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The research project
component is an optional component of the IED program. Students
electing to take this course component participate in approximately six
class sessions per semester where they are given guidance on how to choose a
research topic, narrow down the focus, develop a research question, gather
data, develop a methodology of analysis, conduct personal interviews with
officials, and write a series of short papers which ultimately culminate
into a 30 to 45 page research paper.
The experiential
aspects of this course include the usual researching, writing, and
presentation activities, but more importantly students are also required to
arrange and conduct interviews with at least four policymakers, experts in
the field, or other stakeholders involved in the issue under study.
Such stakeholders might even include local level community leaders in remote
rural regions of the Brazilian Amazon or isolated parts of northern South
Africa. Some students purposely arrange interviews with a combination
of high level policymakers with local level community leaders, who might be
experiencing the impact of higher level decision makers in Washington, DC or
elsewhere. Often times, students use the guest speaker sessions as an
opportunity to establish contacts and arrange interviews with individuals
for their research project. In other cases, students use their own
internships or internships held by their classmates to gain access to
individuals whom they are seeking to interview for their research project.
Click here for a
sample research
project syllabus |
