Integral Inquiry - Course Catalog

ourse Information for 644 Dissertation Seminar: Online Format (SN5046)

Course Description

Texts & Readings

Purpose of Course

Anticipated Learning Outcomes

Course Materials & Resources

Additional Web Resources

Student Self Evaluation

Course/Instructor Evaluation

In the Winter, 2001, quarter, William Braud will offer the 2-unit 644 Dissertation Seminar course in two formats–a regular, residential section (Schedule Number 5045) that will meet in the ITP Kiva classroom on Thursdays, from 9:30 — 11:30 a.m., and a new, online version of the course (Schedule Number 5046). The online version is especially recommended for those working at a distance from ITP and for those who may not be able to attend the usual in-person section of the course. The accompanying materials provide details about the online version of the course. [ top ] The Online Dissertation Seminar is available to ITP students in any phase of the Ph.D. program. It has no prerequisites, and it may be taken as often as one wishes. [ top ] To register for this course, complete Form 101 and Form 102, and submit these to ITP’s Office of the Registrar. These forms may be found in the ITP Winter Schedule of Classes. The forms also may be downloaded from the Registration page of this web site, filled out, and sent to the ITP Registrar (744 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94303; Fax: 650/493-6835). Notify Dr. Braud of your interest in the course by filling out the boxes in the contact information form on the Registration page; this form will be submitted automatically. Once Dr. Braud has received notice of your official registration, he will contact you with the additional information (including logins and passwords) you will need to access and participate in this online course offering. [ top ] This online course will take place over a 10-week period, beginning on Monday, January 8, 2001, and ending on Friday, March 16, 2001. Dr. Braud has been offering this dissertation support course–in the regular, in-person, residential format–one or more times each year for the past 9 years. The course provides intellectual and group support for those who are at any and all stages of their dissertation work. It supports students who are still thinking about and selecting their topics, those who are nearing the completion of their dissertation work, and those at any intermediate stage. The course provides many forms of assistance and support for picking and focusing one's topic, choosing the best research method(s), and helpful advice about picking one's dissertation committee and about the ITP dissertation process itself, doing literature searches and reviews, writing one's mini-proposal and formal proposal, actually conducting the research, working with the data, interpreting one's findings, and writing all sections of the first and second drafts of the dissertation itself. The course is relatively unstructured and free-form. Classes consist of working group meetings in which students present "where they are" in their doctoral dissertation work, and the instructor and the rest of the class provide support, new information, resources, advice, and other inputs that can help the student move on to the next step of the dissertation process. As we learn and appreciate a particular student's puzzles, solutions, challenges, and triumphs, general principles emerge that can be applied to the dissertation work of each of us. We will continue to follow the earlier format, as much as possible, in this new, online offering. In addition, we plan to institute more focused online discussions. These can take two possible forms. One form is for students in similar "stages" of the dissertation process (e.g., those still exploring topics, those needing help with research methods, those working on mini-proposals, those working on formal proposals, those in the midst of conducting their research, those analyzing data, those interpreting or modeling their findings, those writing dissertation first or final drafts) to get together, online, and work together on their common issues and share suggestions. Another form is for different focal topics to emerge (e.g., there may be several general topics or subject areas that a number of students are working on in their various ways) and for smaller, more focused discussion groups to develop, which could support those common topics. Thus, students can work together in smaller, focal groups, as well as participate in the more general work and discussions that will involve the entire class. The instructor, of course, will participate to various degrees in all of these activities. Portions of the course will be devoted to experiential exercises relevant to the dissertation process. Possible areas addressed in these exercises will include: becoming more mindful of one's greatest potential challenges and one's greatest strengths and allies; mind-mapping to determine the best topics for the literature review; uses of visualizations and suggestions in facilitating the dissertation process; setting intentions; importance of rituals; accessing alternative states of consciousness for gathering, working with, and presenting data; augmenting intellectual/linear/verbal knowing through the addition of sensory, bodily, emotional, intuitive, and memorial modes of knowing. There may be occasional online visits from students who are working on or who have recently completed their own dissertations. These visits from folk who "have been there before," and who, therefore, can share their dissertation-related experiences, are always highly valued by Dissertation Seminar participants. There also may be online guest presentations by ITP faculty and others. About the Instructor William G. Braud, Ph.D. is Professor and Research Director at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA. For the past 9 years, Dr. Braud has directed the ITP doctoral dissertation process, advised students about their dissertation projects, and taught courses in the areas of research methods and other topics of interest. Dr. Braud has 17 years of experience teaching psychology and transpersonal studies at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as 17 years of experience conducting research, full-time, at a private research foundation. His findings and thoughts have appeared in numerous published professional articles, book chapters, and books. He is skilled in quantitative, qualitative, and transpersonal research methods and approaches. His research interests include the study of alternative and more inclusive ways of knowing, being, and doing; exceptional human abilities, experiences, and potentials; the active role of consciousness in the physical world; parapsychological studies; spirituality; mystical experience; novel epistemological considerations; and ways in which disciplined inquiry and research can be extended and expanded to more fully and adequately address human experience. [ top ] Required Texts and Readings: American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. (paperback) Braud, W., & Anderson, R. (1998). Transpersonal research methods for the social sciences: Honoring human experience. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (paperback) Mertens, D. M. (1998). Research methods in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative & qualitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (paperback) Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. (1997). The ITP dissertation handbook for students (Summer, 1997 Revision). Palo Alto, CA: Author. Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. (1997). I. T. P. writing & style handbook. Palo Alto, CA: Author. I. T. P. Dissertation Express [Newsletters]. [1993-2000: 15 issues] Plus, 5 to 10 primary research articles or dissertations in areas relevant to the individual student’s dissertation topic and research method. Recommended Texts and Readings: Anderson, R. (2000). Intuitive inquiry: Interpreting objective and subjective data. ReVision: A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation, 22(4), 31-39. Barrell, J. J., Aanstoos, C., Richards, A. C., & Arons, M. (1987). Human science research methods. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 27(4), 424-457. Borg, W. R., & Gall, M. D. (1989). Educational research: An introduction (5th ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman. Breakwell, G. M., Hammond, S., & Fife-Schaw, C. (Eds.). (1995). Research methods in psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (1994). Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Drew, N. (1993). Reenactment interviewing: A methodology for phenomenological research. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 25(4), 345-351. Harman, W. (with Clark, J.). (Eds.). (1994). New metaphysical foundations of modern science. Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Sciences Hart, T., Nelson, P., & Puhakka, K. (Eds.). (2000). Transpersonal knowing: Exploring the horizon of consciousness. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. Howell, D. C. (1992). Statistical methods for psychology (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Duxbury. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Locke, L. F., Spirduso, W. W., & Silverman, S. J. (1993). Proposals that work (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. McGuire, W. J. (1997). Creative hypothesis generating in psychology: Some useful heuristics. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 1-30. Polkinghorne, D. E. (1989). Phenomenological research methods. In R. S. Valle & S. Halling (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological perspectives in psychology (pp. 41-60). New York: Plenum. Root-Bernstein, R. & M. (1999). Sparks of genius: The thirteen thinking tools of the world’s most creative people. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Rothberg, D. (Ed.). (1994). Spiritual inquiry [Special issue]. ReVision: A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation, 17(2). Rothberg, D., & Kelly, S. (Eds.). (1998). Ken Wilber in dialogue: Conversations with leading transpersonal thinkers. Wheaton, IL: Quest. Smith, J. A., Harré, R., & Van Langenhove, L. (Eds.). (1995a). Rethinking methods in psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Smith, J. A., Harré, R., & Van Langenhove, L. (Eds.). (1995b). Rethinking psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Taylor, S. J., & Bogdan, R. (Eds.). (1998). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Tesch, R. (1990). Qualitative research: Analysis types and software tools. Bristol, PA: Falmer. Valle, R. (Ed.). (1998). Phenomenological inquiry in psychology: Existential and transpersonal dimensions. New York: Plenum. Whitley, B. E., Jr. (1996). Principles of research in behavioral science. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company. Additional Readings on Research, Method, and Theory from Diverse Perspectives: Boykin, A. W., Jagers, R. J., Ellison, C., & Albury, A. (1997). Communalism: Conceptualization and measurement of an Afrocultural social ethos. Journal of Black Studies, 27, 409-418. Braud, W. (1997). The ley and the labyrinth: Universalistic and particularistic approaches to knowing. Unpublished manuscript, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA. Bynum, E. B. (1999). The African unconscious: Roots of ancient mysticism and modern psychology. New York: Teachers College Press. Colorado, P. (1988). Bridging native and western science. Convergence, 21(2/3), 49-67. Deloria, V., Jr. (1994). If you think about it, you will see that it is true. In W. Harman (with J. Clark) (Eds.), New metaphysical foundations of modern science (pp. 287-320). Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Sciences. Dixon, V. J. (1976). Worldviews and research methodology. In L. M. King, V. Dixon, & W. Nobles (Eds.), African philosophy: Assumptions and paradigms for research on Black persons. Los Angeles: Fanon Research and Development Center. Highwater, J. (1981). The primal mind: Vision and reality in Indian America. New York: HarperCollins. Hollenback, J. B. (1996). Mysticism: Experience, response, and empowerment. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. Jagers, R. J. (1995). The communalism scale and collectivistic-individualistic tendencies: Some preliminary findings. Journal of Black Psychology, 21(2), 153-167. Kremer, J. W. (Ed.). (1992). Culture and ways of knowing [Special issue]. ReVision: A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation, 14(4). Kremer, J. W. (1998). The shadow of evolutionary thinking. In D. Rothberg & S. Kelly (Eds.), Ken Wilber in dialogue: Conversations with leading transpersonal thinkers (pp. 237-258). Wheaton, IL: Quest. Lonner, W. J., & Berry J. W. (1986). Field methods in cross-cultural research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. McGuigan, J. (1998). Cultural methodologies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Much, N. (1995). Cultural psychology. In J. A. Smith, R. Harré, & L. Van Langenhove (Eds.), Rethinking psychology (pp. 97-121).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Much, N. C., & Mahapatra, M. (1995). Constructing divinity. In R. Harré & P. Stearns (Eds.), Discursive psychology in practice (pp. 55-86). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Myers, L. J. (1985). Transpersonal psychology: The role of the Afrocentric paradigm. Journal of Black Psychology, 12(1), 31-42. Nelson, L. H. (1994). On what we say there is and why it matters: A feminist perspective on metaphysics and science. In W. Harman (with J. Clark) (Eds.), New metaphysical foundations of modern science (pp. 15-46). Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Sciences. Nicolson, P. (1995). Feminism and psychology. In J. A. Smith, R. Harré, & L. Van Langenhove (Eds.), Rethinking psychology (pp. 122-142).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Shen, V. (1994). Confucianism, Taoism, and constructive realism. Vienna, Austria: WUV-Universitätsverlag. Underwood, P. S. (1993, Autumn). A Native American worldview. Noetic Sciences Review, 14-20. Wright, P. A. (1998). Gender issues in Ken Wilber's transpersonal theory. In D. Rothberg & S. Kelly (Eds.), Ken Wilber in dialogue: Conversations with leading transpersonal thinkers (pp. 207-236). Wheaton, IL: Quest. Wronka, J. M. (1993). "Science" and indigenous cultures. The Humanistic Psychologist, 21, 341-353. [ top ] The two chief purposes of this course are to provide each student individual and group assistance in moving ahead in one’s dissertation project and to provide useful information about the steps and procedures of the ITP dissertation process. We plan to achieve these goals through readings and assignments, online presentations and discussions by the instructor and other students, and through the provision of additional online resources relevant to the ITP dissertation process, research in general, and selected topics of interest. [ top ] In this new, online format, certain materials will be available on William Braud's web site (www.integral-inquiry.com) and its associated links. Online discussions will be in both synchronous (conference) and asynchronous (threaded discussion) modes, hosted by the WorldCrossing conferencing system. The asynchronous mode allows students to participate each week at times of their own choosing. Synchronous meetings will be arranged for times convenient to all enrolled students. Participation requires a computer and an Internet connection that can adequately and efficiently access the Internet and World Wide Web pages (i.e., a browser such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer). For a more indepth review, click here. [ top ] Gaining information, accessing inner wisdom, receiving support, and practicing intellectual and other skills that further one's dissertation work Increasing one's appreciation of, understanding of, and competence in addressing, the particular issues or topics (from the list of 50 topics presented below) covered in the course Gaining increased familiarity with the ITP dissertation process Gaining increased familiarity with the nature and qualities of professional research Becoming familiar with the dissertation topics, challenges, and triumphs of other students Practice in scholarly communication and interactions Understanding more fully how qualities of mindfulness, discernment, compassion, and appreciation of differences may be practiced in the course of research and may even shape the research topics and approaches Recognizing how one's psychospiritual development and one's research have impacts upon one another Acquiring an enhanced appreciation of the many components that make up a meaningful and successful research project Becoming more aware of one's strengths and limitations as a researcher, and choosing approaches accordingly Acquiring greater facility in mindfulness, discernment, compassion, and appreciation of differences through practicing and demonstrating these qualities during classroom interactions and in the process of one's individual work on the dissertation project Acquiring greater facility in critical thinking, solving research-related problems, research judgment, scholarly writing, and scholarly communication, as a result of practicing these skills in the context of this course and in all phases of one's dissertation work [ top ] To be determined. [ top ] Students should read the required textbooks and readings, as appropriate, throughout the course. Specific readings will be assigned once the course begins. [ top ] Areas treated in the Dissertation Seminar may include the following: (50 Ways This Course Can Help You) discussions of research in general transpersonal sources of inspiration and guidance transpersonal implications and applications of research using one's knowledge and inner wisdom to identify and choose a dissertation topic focusing one's topic to one that is meaningful and manageable identifying your burning research question(s) selecting the best research method(s) and approach(es) for studying a chosen topic crafting a research project that can be of service to the research participants, the audience of the research report, the researcher, and the field of transpersonal studies at large planning a research project that can yield new information and also foster transformation of everyone involved in the project suggestions and resources for literature searches selecting standardized assessment instruments creating, developing, and testing one's own assessment instruments determining reliability of tests and measures identifying and minimizing threats to internal validity approaches to external validity/generalizability assessing and increasing the "trustworthiness" of your qualitative study collecting, working with, and presenting quantitative data statistical suggestions and resources collecting, working with, and presenting qualitative data coding qualitative data identifying anticipated, emerging, common, and unique themes preparing Informed Consent Forms (their eight essential ingredients) preparing announcements, research solicitations, flyers, and other communications to potential and actual participants finding, screening, and selecting research participants ethical issues in research practical issues in research seeking and receiving permissions to use assessments seeking and receiving permissions to use and reproduce copyrighted materials becoming familiar with the ITP dissertation process: its steps, forms, procedures, requirements, time frames audience considerations in research and in report writing writing the mini-proposal, proposal, first draft, dissertation, and abstract finding a dissertation committee chairperson and committee members finding an appropriate expert outside reader learning to receive, evaluate, and apply feedback suggestions for conducting interviews becoming proficient in following APA writing guidelines uncovering hidden assumptions identifying and minimizing biases and distortions learning the idiographic-nomothetic dance: honoring both the general and the particular honoring the diverse backgrounds and characteristics of your research participants addressing the different needs, preferences, and sensitivities of your audience mixing, blending, extending, and expanding research methods appreciating how your temperament, character, personality, sensitivities, habits, and response styles can support or interfere with particular forms of research attending to ways in which the universe may be saying "no!" or "yes!" to your topic or approach taking care of yourself as you work on your dissertation computer tricks and traps honoring plans and structures while being flexible and open to change and surprises working with conceptualizations, models, and theories presenting and publishing one's findings learning to stop when you've done enough [ top ] In order to pass this course, the student is expected to participate in the online class discussions, complete and post any special assignments that might be suggested, comment on others' postings (as required), and complete the required readings. In addition, the student is expected to read particular additional articles, chapters, or books (from the lists of recommended readings and from readings identified by the student while working on the dissertation project) that are especially relevant to the student's own project, needs, and interests. The ongoing and final assignment is to make progress in one's own dissertation work and to learn more about the ITP dissertation process (its steps, procedures, and logistical considerations). [ top ] The final grade (passing, not passing, incomplete, etc.) will be based on evidence that the student has participated actively in the online synchronous and asynchronous discussions, has demonstrated familiarity with the required readings, has satisfactorily completed assignments, has demonstrated progress in her or his dissertation work, and has demonstrated increased familiarity with the ITP dissertation process. [ top ] Course materials, readings, and other resources will be made available as downloadable files and as additional web pages on this web site. These resources will be provided and described once the course begins, and through the provision of links to other web sites where additional materials will be available. These resources will be provided and described during the course. [ top ] Additional resources (readings, other information, etc.) can be accessed through links to other web sites where such materials will be available. These links will be provided during the course. Students are invited to provide additional resources and links of their own, so that these can be shared by class participants. [ top ] The following form has been made available in two formats for downloading purposes. To begin, click on the form title of the format you wish to download. Form 103A: Student Self Evaluation - PDF version of form_103A.pdf WORD version of form_103A.doc [ top ] The following form has been made available in two formats for downloading purposes. To begin, click on the form title of the format you wish to download. Form 110: Course/Instructor Evaluation - PDF version of form_110.pdf WORD version of form_110.doc
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