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MA in International Community Development

2019-2021

Cohort Twelve

Fieldwork & Thesis Guide

The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Northwest University

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Northwest University ICD Fieldwork & Thesis Guide

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Contents

INTRODUCTION 3

PROJECT MANAGEMENT, FUNDING, AND PROGRAM EVALUATION 6

FIELDWORK 6

THESIS 11

APPENDICES 29

FIELDWORK GUIDELINES/EXPECTATIONS 31 FIELDWORK HOURS RECORD 32 FIELDWORK INTERVIEW TRACKING FORM 33 EXTERNAL READER FEEDBACK FORM 34 RESEARCH INTERVIEW RELEASE FORM 36 ICD THESIS PROPOSAL 37


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Introduction

At the heart of the ICD program is an emphasis on applied learning. As you progress through your course work, we want you always to be asking the question: "How can I use this knowledge to make a real difference in the world, now and in the future?"

Also central to the ICD ethos is the idea that, when it comes to community development, advocacy, leadership and the like, experiential learning is crucial. Therefore, not only does each semester of the ICD program feature a practicum course, with a focus on practical skills and experience, but the program also leads you to develop your own practical culminating thesis.

The two-credit classes (which comprise our certificate in Outcomes-Oriented Program Management) focus on three core skill areas, and provide experience in the areas of project management, program evaluation, and fundraising/grant writing. Many students choose to apply these skills in their theses.

Meanwhile, beginning in your second semester, other courses with a strong emphasis on experiential learning will guide you through the process of developing a research-based thesis. These include:

Research for Social Change in which you develop your research question/themes

and plans Fieldwork in which you immerse yourself in a qualitative fieldwork experience

based on the research question/themes you have developed Thesis I and II courses in which you write a culminating thesis.

Both the skill-focused courses and the research/fieldwork/thesis track courses

emphasize experiential learning. They provide the foundation of the ICD program, ensuring that you always have a setting in which to integrate and apply your coursework and learning, while at the same time adding a new dimension of praxis to them. These courses provide a context in which you will have opportunity to contemplate your own experiences and collaborate with your peer community on how to prepare for maximized influence in your context of service.

In addition, the skill-focused courses and other experiential courses are intended to be a venue for community building, personal and academic support, and interaction with your thesis advisor.

While the order of the skill-focused courses may vary, the primary experiential learning activities you will engage in through the MAICD program can be described as follows:

Fall: Project Management for Development. This semester, you will work on initiating and planning a project for an actual organization. You will also start


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considering your eventual practicum fieldwork site, and do some initial thinking about potential thesis topics. Spring: Program Evaluation, and Research for Social Change. Here you will learn the important skills of program evaluation, and will have the opportunity to test them for real-world organizational contexts. During this semester, you will also practice the skills of qualitative research, identify your fieldwork site, and solidify possibilities for your thesis topic.

Summer: Funding and Grant Writing, and Fieldwork. Next, you will be writing a grant for an organization and analyzing critical ways of ensuring funding for non-profit and other organizations focused on social good. During the second half of this semester, you will also complete your fieldwork.

Fall: Thesis I: In this course, you will synthesize your fieldwork and research in order to begin either a) a practical thesis project and a shorter accompanying thesis document, or b) a full academic thesis. During this semester you will write sections of your thesis, and complete (if applicable) your practical thesis project.

Spring: Thesis II: In your final semester, you will complete your thesis, and will have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of your thesis subject by finalizing your research, creating your thesis, and defending it before an audience of your peers.


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Here is the projected course layout for your cohort, as of 8/27/19. This is subject to change, so please know that the latest version will be kept on the Eagle web page.

Semester Dates Course

Semester 1 (First-Year Fall)

August 26 – December 22, 2019**

Orientation Trip to Oxford: August 25-31, 2019

GLST 5503 Culture Studies in a Globalized Context (3 credits)

GLST 5313 Community Development (3 credits)

GLST 5932 Project Management for Development (2 credits)*

Winter Break December 23, 2019 – January 5, 2020

Semester 2 (First-Year Spring)

January 6 – April 26, 2020

GLST 5153 Research for Social Change (3 credits)

GLST 6343 Social Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking (3 credits)

GLST 5952 Program Evaluation (2 credits)*

Spring Break April 27 – May 3, 2020

Semester 3 (First-Year Summer)

May 4 – August 23, 2020

GLST 6593 Disaster Relief and Development (3 credits) OR GLST 6573 Children, Poverty, and Development (3 credits)

GLST 5923 Fieldwork (3 credits)

GLST 5942 Funding and Grant Writing (2 credits)*

Summer Break August 24 - 30, 2020

Semester 4 (Second-Year Fall)

August 31 – December 20, 2020

GLST 5963 Thesis I (3 credits)

GLST 6423 Social and Environmental Justice (3 credits)

Winter Break December 21, 2020 – January 3, 2021

Semester 5 (Second-Year Spring)

January 4 – April 25, 2021

GLST 5973 Thesis II (3 credits)

GLST 6383 Peacemaking and Reconciliation (3 credits) Thesis Trip: dates and location to be determined; traditionally 5 nights mid-May

Spring Break (for continuing students)

April 26 – May 2, 2021

Semester 6 (Second-Year Summer - Optional)

May 3 – August 22, 2021

GLST 5932 Project Management for Development (2 credits)*

GLST 5952 Program Evaluation (2 credits)*

GLST 5942 Funding and Grant Writing (2 credits)*

* Students choose between completing the program in five or six semesters. Classes listed with a blue background are core classes completed with one’s cohort. Other classes should be taken either a) as additional credits during semesters 1-3 (shown with a green background), or b) in a final sixth semester (shown with a white background). Both options are shown.

**Returning students begin this semester on September 2, 2019.

Course sequence and dates may vary, and are subject to change.


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Project Management, Funding, and Program Evaluation

Project management, funding and grant-writing, and program evaluation skills are in high demand in the world of service organizations. The teaching you will receive on these subjects, added to the hands-on experience working on a project with potential real-world results, will add crucial capacities to your skill set and enormous value to your resume.

Individually or in teams, you will plan and conduct projects for actual organizations. In many cases, the organizations will have a role in defining the objectives, or stated outcomes.

During the first semester, you will initiate and plan a project management-type project for an actual organization, packaging up the results into a deliverable that provides the expected value to your project sponsor and which could – if desired by the organization – be implemented. During the second semester, you will design a grant and complete other financial projects for an organization of your choosing. During the third semester, you will engage in program evaluation tasks for a different sponsoring organization, and present your results in the same semester.

To the extent possible, organizational sponsors will provide evaluations of your work.

Fieldwork

The fieldwork site is the context where you will carry out a minimum of 80 hours of individual field research for your thesis, primarily through qualitative research methods. (Note that oftentimes internships require more than 80 hours, and it may be necessary to commit to that as a condition of engagement with that site.) The site is the physical location you will be in (i.e., southern Liberia, or Federal Way, Washington). However you will almost always be operating in the context of a specific organization as well (i.e., Living Hope Orphanage of Kampala, or The Enterprise Initiative in Seattle), so that organization constitutes a key element of the site as well. The general guidelines for an appropriate site are these:

It must provide an opportunity to learn in-depth about the specific type of service/social change activity that your thesis is likely to address

It must grant you access to 10-15 consultants in your research focus, each of whom you will interview at least once. (These may be employees of the organization, clients (with the organization’s permission), broader community members, or experts in your field of interest)


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However, if you are already involved in context of service pertinent to the ICD degree and to your future interests, you may opt to undertake a thesis project that addresses a need in that context.

Above all, you’ll want to consider a site that fits with your general research and vocational interests. In other words, be sure to choose a site that will help you to explore something you really care about, and which will help you to become better equipped to do the sort of work you are called to do. However you shape the thesis project, it should provide opportunities for you to engage with people who know what you need to know – the “consultants” referred to above. Ideally these would be people who actually do the sort of work you are looking into, and/or those who are integrally involved in the social context/community you are researching. Stay open to anyone with “local knowledge” of the context – anyone who can help you learn and think creatively about the research problem you are grappling with.

When possible, choose a site at which you can make a contribution, either through research or general volunteer work. You may consider writing your program thesis, for example, in such a way that the data you compile and/or the conclusions you draw from your research might actually aid your fieldwork organization in its work. (Ask the organization in advance about this.) Or, you might simply volunteer your time/work in a way not directly tied to your observations and site research; the volunteer work simply gives you a role to play while you are making your observations. Or again, you may opt to make a new contribution to the organization you already work for if your work is germane to ICD issues.

While it might be ideal to find that perfect site that will integrate all your interests, there are other factors to consider, such as:

Practicality: What can you reasonably do, given your life circumstances (i.e., full-time school, job, family, etc.)?

Affordability: While international travel might be your ideal, it may simply be too costly given your financial situation as a graduate student.

The primary praxis in fieldwork is learning through participant observation: that

is, direct experience, observation, and interviews. So as long as you find a fieldwork context that is interesting, AND proves to be something you can do given the realities of your life, you’ve got a perfectly suitable fieldwork site.

You will need to be proactive about finding this site. Some ideas regarding where and how to look:

Network, network, network. Ask everyone you know. And ask them to be on the lookout too for possible contacts.

Talk to fellow students; they may well be able to find opportunities in the organizations where they are doing their own projects.


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Look close to home: Consider your local church, school, community center, or local government office.

And of course, work closely with your thesis advisor.

The ICD program does have a list of sites that could provide opportunities. You are free, however, to find a site on your own. In any event, you are responsible for making the contact with the organizations that interest you, and establishing the terms of your research and service. Timeframe for Fieldwork Research Experience: The ICD program schedule is set up on the assumption that most students will complete their 80 hours of fieldwork experience in an intensive time frame, usually in the summer. You also have the option of accumulating the 80 hours of fieldwork over the course of up to four months. You could, for example, begin this process as early as May or June in semester three, and continue your fieldwork through September of semester in semester four. (It is in that semester that you will begin processing your research data and creating your program thesis project.)

As you consider the approach you will take to fulfilling field research hours, remember that you may count only those hours when you are actively observing or participating in the field context. The time spent in plane travel or sleeping, for examples, cannot be counted. The Fieldwork Proposal: The Fieldwork Proposal is a description of your proposed site and the activities you will carry out there. It includes all the details of the site including the names of the site contact(s) who will oversee your work, as well as substantial information about the history, philosophy, and affiliations of your chosen organization. (Please use the cover page attached.)

Most importantly, it includes a description of the particular research question or set of questions you will be exploring through field research. Your research must be focused on a specific, limited problem to be solved or set of questions to be answered, such as:

How can the Linnert Foundation best match the values of corporate donors to specific development projects in the Amazon Basin? What innovative strategies does it use to link developed world resources with developing world needs? What unique approaches is the Foundation taking to engage human resources as well as financial resources?

How does Parker Elementary address the needs of children at risk? Why have indicators of student success been showing a consistent decrease in the past decade? In a context with a high incidence of poverty, what are the strategies that have been tried to encourage student success? Why has there been little success in engaging the broader community in efforts to alleviate the potential drawbacks of the socio-economic risk factors of that community?


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What would be a contextualized model for sustainable microenterprise that could operate alongside Calcutta Mercy Ministry’s new rural health clinics? What new experiments and innovations in community development should be taken into consideration for future clinics?

These questions will eventually need to lead into your thesis project, so you need

to have that thesis in mind as you formulate your research questions. At the same time, you will need to choose a field site that will likely yield the sort of data you need to make your case. Perhaps an organization is doing exemplary, cutting edge work that you want to analyze and highlight in your thesis. Or perhaps an organization is less than successful in achieving aspects of their mission, and your research will lead you to develop and propose new and approaches. All to say: Try to anticipate your thesis project goals even as you look for your site.

Do note that, while the field data must be integrated into the thesis, your thesis may or may not be focused on the organization/site. You may opt for such a case study approach, or you may choose a more general topic that simply draws on your field data for supporting material and examples. Please note well: The Fieldwork Proposal must be submitted and approved by BOTH your site supervisor AND your program advisor before you can proceed with the implementation of the plan. Please obtain the site supervisor approval first before giving the form to your advisor. A brief letter or copy of an email will suffice; simply attach it to your proposal. The Site Journal, Site Report, and Record of Hours: In Practicum IV, you will be asked to submit a report that summarizes the fieldwork experience, including a recap of the data gathered and an initial estimation of research conclusions. You will be asked as well for some subjective “processing” of the experience on a personal level. To this end you will be required to take extensive field notes the essence of your research and observations), as well as keep a regular personal journal throughout the fieldwork timeframe.

Along with the site report you will be asked to submit a detailed record of your fieldwork hours. A form for this is provided within this guide; however, you are free to create your own form. Note that you CAN count the hours you spend in recording/compiling research data, and in contributing to your field journal.

Your field notes may take any form that is useful to you. Your program advisor may ask to see/hear them at the end of the field experience, so make sure they are in a form that allows such access. Field data includes written/print notes, transcripts, audio recordings, video, photographs, drawings, and collected artifacts among other things. So be creative in how you gather data. Note that one component that is required in your field notes will be interview notes OR transcriptions from your 10-15 required expert interviews. You will need these


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notes because they will become valuable sources to integrate into your thesis project. Note too that you don’t have to wait until semester three to carry out these interviews. You may begin scheduling your interviews as soon as you have your research question(s) in place.

During your fieldwork you may also be asked to share your experience through mini reports, notes, and photos on a blog that you create, or in other creative venues, and to respond to the posts of your peers – connecting their experiences to your own, and offering insights into their work. Site Supervisor Role: For the fieldwork experience you must identify one person who will serve as your site supervisor. This person serves as the primary (or one of the primary) contacts for your engagement with the fieldwork activities. Usually this will be a person who serves in the main organization with which you are involved. If you are not working under the auspices of one specific organization, the site supervisor is the person who helps you to coordinate the diverse aspects of your field experience.

The site supervisor can be as involved as you want them to be – or more to the point, as involved as he/she wants to be! But the minimum functions of the supervisor role are these:

o Help the student to define the components of the field experience, including any service work.

o Provide occasional advice/guidance as needed during the fieldwork period. o Serve as the main contact for the fieldwork site (if an organization is

involved), or help the student coordinate various fieldwork experiences (if multiple sites are involved).

o Provide authorizing signatures for the student’s project proposal, and sign the report of fieldwork hours.

So you can see that the supervisor role can be minimal. In great part, how you shape the experience, and what you draw from it, is up to you and not those who oversee you.

However, do be aware that there is great value in learning from the experience of those in the field. So if you have opportunity to solicit more input from your site supervisor in the form of regular advice, vocational counsel, or even guidance on your eventual thesis work, it would be well worth pursuing a quasi-mentoring relationship with your site supervisor as far as that is possible. Again, this is advisable but not required; quite often people who are engaged in works of service are hard pressed to offer more than basic supervision, and this is just fine.

In any case, you will want to provide your site supervisor with clear information about their role. At the same time, you must solicit their expectations of you – and this is something you would be wise to put in writing.

To this end, there is a form provided in the Fieldwork and Thesis Guide. This form should be filled out by the student and the supervisor; the student then makes copies –


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one for the supervisor, one for the program director, and one to keep for his/her own records.

Thesis In Practicum I, you will be introduced to the requirements of the program’s thesis

component. Generally speaking (and for most students), this will constitute a research-based, MLA-formatted document by which you develop and support a specific thesis idea. As noted, in all cases the thesis must integrate the field research described above. In particular, you are required to integrate and cite (by name and date) knowledge gained from at least five of the personal interviews you did as part of your fieldwork. In addition, you must refer in the thesis to general insights and observations gained from your practicum field experience.

Please note that the thesis requirement may be met through alternative forms. If you plan to go on to doctoral work, a conventionally crafted thesis is a good thing to have in hand. However, you might also choose to convey your research results and experience through a different medium, as a project: You might for example create a video, a photo essay, or even a performance; some students have even started nonprofit organizations and socially entrepreneurial businesses. In any case, you’ll need to invest the same energy and academic research in putting together a finely crafted “product” as you would into a written thesis. See the guidelines below.

Guidelines for the MA Thesis Options: The thesis is intended to give you an experience of focused, extensive research and problem-solving. It is also meant to help you become an expert (or “master” if you will), in a particular subject germane to the ICD program foci. The thesis should reflect that level of mastery. Finally, it offers an opportunity for integration and application of various course concepts and texts from the whole ICD program experience.

There are three main options for fulfilling the thesis requirement:

Traditional Thesis: The thesis is a research-based document that is comprised of 40-60 pages of text (including the title page, table of contents, and Works Cited, but not including any appendices). In it you make a contention (thesis statement) about some new approach, idea, methodology, strategy, etc. for addressing a community-development related need. All ICD thesis documents must have a practical orientation – a “so what” factor that clearly links ideas and ideals to actual practice in context. This is accomplished through BOTH text-based research AND qualitative research processes (primarily interviewing and field observation).

Thesis Project: The thesis project is comprised of two parts: A practical project with real-world application to a specific context, or one that meets a specific need, paired with a research-based document comprised of 25-40 pages of text (including the title page, table of contents and Works Cited, but not including any appendices). The practical project may or may not be a document (see examples


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below), but if it is, there is no set page requirement; the form should suit the need. The research document component provides the rationale and theoretical/academic underpinning for the project component.

Comprehensive Exam: The comprehensive exam is comprised of four sections total: A practical project design/proposal that addresses a social challenge, plus three essays based on ICD program themes and content (see topics below).

Please note that the comprehensive exam questions address essential areas of ICD program content. No matter what thesis option you choose, use these questions as a broad-strokes guide to the general areas of information that any good thesis is expected to touch upon.

In most cases, the thesis topic (including the comprehensive exam project) is tied to your summer fieldwork experience. You will be asked to form some general research question options in advance of your fieldwork. You are also required to conduct the required fieldwork interviews with the thesis in mind, so that these interviews become resources that are later cited in the thesis.

In all cases, you must secure an “external reader” for your thesis (including the comprehensive exam project), one who knows the chosen thesis topic well. Ideally this person will serve as a mentor at best, or a consultant at least, to help guide your research and writing. They will read the final draft of the work and offer written feedback as part of the evaluative process. This role is NOT to be confused with that of an editor or proofreader. You will need those sorts of helpers to be sure, but the role of the external reader is to act as a sounding board for ideas, a general consultant in the research process, and a reader of the final draft. This person may also serve as your site supervisor, but the roles are not necessarily the same.

Some important points to remember about the thesis: By convention, all thesis documents are made available to the public via the

Northwest University library website. However, comprehensive exam documents are exempt.

You must always research and write your thesis with attention to the question, "What difference do my ideas make in the real world?” A core ICD value, remember, is: The best sort of knowledge is that which makes a difference in people’s lives. Thus, ICD theses should never be ONLY about ideas or ideals, or about abstract, esoteric matters. They must therefore be tied to particular people, places, needs and challenges.

Incorporate data obtained through your own qualitative research (participation, interviews and observations).

Integrate references to lessons learned and texts read throughout the ICD program (since the thesis is an integrative document). Incorporate a minimum of 20 program sources (for either type of thesis). This could include such sources as course textbooks, articles, forum discussions, videos, presentations, etc.

Aim for at least 60 sources for a traditional thesis, or 40 for the shorter thesis/academic rationale accompanying a practical thesis project.


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Seek to create “new knowledge”—that is, offer a perspective or solution that is unique and which contributes something to the broader field.

Always have in mind the option of publishing something out of your thesis, and be making note of possible publishing venues even as you carry out your research.

Utilize elements of the literature reviews done in prior courses. (This is usually done by adapting relevant components of the reviews to support various points you make throughout the thesis. Unless it is absolutely necessary to your structure, avoid inserting a separate Literature Review section in your thesis.)

Turn in the External Reader Feedback form with the final draft of the thesis (you’ll find this in the appendix of the Guide).

Be reminded that the ICD thesis guidelines allow you to adapt and incorporate

sections of papers previously written for program courses. You simply need to note his on the thesis cover page: “Some material included in this thesis was previously submitted to meet the requirements for the ICD courses [list them here]”. You must list these courses specifically, in order to avoid any appearance of plagiarism. Case Examples: The best way to understand what a thesis looks like is to observe what has been successfully submitted in the past. Below you will find summaries of several typical thesis submissions. The same problem-solving approach in these examples is exemplary for comprehensive exam projects as well.

Thesis: In his research, a student asked the question: “How can services for the disabled in a Nigerian context be made more accessible and effective through cultural contextualization?” This question emerged out of his experiences working with the disabled in Nigeria. His thesis explained the issues there, explored multiple causative factors for the problems the disabled face, and proposed a number of guiding principles for service providers to expand and improve services offered. He opted for a traditional thesis format, and his thesis statement made the case for new approaches to the problem. His actual thesis statement: “In order to increase access to services for the disabled in Nigeria, it is necessary to both work to change cultural biases, and to utilize indigenous, context-relevant resources that already exist in Nigerian society.” In this case, the student used his thesis to propose public re-education programs about the rights and personhood of the disabled, and the creation of schools for disabled kids that would create jobs and contribute to the local economy (among other things). His traditional thesis, based in the values of copowerment and contextualization, argued for a general approach/strategy to a specific social problem in a specific national context. At the same time, he made the case that a similar approach might offer possibilities for other similar contexts. Note that this student did not include the question in his thesis document. The research question(s) must always lead to a thesis statement. The thesis statement is the answer to the research questions, and the questions themselves are only a means to an end in the process of preparing to write.


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Note too that the student didn't write an overly general or abstract thesis. He could have made a case such as: "Disabled people should have more equal rights in the world," or "In Liberia, certain core cultural beliefs work against the just and humane treatment of disabled people." Those are important points, and in fact they are important points develop as part of this particular thesis example. However, he made sure that his thesis ideas were grounded in a particular, real-world context of application. Could this student have opted for a thesis project over a traditional thesis? Yes indeed. (See the related example below.) Perhaps he might have designed a public education program, or even two - one for a rural context and one for an urban context. He would then have written a shorter thesis, perhaps with a narrower scope - one that developed the ideas and values that were the foundation of his project. And because the project in this case would be so tied to the particularities of a place and people, he would be free (if he wanted), to make a more general case, such as "In any endeavor to improve the lives of the disabled in the developing world, it is critically important to understand culture context factors that both help and hinder such efforts."

Thesis Project: For her fieldwork, a student designed a “kids with cameras” project

for a city in Turkey, one that taught photography skills to disabled children and helped them to gain a “voice” in a culture that otherwise sought to ignore them. In the process of her fieldwork, she came to understand the broader need for such projects in various contexts of human need. And so for her thesis project she created a nonprofit agency to promote social justice photography projects around the world. For the program requirements she submitted both a book of photographs from her project and the business proposal for the nonprofit.

In the accompanying academic thesis document then, she developed the values, methodologies, and rationale that informed her project. The thesis statement: “In Turkish society, disabled people are hidden away due to deep cultural beliefs that make them a source of shame to their families. It is possible to change the perceptions of the disabled through programs that promote their social visibility, and foster engagement and interaction with members of mainstream society.”

Thesis Project: A student traveled to several places in Africa to observe orphan

care; while there he realized that biometric and developmental data were being gathered in a haphazard and inefficient way. Based on interviews and observations there and further research in the US, he developed a cheap, efficient, field-based system of data gathering that utilized smart phones and the internet. Out of this, he then developed a business plan and started a company to offer these services to organizations with similar needs. He submitted the business plan as the project, accompanied by a document explaining the need he sought to meet, and the values and theory that informed his strategy for meeting it.


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This accompanying thesis document defended his contention that service providers need to do a better job of evaluating and demonstrating the impact of their program efforts, both for the sake of efficient and effective use of resources, and for the sake of keeping the donor base educated and informed. He then pointed to his project as a case example of how such understanding might be applied in practice.

Thesis: A student sought to pair her passion for environmental justice with her concern for disaster relief. In Haiti and India, she took note of the fact that disaster relief organizations – in their efforts to meet needs quickly and efficiently – were actually creating environmental problems unthinkingly through their methods. In her research she asked the questions: “What IS the problem [since most disaster relief organizations were not aware of the problem], and what can be done to alleviate it? The thesis statement for her traditional thesis: “Relief organizations should increase their awareness of environmental issues in their contexts of service so that they do not end up causing problems even as they seek to solve them. Specifically, such organizations should work to integrate creation-care values into their organizational culture, to implement zero or low-waste relief strategies, and to increase post-intervention evaluation processes to remediate any negative environmental impact. This was a traditional thesis, but could she have opted to do a project? Absolutely. She might well have written a smaller version of the thesis above, and then for the project part, created something practical and doable for an actual context. Perhaps she could have devised a four-part, two-year program for a relief agency in Haiti, by which they could integrate creation care values into their organizational culture, and evaluate and redevelop their existing relief work methodologies. Or she might have designed a post relief project evaluation process for the same organization. Whatever she does, the project would need to be intended for a specific context for implementation, even if the project could benefit other organizations in similar contexts with similar challenges.

Crafting a Thesis Statement, Paragraph, and Introduction: Note that the process below applies to all versions of the thesis—traditional,

thesis project, and comprehensive exam project. If you are writing for the latter option, you need an introduction to the proposal that is included in this option, and that includes a thesis statement, and all the associated elements described below.

Every thesis needs a thesis statement paragraph. The same is true for proposals, grant applications, program designs, and nearly every project option that includes a written document. Importantly, it includes each of the comprehensive exam essays as well. In all cases, this paragraph must include the following elements.

A brief statement of the problem/challenge The thesis statement (what is the solution in a general sense) A statement of the actual solution/what will be proposed


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A roadmap outline the general shape of the proposal/preview of the main sections in broad strokes. Sometimes the thesis statement paragraph is the first paragraph of the document.

More often though it follows some introductory material, such as a description of the challenge being addressed, or a story that illustrates the challenge.

The thesis statement: The thesis question that you have been working on sets you up to write the thesis statement. In effect, the thesis statement is the answer to your question. As you near the end of your research process, the things you have discovered via reading ad fieldwork should provide you with the understanding you need to pose an answer to that thesis question. For example, here is a thesis question I made up:

What processes can be put into place that will allow churches in a given community to positively impact their local public schools?

Fast forward to the end of the research process, and let’s transform it into a thesis statement:

In order for the local church to invest in their community public schools, it must act as a catalyst to establish collaborative partnerships.

Notice that, while we started with a question, the resulting thesis statement must be an assertion. In other words, you need to take a stand, i.e: This must happen. This is how it should be. Here is a better way. To do this takes courage, and it means that you risk being wrong and/or having people disagree with you. But so what? You are a MASTER of International Community Development, so you get to say what you want. But you have to say it boldly if you want to pass this final hurdle on the way to earning your degree. So decide what you stand for, and make a case for it to the world.

Expanded thesis statement: Notice how simple and straightforward the thesis statement is so far? Yours has to be that clear. In other words, the reader should have no doubt at all about what your position is, and what in general you will argue for. But know too that what you see here is really only part one of a thesis statement. Obviously, for an MA thesis, there would need to be more to it. For this reason, you will decide how many other sentences you need to add to the thesis. As long as you have one clear statement of the core purpose, you may craft several additional sentences to add layers of detail. Let’s do that with the working thesis statement above: In order for the local church to invest in their community public schools, it must act as a catalyst to establish collaborative partnerships. When religious institutions, local businesses, nonprofits, and public schools work together, unrealized and untapped resource are released, and the local community is drawn together, inspired and galvanized around the common cause of serving children.

You see how the additional sentence both expands on the key idea, and adds some detail to it. It gives the reader an even better idea of what to expect from the thesis


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document. But in fact, what I haven’t told you yet in the thesis so far is that this particular thesis is based in field research, and has a very practical aim that is expressed in a thesis project component (one of your two program options, of course). So let’s add that information as well.

In order for the local church to invest in their community public schools, it must act as a catalyst to establish collaborative partnerships. When religious institutions, local businesses, nonprofits, and public schools work together, unrealized and untapped resource are released, and the local community is drawn together, inspired and galvanized around the common cause of serving children. Drawing on lessons learned through a case study at Cedarwood Covenant Church, this thesis will identify core motives, critical challenges, and practical strategies for church engagement in community collaboration. Finally, this thesis includes a Handbook for Collaborative Community Partnership – a set of practical guidelines for any religious community that wants to adopt this model of social engagement.

That’s it. You’ll notice that I’ve given you the details on HOW I am going to develop my ideas, as well as the ORDER (or a rudimentary roadmap) in which I will do it. In point of fact, now that I am at this point, I COULD opt to go back and remove the second sentence; it would certainly simplify my thesis, but it also takes the heart and soul out of it – so that is a decision I might come back to later (remember: working thesis).

The introductory thesis paragraph: We have been working from the core idea outward. Now we need to expand a bit more so that we have an actual introductory paragraph. While there ought to be an aesthetic component to the whole document, it is particularly important in the initial paragraphs. Not only does the introduction make it clear what you stand for and how you will make your case – it also represents your opportunity to engage the reader and make them intrigued to hear more about your beautiful idea. Let’s add some aesthetic-engagement-orientation material to our current thesis statement:

Children are our future (goes the oft-repeated maxim), so we need to invest in their development. And yet it would be hard to discern that value by looking at public education in America today. Most public schools are under-resourced and struggling to meet basic standards. Are we to assume then that in fact Americans just don’t care about kids? Clearly, if you have any connection at all to children in your life, you know that isn’t true. So why don’t communities invest more in the education of their children?

Churches in particular need to take that question seriously, for at the core of Christian ideology is a mandate to advocate and care for “the least of these.” And yet, historically, religious institutions and public schools have kept their distance from one another, in great part because of the constitutionally-mandated (but often misunderstood), separation of church and state. Yet this need not be the case; quite simply, the lack of cooperation between the two entities means that children are not served well.


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There must be a different way of thinking about how communities invest in their young, and churches need to be at the forefront of modeling a new way forward. In order for the local church to invest in community public schools, it must act as a catalyst to establish collaborative partnerships. When religious institutions, local businesses, nonprofits, and public schools work together, unrealized and untapped resource are released, and the local community is drawn together, inspired and galvanized around the common cause of serving children. Drawing on lessons learned through a case study at Cedarwood Covenant Church, this thesis will identify core motives, critical challenges, and practical strategies for church engagement in community collaboration. Finally, this thesis includes a Handbook for Collaborative Community Partnership – practical guidelines for any religious community that wants to adopt this model of social engagement.

For an academic thesis, one paragraph of introductory material will do, but you could add more as we did here. If I wanted to, I could add even another paragraph to the end of the one above, to transition my reader into the thesis -- or perhaps continue my case for the need for new perspective -- or even to expand the roadmap a bit. My instinct tells me that my next paragraph ought to introduce my fieldwork context, Cedarwood Covenant Church, and signal my rationale for choosing this community (Cedarwood is at the forefront of risk-taking experiments), or for doing a case study at all (I am using a case study because the last thing I want is for my case for change to be stuck in the realm of the abstract). But I can always come back to this later.

In my imaginary scenario, I asked my reading group about it, and they thought it might be better to save that information for later on in the thesis. They noted however that my introduction could be made more engaging with the addition of a story from my research – perhaps a story that demonstrates the need I am writing into (i.e., an underfunded public school fails one of its students), or maybe an inspirational story (i.e., how Cedarwood worked with a local business to make it possible for an at-risk kid to stay in school).

The point is that you have a lot of leeway in how you shape the introduction. But do take the time and effort required to engage your reader, to make them care, and to make them want to know more.

Establishing the Fieldwork Foundation: Again, the process below applies to all versions of the thesis—traditional, thesis

project, and comprehensive exam project. For the comprehensive exam, the proposal element requires the same grounding in qualitative research that is described below.

At some point, early in the thesis, you need to let your readers know the following:

That your research orientation is qualitative


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That your thesis is grounded at least in part on data derived from qualitative fieldwork

What the context(s) of your field research were Your interest in and relationship to the issue (researcher reflexivity)

This is important orienting information for your readers, and is akin to a

“methodology” section that you might see in a more formal study (though labeling it as such is not recommended for an ICD thesis or project). It is also important because it indicates to the reader that the thesis was written by an actual caring human being—and sets you up to have an engaging personal presence and an authentic writing voice throughout the thesis. Finally, it allows you to be transparent about how your own values and experiences have shaped the perspectives (and biases) of the thesis; in so doing, you remind your readers that you are not seeking to offer the definitive word on your subject, but rather a unique, informed perspective for the their consideration.

Incorporating Interviews: When you cite an interview, you should sometimes call attention to the fact that it

IS an interview. This emphasizes the fact that you as the researcher-author have direct connection to the issue you are writing about, and thereby supports the authority of your perspective. All thesis options require extensive inclusion of fieldwork interviews.

Rather than simply writing something like:

Jones explained, “The problem is complicated. . . .”

you should instead use writing that is more context-evoking and connection-building:

As I observed the Uptown after-school tutoring program, director Marissa Jones explained to me, “The problem is complicated. . . .”

or perhaps:

Over the noises of the children’s excited conversations and laughter, Marissa Jones, director of the Uptown Tutoring Center, told me, “The problem is complicated. . . .”

Again, this sort of contextualized writing tells your readers that you were there, witnessing first-hand what you are writing about, or at least engaging directly with on-the-ground experts. It also makes for more interesting, compelling reading.

Incorporating writing from other courses: For the traditional thesis and thesis project options only, you are allowed to draw

sparingly from and adapt papers and forums written in any ICD course. This practice applies only to the thesis documents; you aren’t allowed to re-use material written for one course in any other. The thesis, however, is an integrative document for the whole program; you received encouragement at the start of the program to consider writing toward your thesis as long as a particular assignment from any given course lent itself to that.


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Caution: Never include entire papers; instead, limit your use of past material to at

most a paragraph or two from a given paper. Do this only if it flows seamlessly into your argument, and never use such material just to fill space. Finally, always revise and adapt pre-written material for flow and coherence with the main argument of the thesis.

Important note: You must note every course you draw from on the title page (not the Works Cited) using this format:

Author’s Note: This document incorporates material written for the following MAICD courses: Community Development; Culture Studies in a Global Context; Fieldwork; and Fundraising, Grant Writing and Volunteer Management

Thesis Frame: Here are some guidelines for shaping a traditional thesis and thesis project. (The

comprehensive exam has its own format, determined by the writing questions; see below.) This is not an exhaustive framework; this offers a general sense of the content and shape expectations, with room for adaptation and added components.

General content guidelines: Remember that the thesis is a demonstration of both integration and application of ICD ideas and principles. In particular, you want to be sure that you address issues of contextualization, research, and social justice at a minimum. You should familiarize yourself with the questions posed in the comprehensive exam for broad ideas of what you could include (however, those not doing the comprehensive exam option should not try to answer all of the questions; these questions only give you a general sense of how and what to include.)

Note: For the sake of readability and accessibility, ICD thesis documents you should not include a literature review. It is assumed that you will bring in the perspectives from your literature research throughout the thesis, when and where they support your case.

FOR A TRADITIONAL THESIS:

The first part of the thesis should contain these sections:

1. Title page 2. Table of Contents 3. Introduction 4. Thesis paragraph, including:

Brief summary of the problem The thesis statement The roadmap For a thesis project: Note what the project is and its connection to the

thesis 5. Overview of the field research, (similar to a methodology section, but not as

formal) including: The fieldwork context The type of qualitative research you did


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Why qualitative research was the necessary means to gather needed data

The research questions you explored The relationship between the data gathered and the thesis/thesis

project Some reflexive commentary about your connection to the topic, or the

impact of fieldwork on you 6. Title page 7. Table of Contents 8. Introduction 9. Thesis paragraph, including:

Brief summary of the problem The thesis statement The roadmap For a thesis project: Note what the project is and its connection to the

thesis 10. Overview of the field research, (similar to a methodology section, but not as

formal) including: The fieldwork context The type of qualitative research you did Why qualitative research was the necessary means to gather needed

data The research questions you explored The relationship between the data gathered and the thesis/thesis


impact of fieldwork on you Add these sections (with some flexibility in how you order them):

Detailed description of the case-example context about which you are writing Extended explanation of the challenge/problem you are proposing to address Full development of the case you are arguing (this is the heart of your thesis),

including: o A general rationale for your assertion, and why your new approach is

needed o A detailed section for each component of your argument/case o An explanation of how your general argument is connected to your case

example/research context, and a detailed account of how it those ideas are/should be contextualized for that context

Conclusion Appendices (as needed) List of Works Cited (always after the appendices)

FOR A THESIS PROJECT:


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The first part of the thesis should contain these sections:

1. Title page 2. Table of Contents 3. Introduction 4. Thesis paragraph, including:

Brief summary of the problem The thesis statement The roadmap For a thesis project: Be sure to communicate what the project is and its

connection to the thesis 5. Overview of the field research, (similar to a methodology section, but not as

formal) including: The fieldwork context The type of qualitative research you did Why qualitative research was the necessary means to gather needed

data The research questions you explored The relationship between the data gathered and the thesis/thesis


impact of fieldwork on you Add these sections (with some flexibility in how you order them):

Detailed description of the context about which you are writing Extended explanation of the challenge/problem you are proposing to address Full development of your proposed solution/approach (this is the heart of your

thesis), including: o A general rationale for your approach o A detailed section for each component of your strategy/design o An explanation of how/when/whether your solution will be applied o An explanation of how the project demonstrates the ideas above

Conclusion Appendices (as needed, but the project itself is the first appendix—assuming it

is a document) List of Works Cited (always after the appendices)

FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM:

Each section of the comprehensive exam, including the project, and questions one, two, and three, requires a separate title page and a separate works cited page.

Part One: Project Design/Proposal This project is described above in detail (see Fieldwork and Thesis Guide). As noted above, the project proposal element of the comprehensive exam option needs an


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introduction that includes a thesis paragraph, as well as a section that explains the grounding in qualitative fieldwork. Here though are additional requirements for a comprehensive exam project in particular:

The project section in most cases will be a proposal for a project, not one that you execute during the timeframe of the ICD program.

It is important to note that any project you envision must be tied to the research outcomes from your fieldwork research. You will need to cite your fieldwork interviews and observation notes in the proposal.

The proposal must clearly demonstrate principles and practices of community Development, and should reference materials from that course.

The proposal must reflect the innovative thinking and creative problem-solving skills learned in the Social Enterprise course, and should reference materials from that course.

The proposal must be structured around following questions: What is the need you are proposing to meet, and what is the context of the

problem? What is the proposed intervention? (I.e., a new business, a school, a curriculum, a

water project, etc.) How is the project design responsive to and reflective of context factors? How did the design engage the input and perspectives of those for whom it was

designed to benefit? What resources will be required, and where will they come from? How and by whom will it be implemented? What is the timeline for implementation and evaluation?

Draw from a wide variety of ICD program resources as needed, but refer at least twice to the materials from each of the following courses:

Culture Studies Community Development Social Entrepreneurship

The project proposal should be 10-12 pages long, including the works cited page. Be sure to craft an introductory paragraph, as well as a summary conclusion. At a minimum, please cite 10-12 sources, including your fieldwork data and at least three external, peer-reviewed sources that were not required reading in the ICD program. List all resources in a separate Works Cited page, specific to the proposal. In the works cited for this and all sections of the comprehensive exam, please highlight all ICD course resources that you cited.

Part Two: Essay Questions Note: Each question requires an essay of 10-12 pages, including a works cited

page. Essays should follow conventional expository essay structure (as described in MLA guidelines; see the OWL website). You must include an introduction with a thesis statement and a roadmap of main points, one or more paragraphs for each of those


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points, and a summary conclusion. Include a title page and a works cited page as well. In addition, each essay should cite sources drawn from:

A range of ICD course sources (texts, videos, lecture notes, etc.) External, peer reviewed sources that were not required as ICD reading. Note too

that while you may use the same external sources in multiple sections, they cannot count toward the required number of external sources in each section unless they have NOT been previously used.

Fieldwork observations and interviews

The questions below address “essential” ICD program content. No matter what thesis option you choose, use these questions as a broad-strokes guide to the general areas of information that any good thesis is expected to touch upon.

1. Contextualization Explain your understanding of contextualization and its importance to

community development. In crafting your essay, please be sure that the following questions are addressed somehow:

Why is contextualization such an important factor when it comes to designing and implementing programs, processes, and interventions?

How do creativity and innovation figure in to the contextualization process?

Explain how you intend to apply the values and practices of contextualization in your future vocational work.

As supportive material for this essay, you are required to include three

examples of contextualization that you employed in your project. Specifically:

One example of general, macrocultural cultural contextualization (such as the application of Hofstede’s indices)

One example of more localized contextualization shaped in response to the culture of the specific community that the project is intended to serve

One example of unique, local assets or capacities that you engaged (such as local wisdom, particular skill sets, physical spaces, environmental resources, etc.)

You must draw from the following resources:

FOUR ICD COURSE SOURCES: Include wide variety of ICD program sources as needed, but refer specifically to the materials from each of the following courses (at least one source from each): Culture Studies Community Development At least two other ICD courses of your choosing

THREE FIELDWORK INTERVIEWS


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THREE PEER REVIEWED SOURCES: Use sources that were not required reading in the ICD program, and that you did not use in other sections of the exam

In total, you are required to cite 10 sources minimum; stronger essays will cite closer to 15. In the works cited for each section of the thesis, please highlight all ICD course resources that you cited.

2. Qualitative Inquiry Write an essay in which you discuss the strengths of qualitative research

methods for understanding contexts of need. In your answer, be sure to include perspective on the following questions:

What are some of the values that inform qualitative methods, and how do those values resonate with core ICD values?

What is distinctive about the qualitative approach, and why is it particularly useful in the practice of community development?

Using your project as a case example:

o How was the usefulness of qualitative methods demonstrated in the research you did for your project?

o Identify the types of outcome markers you will be looking for in a future, hypothetical evaluation of your proposed project.

o How can you plan to utilize either Qualitative or Quantitative research methods to measure the impact of your proposed project?

o Why should community developers include qualitative elements in their effectiveness evaluations?

In summary, how will qualitative approaches to inquiry make you a more impactful agent of social change?

You must draw from the following resources:

FOUR ICD COURSE SOURCES: Include wide variety of ICD program sources as needed, but refer specifically to the materials from each of the following courses (at least one source from each): Research for Social Change Fieldwork At least two other ICD courses of your choosing

THREE FIELDWORK INTERVIEWS THREE PEER REVIEWED SOURCES: Use sources that were not required

reading in the ICD program, and that you did not use in other sections of the exam



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3. ICD Values Looking back over your experience of the ICD program, discuss the ways in which your values have been impacted. Please be sure that you answer the following questions at some point in your essay:

How would you describe your process of personal transformation? What has social justice come to mean for you, and how do you hope to

serve as an influence for social justice in the future? How do you understand copowerment, and how will you seek to express

that dynamic in your future work? As your own theology or philosophy of service has developed thus far, how

will it influence your future vocational choices? You must draw from the following resources:

FOUR ICD COURSE SOURCES: Include wide variety of ICD program sources as needed, but refer specifically to the materials from each of the following courses (at least one source from each): Social and Environmental Justice Thesis I Thesis II At least one other ICD course of your choosing

THREE PEER REVIEWED SOURCES: Use sources that were not required reading in the ICD program, and that you did not use in other sections of the exam


Objective Scholarly Voice While qualitative writing allows you the researcher/author to openly advocate for those about whom you write, you still need to write with an objective enough writing voice that your readers will trust you. Even if you are part of the community that is the focus of your thesis, you cannot use “we” language; if your reader perceives you as an “insider” with an overly biased and limited perspective, she won’t take you seriously as a scholar.

Let’s say for example that your thesis is based on a program evaluation of Global Water Coalition, and organization for which you also work for. You would of course make your relationship to the organization clear to the reader from the start. However, from that point on, you should write from the academic, evaluative stance of someone outside the organization looking in. You would NOT write something like:

In order to address emerging struggles over water access in at-risk regions, we must not cling to methodologies simply because they worked well for us in the past. Instead, we must assume that changing circumstances require innovative


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problem-solving approaches, based on the actual and unique historical, geographic, and cultural factors of each particular context of need.

To address the reader as a fellow stakeholder might be appropriate if, for example, you were presenting your findings to the board of the Global Water Coalition. But for an academic study, which will be read by others who don’t have any connection to the community about which you write, you must stand with the external readers and write from their perspective. Otherwise you risk sounding overly-subjective, and will most certainly make most readers feel excluded as outsiders who are listening in on a conversation that doesn’t involve them. That makes the relevance of your thesis quite narrow. The example above then can be fixed quite easily:

In order to address emerging struggles over water access in at-risk regions, Global Water Coalition must not cling to methodologies simply because they worked well in the past. Instead, the organization must assume that changing circumstances require innovative problem-solving approaches, based on the actual and unique historical, geographic, and cultural factors of each particular context of need.

As you see, the simple adjustment of a few words makes this statement accessible to all readers, and allows them even to consider: Does this statement apply also to my own work somehow? This sort of potential generalized applicability is the hallmark of every good thesis.

One final note: It is particularly easy to fall into the exclusion trap when you are a Christian, assuming that you are writing to a Christian audience. Don’t do this. Your thesis will be publicly accessible to the whole world, and you must assume that it will be read by a broad and diverse audience. Even if you are discussing religious values and priorities that you yourself believe in, you must still separate yourself from them in the way you write. That includes “we” language, but also “insider” language that assumes that your reader shares a common set of assumptions and values. So, no to this:

If we are to take the Bible seriously, we must prioritize the needs of the poor and the marginalized over the demands of wealthy and powerful stakeholders; obedience sometimes means risking the loss of key donors.

Consider how many assumptions there are in that statement! If you happen to share those assumptions, try reading it again as someone who does not share them. Then compare it to the following:

As a Christian faith-based organization, Global Water Coalition is guided by principles set forth in the Bible that prioritize the needs of the poor and the marginalized over the demands of the wealthy and powerful—particularly as outlined in passages from the book of Isaiah, which figure prominently in the organization’s vision statement. This may well put the organization at odds with some key donors, who might represent interests that are not in line with these core values.


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Not only is this more careful, objective phrasing more inclusive—it is also clearer and more accurate. When you seek to write like a scholar, you will inevitably include information that would otherwise be assumed by the subjective insider.

Note that employing the academic perspective does not mean eliminating the use of first-person perspective. As a researcher, you should be present in the thesis, and there will be times when you must use “I” when (for example) describing your own perspective on a given issue, or “me” when recounting points of personal conflict or transformation in the research process. Again, toward the start of the thesis, especially in the reflexive and research overview sections, you will have the opportunity to indicate to the reader what your relationship is to the values and perspectives about which you write. But thereafter, if you want to be taken seriously by any academic who values objective thinking, or by any practitioner who does not share your worldview, you must assume an objective stance.

Thesis Presentation:

Every student will have a chance to present their thesis or comprehensive exam project to an audience of their peers, instructors, and any invited guests. Students are asked to summarize their research and conclusions in a strictly-bounded, 10-15 minute time frame. They then field questions about their work from the audience and their thesis evaluators for an additional 10 minutes. The presentation must be accompanied by PowerPoint or Prezi slides, but may use additional audiovisual aids as needed. You should plan to practice the “final form” of your presentation in the week prior to the actual presentation date. On campus students should take advantage of the opportunity to present in front of their thesis writing group in person. For those doing the traditional thesis or thesis project options: You should plan on the fact that you will have revisions, some minor, but some possibly substantial. This is normal for the thesis creation process. Normally you will have 1-3 weeks to make these changes, depending on how extensive they need to be.

Thesis Publication:

Your final thesis will be made available to others through the Northwest University library. As you formulate your thesis ideas, you would do well to consider other venues through which you might share your research and conclusions. Any sort of “publication,” including conference presentations, goes a long way toward building your career portfolio. So early on in the second semester, scout out relevant journals, conferences, and such that could be potential venues for this. In some cases you may want to contact the editors/organizers in advance to gauge the feasibility of publishing with them, and to find out about specific requirements for that venue.


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Appendices


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To the Fieldwork Site Supervisor:

Thank you for being willing to provide accountability and guidance to this student. Please know that your investment will help shape a critical component of the student’s formation as a future agent of justice and social change.

In the Masters of Arts in International Community Development program, the role of the Fieldwork Site Supervisor is defined by the following responsibilities:

o Help the student to define the components of the field experience, including any service work.

o Provide occasional advice/guidance as needed during the fieldwork period. o Serve as the main contact for the fieldwork site (if an organization is

involved), or help the student coordinate various fieldwork experiences (if multiple sites are involved).

o Provide authorizing signatures for the student’s project proposal, and sign the report of fieldwork hours.

Any further investment on your part is optional. Please know that the student bears primary responsibility for making the fieldwork experience a valuable one, and for integrating that experience into the larger framework of the program.

The student has been advised to discuss and record any expectations you might have for them as part of the fieldwork experience. This could include frequency of contact, conduct in the field, service responsibilities, or even confidentiality parameters. If there are such terms to be clarified, these can be recorded on the following page (and copies of those terms will then be provided to both you and the ICD program director).

Thank you again for your willingness to be part of this student’s learning process.

Dr. Forrest Inslee Chair, MAICD Program Northwest University [email protected] 425-889-7809 PLEASE NOTE: If you have any questions or comments about the student, the fieldwork, or the MAICD program, do not hesitate to contact me at the email address or phone number above.

mailto:[email protected]


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Fieldwork Guidelines/Expectations Northwest University, MA in International Community Development

Student ______________________________________________________________________________________ (print) Supervisor __________________________________________________________________________________ (print) Organization (if applicable)______________________________________________________________ The site supervisor and student agree to the following items:

Signature, Site Supervisor_________________________________________________Date__________

Signature, Student__________________________________________________________Date__________


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Fieldwork Hours Record Northwest University, MA in International Community Development To be used in conjunction with the Fieldwork Interview Tracking form.

Name ________________________________________________________ Semester____________________

Supervisor Signature______________________________________________________________________

Date Est. hrs.

Brief description of activity


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Fieldwork Interview Tracking Form

To be used in conjunction with Fieldwork Hours Record

Name Position Organization Date Purpose


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External Reader Feedback Form

For the student: A copy of this form must be turned in, completed, when you submit the final draft to the course instructor. For the reader: Please return the hardcopy of this form to the student. If you would rather not use the hardcopy, please feel free to send the answers to these questions via email to the student. Please return the hardcopy of this form to the student. If you would rather not use the hardcopy, please feel free to send the answers to these questions via email to [email protected], with a copy to the student. Thank you for being willing to offer perspective on the content of a thesis draft. The time you spend is an investment in the future of this ICD student. Please offer any feedback you can to the student on this form, but certainly in the draft document as well if you think that would be helpful. Please note that you are being asked primarily for an evaluation of content, rather than proofreading or style/format editing. If you have any questions about the program and the place of this thesis in it, please don’t hesitate to contact me! Dr. Forrest Inslee, Chair Northwest University MA in International Community Development Please take a moment to comment in the following evaluative categories: (Please make suggestions as needed, and use an additional page if necessary.) Does this thesis deal with a relevant and timely topic in its field? Please explain. Does the student display a familiarity with the key resources in the field that could inform the thesis perspective? Please comment.

mailto:[email protected]


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Is the quality of writing appropriate to a graduate level? (Note that you are reading a draft, but the writing issues even at this stage ought not to be distracting from content.) Is the student persuasive and compelling in terms of how the thesis case is built or the argument is developed? Why or why not? What if any general improvements would you suggest the student make? (Again, you can make summary comments here, while offering detailed suggestions in the thesis draft document itself.) Your name ______________________________________________________________________________ Position (if relevant) ___________________________________________________________________ Thesis author’s name __________________________________________________________________ Signature ____________________________________________ Date _____________________________


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Research Interview Release Form

Purpose of study: (1-2 sentence summary of general purpose)

Process: (1-2 sentences describing nature of interview questions and method of delivery)

- I authorize that use of information from this interview can be used for quotation

and publication as part of scholarly work, community work, and education.

- I agree that no compensation will be received for this interview and/or

subsequent work resulting from it.

- I understand that I may limit or omit any portion of this interview by request.

- I hereby recognize the nature of this academic study, and assign any and all rights

of this recording, video, transcript, and photography of this research interview for

educational purposes to the researcher and his/her work at Northwest University.

Interviewee Date

Researcher Date


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ICD Thesis Proposal This proposal requires that you create a general purpose, plan and structure for the thesis you will soon begin to write in earnest. The proposal serves two functions: First, it will help you to create specific goals and parameters to start working toward right away. Second, it will serve to communicate and commit to your intentions with your instructor. Please take time to develop the following in a separate, clearly written and carefully formatted document:

Working thesis statement (Ideally 1-3 sentences). If you are doing a thesis project, you must include a statement identifying the nature of the project and its relationship to the thesis statement.

A draft of an introductory paragraph. This must be a persuasive and engaging paragraph that incorporates the thesis statement above, plus the “roadmap” or main points of your thesis.

An outline of the thesis content that conveys as much detail as possible (the document’s projected main points, and at least one level of sub points below these).

A running Works Cited list of all sources (that you know of so far) that you intend to cite in the thesis project. This list should include:

at least all the sources that are relevant from your annotated bibliographies any ICD course resources that are germane to your thesis interviews that you intend to cite any other resources you have found

These resources must be listed in proper MLA format. You will be asked to submit this document via Discovery. Your instructor will either approve the proposal as it is, or send it back for revision.

Note that this document should be as accurate as possible in terms of serving as a map for the thesis writing process. While you will undoubtedly change aspects of it as you write in the coming months, you should take the time to think carefully and deeply about the general intent and structure now. The clearer you can be at this early stage about your intentions and content goals, the easier it will be to write each component piece as you move forward. In other words, as much as it is possible, craft your thesis outline carefully and thoughtfully, and then commit to it.

If you are choosing the comprehensive exam option, your proposal will be different:


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Working thesis statement for the project proposal portion only (Ideally 1-3 sentences). This would be just the same as if you were doing thesis project: A core assertion, then a statement of how the project you will propose relates to that assertion. A draft of an introductory paragraph. This must be a persuasive and engaging paragraph that incorporates the thesis statement above, and offers a roadmap to your project proposal. An outline of the project proposal content that conveys as much detail as possible (the document’s projected main points, and at least one level of sub points below these). You do not need to provide an outline for the three comprehensive exam essays. A running Works Cited list of all sources (that you know of so far) that you intend to cite in the project proposal AND in the three essay questions. This list should include:

at least all the sources that are relevant from your annotated bibliographies any ICD course resources that are germane to your thesis interviews that you intend to cite any other resources you have found

These resources must be listed in proper MLA format. You will be asked to submit this document via Discovery. Your instructor will either approve the proposal as it is, or send it back for revision.

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