WESTERN INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH

WISR’S PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY

WISR’s programs are designed to provide community-involved adults with high-quality learning opportunities, combining academic theory and research with experience-based knowledge and insights, to help people develop satisfying personal careers while providing leadership toward educational innovation, community improvement and constructive social change.

Higher education should help community-involved adults become aware of their intellectual strengths, of what they already know and can do, by thinking, talking, and writing about those strengths, and applying them to problems that the students are personally concerned about. Higher education should help adults assess their personal goals, and the kinds of further learning that they need to pursue those goals and attain them. All students should be encouraged to stretch themselves, to become broadly acquainted with fields of knowledge and intellectual methods that are relevant to their areas of interest.

We believe that facts and methods of analyzing are best learned as parts of a broad, developmental approach to knowing, as a natural, dynamic process that all of us engage in throughout our lives. Critical inquiry can be a focal process in the education and self-development of community- involved adults.

We believe that all learners’ intellectual interests are ethically and politically informed, and that these aspects of knowledge should be openly and hospitably explored in the educational process.

Intercultural understanding and multicultural learning experiences are important to adult learning in today’s world, especially between members of different genders, economic classes, and ethnic and racial groups. Every student should understand how the most basic facts and ideas that we know are shaped by our individual experiences and the group cultures in which we take part.

We believe that adults learn best when their study is closely connected to their own personal and group interests, and connected as well with work in which they are actively engaged. We believe students should be encouraged and supported in doing work that contributes not only to their own advancement but also to the improvement of their communities, and to long-term social change for the benefit of all peoples.

A Brief Historical Perspective. WISR was founded in part as an attempt to improve on both conventional and alternative higher education as they had evolved into the 1970s. At that time, in the aftermath of the sixties, many educators and students were debating the merits of the university’s role in the community and in social change, the “relevance” of the curriculum, and generally, the values served by higher education. WISR was founded partly as our modest but concerted response to some inadequacies in conventional education—for example, the absence of emphasis on personalized education, multiculturality and social change. It was founded partly in response to the limitations of alternative programs of the seventies, which oftentimes were too preoccupied with simply “looking different” from the conventional. Since then, many conventional institutions have adopted reforms which have incorporated in only a partial way some of the agendas from the sixties (e.g., field studies programs, women’s studies, ethnic studies). Most current reforms are guided by the economics of marketing academic programs to appeal to a growing population of mature adults who are interested in returning for further academic study and professional certification (e.g., to obtain degrees and licensing). Most alternative institutions of the sixties and seventies have failed to survive.

WISR is one of the very few alternative, multicultural and social change-oriented institutions of higher learning that have survived for what is now a quarter of a century. WISR’s Board, faculty, staff and alumni have continued to hold WISR to these initial commitments—to create and sustain a multiethnic academic institution for people concerned with community improvement, social change and educational innovation; to provide individualized degree programs for working adults; and to continue to refine and enhance the teaching-learning methods that work best for our students, while keeping our basic philosophy, values and our sense of purpose intact. Hence, our motto, Multicultural is WISeR.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

The Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education and Social Change

The interdisciplinary PhD program provides advanced, individualized learning and professional training for educators, community service professionals, community activists, and other adults concerned with the relations among social change, education, and community service or development in everyday practice. Examples of specific objectives are (1) preparing teachers for innovative college and university programs; (2) assisting the personal and intellectual growth of leaders in community service organizations; (3) helping to advance knowledge of ways to meet the needs of low-income and ethnic-minority communities; and (4) contributing to the education and knowledge of professionals in such fields as education, community services, and counseling. Students in the PhD program critically examine (a) existing programs and institutions; (b) innovative models and practices; (c) the social/cultural/political conditions that influence institutions and programs, local communities, and professional practices; and (d) the creative potential of new kinds of learning and teaching processes. These educational processes may directly or indirectly influence students; educators; professionals in community services, public policy or counseling; clients of community organizations and professionals; and the general population. Examples of areas of concern to PhD students are multicultural education, community-based adult literacy programs, health education, the educational effectiveness and social impact of self-help groups, the professional education of counselors concerned with creative practices that consider the larger social context, and the educational practices in formal school and college settings. Key elements of the PhD program at WISR are:

· Each student designs his or her own individualized program of studies in consultations with one to several primary faculty advisers of his/her choosing.

· Students have great latitude to design projects and studies that contribute to their particular personal and professional goals within the broad guidelines of the program.

· The program aims to provide advanced individualized learning, professional training and assistance in accomplishing creative projects for educators, counselors, community service professionals and community activists.

· The program is especially for people concerned with social change, community improvement, and professional or educational innovation.

· The program is not designed to meet State requirements for the Clinical Psychology License.

· The PhD program is typically two to four years in length, and most students continue to work during their studies.

· PhD students usually complete 10 to 11 pre-dissertation projects on topics central to their interest. Some of these projects are practical and action-oriented, others may involve critical reviews of pertinent literature, and others are designed to synthesize and critically reflect on insights students have gained from previous experiences.

· These projects culminate in written papers.

· The student completes his or her program by conducting action-oriented research and writing a dissertation that is a creative project of strong personal significance, of some importance to others, and a springboard for the next steps in the student’s work and life.

The PhD program in Higher Education and Social Change has graduated 28 students since the first person enrolled in 1976. It enrolls mature and capable adults who are able to do creative, specialized work in one or more areas pertaining to the education of adults for social change. PhD students learn how to create useful knowledge for educators, community-based professionals and leaders, and lay people who are interested in using educational processes to address social problems.

Master of Arts Degree in Education

The Master of Arts in Education provides individualized, interdisciplinary learning and professional training for educators, community service professionals, community activists and leaders, and other adults interested in understanding education as a process and social institution in its relation to personal growth, community development, and broader social change. Students in this program learn how to do advanced, specialized work in content areas such as those described in the discussion of the PhD program (above). MA students learn concepts, practical skills, and methods of inquiry, so they can engage in competent practice as educators, community leaders, or professionals in related fields.

Master's and Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Psychology

These programs help students to learn counseling skills and theories from both traditional and contemporary currents in the field. BA students learn basic concepts of psychology as they apply to one or more of their individual areas of interest. MA students have two options: First, they may pursue individualized programs of advanced study in psychology, requiring at least 32 semester units of completed work. Second, they may elect to do at least 48 semester units of graduate work, with an emphasis on marriage and family therapy, combining classroom-based instruction with individualized study. This second option takes longer to complete, and it meets the academic requirements for the State of California Marriage and Family Therapy License (the educational requirements of Section 4980.37 of the California Business and Professions Code). For more details on the MFT option, consult WISR’s supplement to this catalog, “An option for meeting the State of California’s academic requirements for the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license.” The following are some highlights about WISR’s MFT option, taken from that supplement:

· The State has a number of important prerequisites for licensing, the first of which is that the prospective licensee must obtain an approved MA that meets the academic requirements spelled out by State laws and regulations (like WISR’s MFT MA option). Some of the most important additional prerequisites are: 3,000 hours of supervised experience (no more than 750 of which may be obtained during the MA program, with the balance coming after receiving the MA); a criminal background check; and a written exam and a clinical vignette written exam.

· Those considering the MFT license should contact the State agency which is responsible for licensing, the Board of Behavioral Science. The Board has a very informative website: www.bbs.ca.gov/

· Another excellent source of information is the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists: www.camft.org/

· WISR MFT students are required to participate in a minimum of two years of Saturday seminars, which meet twice per month (one time per month in the mornings, and once each month for most of the day). Students with previous relevant MA level work may be required in seminars for a slightly shorter period of time.

· Through faculty assisted individualized study and participation in seminars, students are expected to demonstrate foundational knowledge, including understanding a well-rounded range of readings and the completion of an analytical paper, in each of the following areas: Human Development, Human Sexuality, Psychopathology, Theories and Methods of Marriage and Family Therapy (two papers), Cross-Cultural Counseling, Professional Ethics and Law, Psychological Testing, Psychopharmacology, Aging and Elder Care, and Theories of Social Analysis and Change (as applied to some aspect of MFT practice).

· WISR MFT students must also participate in an all-day workshop on Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting, two days of training on Alcoholism and other Chemical Substance Abuse and Dependency, a day and a half of seminar studies in human sexuality, and seminar studies on aging and elder care, as well as on spousal abuse and domestic violence.

· MFT students at WISR learn about research methodology, especially qualitative and action-oriented methods using observational and interviewing skills, and demonstrate the successful use of these in their thesis or in another project.

· Each WISR MFT student must complete a minimum of 306 hours in a Supervised Practicum, and write two critically reflective papers on their insights and experiences in at least one, and preferably, two, practicum setting(s).

Those considering WISR’s MFT option should also consult WISR’s Supplement: “School Performance Fact Sheet for WISR MFT Students and Alumni.” Some highlights from this fact sheet are:

· Overall, more than half of the students entering the MFT program succeed in completing the program;

· the vast majority of our alumni have either obtained the license or their intern number and are working toward the license;

· at least three-quarters of our MFT alumni are employed as MFTs, MFT interns, or in closely related fields;

· most all pass the written exam on the first try; a substantial majority also pass the oral exam on the first try [the oral exam has recently been replaced by a clinical vignette written exam], and so far, all of our alumni who take the exam pass it eventually.

· Of the fourteen alumni surveyed in 2003, all were very enthusiastic and positive about their educational experiences at WISR.

Students pursuing the MA in Psychology, which is not designed to meet the State’s academic requirements for the MFT license, are also prepared for competent professional practice, and they learn to consider some of the community, social, and multiethnic issues surrounding the practice of psychology. Students pursuing the BA in Psychology develop sufficient understanding of a range of psychological theories, issues, and practices that they can go on for graduate study, or can obtain entry-level positions doing work related to psychology. BA students also become familiar with some methods of inquiry in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and learn how to organize their ideas, find their individual voices, and express themselves through writing.

Master's and Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Human Services

and Community Development

Work in a community agency or grassroots organization is combined with study of skills such as community needs assessment, program evaluation, networking, problem-definition, constituency-building, and institutional development for community groups. The Master and Bachelor of Arts Programs in Human Services and Community Development provide individualized, interdisciplinary education and professional training for adults interested especially in creating and offering community services and programs that are responsive to community needs and promote constructive social change.

Students pursuing an MA are prepared for competent professional practice and/or community leadership, and they learn how to address immediate tasks and problems as well as the "bigger picture." Students pursuing a BA develop an understanding of theories and practices so that they can go on for graduate study, work with local community groups, and/or obtain at least entry-level positions in a community service agency. BA students also become familiar with some methods of inquiry in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and learn how to organize their ideas, find their individual voices, and express themselves through writing.

Master's and Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Social Sciences

The MA and BA programs in social sciences analyze the connections between everyday life, larger social/political/economic/cultural conditions, and issues of social change from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts Programs in Social Science provide individualized, inquiry-oriented education and professional training for working adults interested in the interdisciplinary study of issues that connect those aspects of community services, community education, community development, social policy, and social change that interest them.

Students pursuing the MA are prepared for competent professional practice in fields that require the use of social science knowledge and methods, including jobs in community services, media, social research, community activism, organizational management and organizational consulting. Each student learns one or two specialties and gains a foundational understanding of methods of inquiry in social sciences. BA students are introduced to theories and methods in the social sciences as preparation for graduate study, local community work, or entry-level jobs in social service agencies. BA students also become familiar with methods of inquiry in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences; they learn how to organize their ideas, find their individual voices, and express themselves through writing.

STUDY AT WISR FOR PERSONS LIVING OUTSIDE THE AREA

The vast majority of WISR's students live in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, WISR also offers degree programs to students who live outside the area under special arrangements tailored to their specific learning needs and capabilities. We have found that most students admitted from outside the Bay Area do exceedingly well in our programs. Here are examples of some alumni and current students who have studied from a great distance from the Bay Area--through regular phone conferences with faculty, exchange of drafts through mail and e-mail, and occasional visits to WISR to participate in seminars and to meet with faculty and other students.

· A faculty member at the University of California, San Diego, who specialized in multi-cultural education, teaching reading and writing to young children, and the creation of support systems for minority teachers.

· A faculty member at Evergreen State College in Tacoma, Washington, who was doing interdisciplinary team teaching and innovative education in writing and study skills for adults re-entering college after years away from formal education.

· The historian for the Omaha tribe, who while living in Nebraska, successfully obtained his MA at WISR with his studies focusing on cultural preservation projects growing out of his work with his tribe and with anthropologists, educators, public officials and the general public.

· A professor of “English as a Foreign Language” in Japan who was very involved in a number of facets of cross-cultural education. His PhD studies at WISR furthered his professional writing, including a paper on “Ethnographies of Learning” presented at the 1997 TESOL Conference in Orlando, Florida. His dissertation was concerned with researching and articulating a critical approach to learning and teaching culture, based on the study of “English as a Foreign Language” classrooms in Japan.

· Several former and current PhD students are licensed therapists living in such locales as Colorado, Hawaii, Germany and Seattle, who have pursued advanced work in the treatment of a wide variety of trauma survivors, and in the training of therapists and other professionals who work with people recovering from various forms of trauma. These therapists have often studied the use of somatic and movement approaches to therapy in conjunction with verbal approaches. Some have been concerned with neurological and physiological, as well as spiritual, aspects of healing.

· A current MA student at WISR is an accountant living in Baltimore who is studying African culture and spirituality for insights that can be used by African Americans.

· A WISR PhD student is a tenured professor of law in Boston. As an Asian-American, he serves on community task forces which are fostering community dialogue to further multiculturality in the greater Boston area. His PhD studies are also focusing on his specialization in labor law and workplace bullying, as well as his special interest in the role of intellectuals in promoting progressive social change.

· A current student is a Nigerian who is using his PhD studies at WISR to further social policy research aimed at redistributing the wealth from Nigerian oil resources to benefit impoverished communities there.

Admission Requirements and Teaching/Learning Process

Like all students admitted to WISR, applicants from outside the Bay Area discuss WISR's program and their own goals, interests, and backgrounds with a core faculty member. The application process involves extended telephone conversations, letters of recommendation, and the applicant's written statement about her or his interests, plans, and the kinds of learning and community action in which s/he has been involved.

Students living outside the Bay Area are expected to maintain regular contact with WISR faculty, and to visit WISR periodically. Each student constructs an individualized program of study with WISR faculty help. Frequent (usually biweekly) telephone conversations and exchanges of letters and/or audiotapes with WISR faculty are used to communicate about the student's learning goals, projects in progress, readings, job-related work of current interest, and other topics related to the student's learning. This regular feedback helps to give students support, stimulation, constructive criticism, and intellectual foci for their professional and academic activities. All students must provide rough drafts of papers to WISR faculty, so that they can receive specific suggestions for refining their ideas and improving their writing skills. Regular telephone conversations are used to discuss students' difficulties and frustrations, brainstorm about possible work/learning projects, and maintain student-faculty contact. The students use periodic face-to-face meetings (at least annually, but usually more frequently) with faculty and other students at WISR, and with other resource people from the Bay Area, to enrich and fill out their involvement in WISR learning activities.

LEARNING PROCESS AND

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

WISR's Individualized Approach to Learning and Grading

Most of the work of WISR students is similar to what is called independent study at conventional institutions. However, WISR's learning/teaching relationships involve substantially more ongoing and cumulative student-faculty contact than the model of independent study, which relies primarily on initial "contracts" and faculty checkups at the contract's end. WISR students average twice-monthly, individualized discussion sessions with faculty members, with more frequent contacts when projects are at especially active phases, and less frequent contacts in a project's less active phases.

Evaluations of student work are made by each person's primary faculty adviser throughout the individual, faculty-student consultations, and in the faculty member's review of written papers and project reports. A strong effort is made to engage each student in habitually evaluating her or his own efforts. Open, candid discussions of a student's strengths, progress, and areas needing attention are part of many faculty-student consultations. At the same time, students are encouraged to do repeated revisions and rewrites of their papers and reports, until they have been brought to a level of quality acceptable to both the student and the teacher. WISR faculty members try to separate the process of evaluating students' work from the penalties and insults to students' pride that are considered necessary parts of traditional, summary grading systems.

WISR's teaching and learning methods emphasize regular, intensive, one-to-one contacts between student and faculty members, and small-group seminars in which everyone is expected to contribute to the shared learning. These methods were more traditional throughout Western history, from Classical Greece to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, than they are in modern U.S. universities, where the prevalent patterns of impersonal, course-based instruction are inventions of comparatively recent times.

WISR relies not on standardized courses but on students' active efforts, under faculty supervision, to solve problems that actively interest them, bringing their own work experiences together with the resources of academic research. Instruction at WISR is based on a curriculum that emerges in accord with WISR's educational principles. There are not separate, specified courses. However, there are required seminar sessions on two Saturdays per month for the MFT Program, and optional seminar sessions available to all interested students, typically offered two or more times per month. In WISR's curriculum, a student's course of study is not determined a priori, and there is no specific deadline for the completion of work.

WISR relies not on graded, written, question-answer examinations but on students' abilities to write clearly about subjects that they develop, and to respond articulately to questions about what and how they have learned. Qualitative written and verbal evaluations are used instead of single-letter or number grades, and faculty members making assessments are expected to know how any individual student’s work-product is related to the student's previous efforts and educational objectives. Academic assessments are not based on rigid, technical criteria of achievement but on faculty members' requiring that students meet broad, basic standards of clear thought, substantively rich description, coherent explanation, concern for evidence, and active, imaginative inquiry. In short, each student's faculty advisers evaluate the student's work based on the guidelines stated in the catalogue in the sections on "Awarding Grades and Credit" and "Degree Requirements."

Sequences of Learning Activities

The typical path of a WISR student from admission to graduation follows three phases, at both the graduate and the undergraduate levels.

The first phase is exploratory. Students investigate existing knowledge about a number of substantive areas, actively try to learn the "lay of the land" in fields of study with which they are working, and/or begin actively working on one or two projects that have strong, personal interest for them. The knowledge areas, community issues, and projects pursued are defined collaboratively by the student and her/his faculty advisers, building on the student's (pre-existing or emergent) intellectual, professional, and community interests. For most students, this phase takes between six and twelve months to complete.

The second phase is oriented to breadth and to completing tangible projects. Students work to complete projects resulting in tangible products that help them to learn, give evidence of their learning, and (where possible) contribute to their communities. These products are frequently similar to "independent study" term papers, but are intended to be more deeply and thoroughly considered than those in most conventional institutions. Repeated revisions of drafts, based on intensive, student-faculty discussions and written faculty comments, are a typical, important feature of this phase.

Besides building on each student's own intellectual and professional interests, these projects must help the student become proficient and demonstrate competence in a range of theories and practices within a major field and in two broad, core areas of study: Methods of Social Action Research and Theories of Social Analysis and Change. The time required for students to finish this phase varies widely, depending on the particular student's degree program, and the amount of academic work that the student has previously done in the relevant areas of study.

The third phase is focused on the student's major project (undergraduate), thesis (Master's level), or dissertation (Doctoral level). This effort involves a serious, in-depth study of a subject intrinsically interesting to the student and, usually, of benefit to others. This phase typically requires three to six months at the undergraduate level, six to nine months for Master's students, and a year or more at the Doctoral level.

Evolution of Student Projects

Whenever it is deemed helpful to the student’s learning process, facult