Civic virtue also requires that we think of community service as something we all owe society. SCD subscribes to these tenets, and believes that the internship program teaches the role of civic virtue in a democratic society. The internship program also promotes participatory democracy . This goal seems especially pressing when many Americans have become distressingly apathetic and increasingly disinclined to join in democratic practices. This political disengagement of Americans may be due, in part, to a sense that politics is far removed from the daily realities most of us grapple with.
Internships provide access to local politics so that students feel that they can make a difference.
Finally, the SCD internship program helps students prepare to take their place in society upon graduation. Students, through working directly in community organizations, can develop ideas about where they want to work in the future, and they can begin to develop skills and experience that will be useful in the workplace. Qualified students must have a minimum of 45 credit hours prior to doing an internship. Students must perform 45 hours of service for each hour of academic credit, up to a maximum of six credit hours. Internships can be undertaken during either the Fall or Spring semesters, or during the Summer.