Prerequisite: Prior Approval of Scholarly Overview Paper

To register for this new online course, 649 Doctoral Research and Process, ITP Residential Ph.D. students must complete Form 101 and Form 102, and submit the forms to ITP's Office of the Registrar (744 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94303; Fax: 650/493-6835) before August 31, 2001.

This course will take place over a 10-week period, beginning on Monday, September 24, 2001, and ending on Friday, December 7, 2001.

The course provides intellectual and group support for those who are at any and all stages of their mini-proposals.

About the Instructor

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. (softcover)

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. [instructor will provide this]

Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (1997). I. T. P. writing & style handbook. Palo Alto, CA: Author. [students already should have received this]

I. T. P. Dissertation Express [Newsletters]. [1993-2000: 15 issues] [will be provided]

I.T.P. Dissertation Resources Packet [will be provided]

Plus, 5 to 10 primary research articles or dissertations in student's specific research interest area (to be used in preparing the miniproposal course requirement).

Anderson, R. (2000). Intuitive inquiry: Interpreting objective and subjective data. ReVision: A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation, 22(4), 31-39.

Babbie, E. (2001). The practice of social research (9^th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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.

Wolcott, H. R. (1994). Transforming qualitative data: Description, analysis, and interpretation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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.

The purpose of this course is to provide an opportunity for (a) learning the requirements for format and content of the miniproposal, (b) writing the miniproposal for the dissertation, (c) learning the expected formats and contents of proposals and dissertations, and (d) overviewing the ITP dissertation process.

In this course, students will delineate their dissertation topics, review scholarly literature related to the topic, carefully select research methods that best suit the research topic, and complete the writing of their miniproposals. The miniproposal will be written in installments, and the student will receive chapter-by-chapter feedback.

• Familiarity with ITP dissertation process requirements and procedures;
• Familiarity with appropriate contents and formats for miniproposals, proposals, and dissertations;
• Progress in selecting, focusing, and developing the topic, research questions, and methods for one's own dissertation work;
• Progress in reviewing primary literature relevant to one's chosen research topic;
• Practice in evaluating and critiquing research;
• Practice in developing additional ways in which research methods can be extended or expanded to become more appropriate for transpersonal studies;
• Knowledge of the dissertation topics and methods of other students;
• Acquiring additional practice in scholarly writing, while honoring one's unique style and way of expressing oneself creatively;
• Learning to receive feedback, evaluate it, and apply it for strengthening one's writing and research skills;
• Preparation and completion of a quality miniproposal;
• Understanding how research can simultaneously provide information and foster transformation;
• Increased appreciation of the transpersonal aspects of research (in terms of sources of inspiration and guidance, applications in the service of self and others, and implications);
• 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;
• Appreciating that a successful research project is completed with a sense of mastery, humility, and awe.

Class Schedule (Tentative)

Areas treated in this course may include the following:

(50 Ways This Course Can Help You)

1. discussions of research in general
2. transpersonal sources of inspiration and guidance
3. transpersonal implications and applications of research
4. using one's knowledge and inner wisdom to identify and choose a dissertation topic
5. focusing one's topic to one that is meaningful and manageable
6. identifying your burning research question(s)
7. selecting the best research method(s) and approach(es) for studying a chosen topic
8. 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
9. planning a research project that can yield new information and also foster transformation of everyone involved in the project
10. suggestions and resources for literature searches
11. selecting standardized assessment instruments
12. creating, developing, and testing one's own assessment instruments
13. determining reliability of tests and measures
14. identifying and minimizing threats to internal validity
15. approaches to external validity/generalizability
16. assessing and increasing the "trustworthiness" of your qualitative study
17. collecting, working with, and presenting quantitative data
18. statistical suggestions and resources
19. collecting, working with, and presenting qualitative data
20. coding qualitative data
21. identifying anticipated, emerging, common, and unique themes
22. preparing Informed Consent Forms (their eight essential ingredients)
23. preparing announcements, research solicitations, flyers, and other communications to potential and actual participants
24. finding, screening, and selecting research participants
25. ethical issues in research
26. practical issues in research
27. seeking and receiving permissions to use assessments
28. seeking and receiving permissions to use and reproduce copyrighted materials
29. becoming familiar with the ITP dissertation process: its steps, forms, procedures, requirements, time frames
30. audience considerations in research and in report writing
31. writing the mini-proposal, proposal, first draft, dissertation, and abstract
32. finding a dissertation committee chairperson and committee members
33. finding an appropriate expert outside reader
34. learning to receive, evaluate, and apply feedback
35. suggestions for conducting interviews
36. becoming proficient in following APA writing guidelines
37. uncovering hidden assumptions
38. identifying and minimizing biases and distortions
39. learning the idiographic-nomothetic dance: honoring both the general and the particular
40. honoring the diverse backgrounds and characteristics of your research participants
41. addressing the different needs, preferences, and sensitivities of your audience
42. mixing, blending, extending, and expanding research methods
43. appreciating how your temperament, character, personality, sensitivities, habits, and response styles can support or interfere with particular forms of research
44. attending to ways in which the universe may be saying "no!" or "yes!" to your topic or approach
45. taking care of yourself as you work on your dissertation
46. computer tricks and traps
47. honoring plans and structures while being flexible and open to change and surprises
48. working with conceptualizations, models, and theories
49. presenting and publishing one's findings
50. learning to stop when you've done enough

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.

Additional Details of Course Content and Coverage

In the contexts of content for the three respective miniproposal chapters, the following specific areas will be covered in this course:

Relevant to the Literature Review chapter: primary versus secondary sources, literature searches and resources, summarizing articles, integrating findings, evaluating and critiquing articles, critical thinking and conceptualization, empirical literature, theoretical literature, the place of personal and anecdotal evidence, scholarly writing, APA writing guidelines, practical suggestions for dissertation work; meta-analytical alternatives.

Relevant to the Introduction chapter: clear and crisp topic descriptions, purpose of the research, significance of the research, research questions and hypotheses and how these are addressed, brief statement of the relevant research approach.

Relevant to the Research Methods chapter: general design or approach, selecting participants, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size considerations, informed consent and other ethical issues, choosing appropriate methods, assessment tools, procedures, delimitations and limitations, planned treatment of data.

Relevant to Results chapter: intact cases versus thematic analyses in qualitative research, formats for data presentation in quantitative studies, strengths and limitations of universalistic (nomothetic) and particularistic (idiographic) approaches to knowing, maximizing transformation as well as information.

Relevant to Discussion chapter: discussion, interpretations, and conceptualizations of findings, theories and models, planning future research.

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 -

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 -