Each member of the COMM 444/544 class should complete and submit a project.  The project should be a substantive learning experience, such as a term paper, a research project, a program appraisal, development of a mediation or facilitation case, a mediation or facilitation training design/assessment, or a mediation/facilitation
case study.  Full page guidelines for each project option are available on request.  With instructor approval, you can work with another person on some project options.

A.  Term Paper.  Write a term paper that poses one or more research questions and reviews published work (theoretical/conceptual material and empirical research) to answer those questions.

B.  Topical/Contextual Exploration.  Investigate a topic related to mediation/alternative dispute resolution.  Pose research questions.  Examples of topics include "ADR in law enforcement," "mediation and arbitration in health care," "mediation in K-12 schools."  The project could draw upon published literature, organizational material (e.g., pamphlets, brochures), and interviews.

C.  Mediator/mediation (faciliator) Comparative Study.  Interview a group of mediators and/or facilitators, either in the same dispute resolution field or in different fields, and prepare a comparative analysis based on those interviews.

D.  Mediation/Facilitation Research Design.  Design an empirical study of mediation or facilitation variables.  Prepare the research prospectus.  This task does not require that you conduct the study.

E.  Mediation Training or Dispute Resolution Workshop Assessment.  Participate in a mediation or facilitation training or an alternative dispute resolution conference or workshop.  Study/critique the training or conference/workshop.

F.  Mediation or Dispute Resolution Case Study.  Select a current or recent controversy that was addressed with alternative dispute resolution methods.  Study it as a conflict or dispute situation case, gathering data about the case, its critical issues, and the ways in which it involved ADR methods.  You can gather data via many different methods, such as interviews (face to face or via the phone, internet), newspaper articles, newsletters, letters to the editor, and so on.

G.  Mediation or Facilitation Case Development.  Write a mediation or facilitation case as part of a mediation or facilitation training program.  The case would be developed thoroughly and would include a substantive case analysis and rationale.

H.  Mediation or Facilitation Training Design.  Outline a mediation or facilitation training program.  Specify what would be taught and how it would be taught.  Analyze and justify the design choices you make.

I.  Mediation Training Program or Mediation Center Evaluation.  Assess an actual mediation training program or a Mediation Center (public or private).  Provide and justify your evaluative framework and apply it.

J.  Your idea . . .