Epic 171: Professional Foundations
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Epic 171: Professional Foundations

Instructor: Katie Breslin

Credits: 1

The Professional Foundations course is a required pre-departure course for students participating in Earlham-funded summer internships and independent student experiences through the Epic Advantage program. Students who are planning (or even hoping) to do a funded experience should plan to enroll in a section of the Epic Internship Foundations 7-week course prior to their experience. You do not have to have an experience secured in order to enroll in this class.

This course will help you to:

  • Align your experience preparation with your career planning,
  • Identify goals for your experience,
  • Assess your  budget needs,
  • Learn and apply risk management best practices as you conduct case and site studies,
  • Reflect on the cultures of the city, country, and organization you will be working in, in light of your own worldviews,
  • Critically reflect on the concept of professionalism and how it is viewed in your organization and area, and
  • Successfully navigate and submit the Epic experience funding application.

If you are planning, or even just hoping, to participate in a funded experience, you should plan to enroll in this course prior to your experience. To help you find a way to fit this course into your schedule, we offer multiple sections of this course in every semester.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is this course offered?

This course is offered every semester, with sections offered in the first half of the semester, and an online asynchronous section offered all semester.

Who is required to take this course?

All students seeking Epic Advantage or other Epic Center funding for internships (e.g., Freeman, Richmond Residency, Center for Global Health) are required to take this course (or Epic 126 or ACEN 146) before their funded experience begins.

What if I am already at my credit limit for the semester?

All students have the option to take this course for either zero or one credit, so you may choose the zero-credit option.

What if I don’t have an internship/experience secured yet? Should I still enroll?

Yes! This is a course in career discernment and is useful for everyone! In addition, if you are planning to do an internship/experience and think you will need funding, we strongly encourage you to enroll in this course.  You are only required to successfully complete this course one time to be eligible for any Epic advantage experience.