 6 pages (A4).
The final report must be submitted no later than 2 weeks after the term ends.
The deadlines for the midterm and the final report are the same for all internships within the term, regardless of each internship’s exact start- and end dates.
Evaluation criteria
The following aspects will be assessed in the report:
- General structure of the report;
- Description of the organization;
- Description of the country/countries with which the organization works;
- Description of work tasks;
- Link between theory and practice with Latin American studies;
- Reflection about the internship and learning experience.
Examiner
Andrés Rivarola Puntigliano
