Thesis Project Proposal Development – DMIN 830

Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course complements the DMIN 820 course as it strengthens and broadens skill sets used in the initial understanding of the composition of a DMIN thesis project. While DMIN 820 lays the foundation for skills and elements needed to develop a DMIN thesis project, this course expands those skills and elements by having students complete their thesis project proposal. The proposal must meet the standards of both the Doctor of Ministry program as well as those of the assigned mentor expectations. The course is designed to move the student into the research and writing stage under full mentor guidance in DMIN 841.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion: Peer Review

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for the Discussion. The thread will be a post of the student’s entire full prospectus, attached as a Word document. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 1 other classmate’s thread. The reply must be a substantive, analytical, and critical review of the classmate’s prospectus, including any recommendations for changes or improvements, and must be at least 300 words. (CLO: A)

Reflective Journal Assignments (7)

Each Module: Week (except Module 6), the student will read a chapter from the required textbook, and will post 2 elements in a single journal posting: 1) a meaningful direct quote (sentence or paragraph including the page number) from the reading that stood out or impacted the student in some way, followed by 2) a personal reflective paragraph that includes at least one of the following: a skill, principle, interpretation, etc. that impacted the student from that reading. (CLO: A)

Prospectus Element Assignments (4)

The student will submit various sections of the DMIN Thesis Prospectus: Chapter 1, Part 1; Chapter 1, Part 2; Chapter 2; and Chapter 3. Each must be in current Turabian format and follow the principles and rules set forth in the DMIN Thesis Handbook. Each successive submission of a prospectus element must also include the previous prospectus element, revised and resubmitted with the instructor’s feedback incorporated. (CLOs: A, B, C)

Planning Questions Assignment

The student will respond to a specific set of questions designed to help evaluate, analyze, and develop the creation of his or her methodology in the DMIN thesis project. (CLOs: B, C)

Full Prospectus Assignment

The student will submit his or her completed DMIN thesis prospectus as a Word document attachment. The full prospectus must include all incorporated instructor feedback from the individual prospectus elements. The student will submit the Full Prospectus to the professor for grading and to the DMIN Program office for Faculty Mentor Pairing. (CLOs: A, B, C)

The student will attend at least one group conference where methodology and methodological design are discussed in depth. The student will then write a reflective journal on the key points highlighted during the conference, key questions raised by peers and self, and at least one key take-away to be implemented into the chapter 3 methodology. (CLOs: A, B)

The student will write a 6 to 15 paragraph addendum incorporating Christian formation and human development. The addendum will support the course reading as well as supplement the methodology, theological foundations, and theoretical foundations. (CLOs: A, B)

Quiz: DMIN Program Submission: Full Prospectus

The quiz alllows the student to confirm their submission of the Full Prospectus to the DMIN Program Office in accordance with the current instructions found in the DMIN Handbook. (CLO: C)