The decision to lift the mandatory thesis requirement was arrived at after several years of difficult and thoughtful discussion. Central to these conversations was a shared recognition of the numerous ways that students have benefitted from having to complete a master’s level thesis and the ways that the thesis requirement negatively affected students unable to meet the established timeline for completion. These students who had demonstrated competency through their work in the classroom and in the field were forced into postresidency status.
Postresidency status carries significant repercussions, as these students would not be able to work at the level for which they had been trained until they met their thesis requirement. Further, we know that a small proportion of postresident students have not been able to finish their thesis within the 3-year time limit, essentially timing out of the program, unable to earn their MSW degree despite meeting all other requirements. As an institution with an antiracism commitment and a social justice stance, the faculty also recognized the differential challenges the mandatory thesis requirement placed on students of color and students navigating a documented disability, noting the cumulative negative impacts postresidency status had on these students in particular. With all this information in mind, the faculty made the decision to lift the mandatory thesis requirement, replacing it with a redesigned research sequence that allows students to meet their research requirements through course work that includes an option for students to engage in a smaller research practicum project.
The class of 2017 is the last class to have a thesis requirement. This special issue is a loving tribute to the thesis and the positive impact it has had on the lives of students, staff, advisors, and faculty. In these pages, you will read the thesis abstracts of the class of 2017, learn more about the thesis assignment itself, and read the moving reflections of those that have been affected by the thesis assignment.
In January 2017, a notice was emailed to all members of the Smith College School for Social Work (SCSSW) community that included resident and adjunct faculty, Smith College staff, and all alumni. This notice informed the SCSSW community about the upcoming November special issue of Smith Studies titled, “The Contribution and Legacy of the MSW Thesis.” All community members were invited to submit either a full article or a brief one about their reflections on the thesis experience.
The resulting submissions were representative of each SCSSW group with a total of 3 full articles and 14 reflection papers. Topics covered a variety of perspectives having to do with the MSW thesis project, ranging from the history and evolution to pedagogy, the advising process, contributions to social justice, healing effects, and professional growth.
This issue is divided into three major sections. The first section describes the history of the thesis, the thesis as an instrument for active learning, and the legacy of research methods through a social justice commitment. The second section contains 14 brief articles that present a range of reflections from Smith College staff, research advisors, and alumni. These reflection papers are grouped into the following categories: (1) the role of the Jacobson Center for Writing, Teaching and Learning and the Nielson Librarians, (2) the role and process of research advising, (3) the thesis and social justice, (4) the thesis as a means to heal, and (5) the impact of the thesis on professional growth. The third section presents the MSW thesis abstracts and the PhD dissertation abstracts of the class of 2017.
Jean LaTerz, thesis coordinator and research advisor, in “The MSW Thesis: A Rich and Scholarly Tradition at Smith College School for Social Work” traces the history of the MSW thesis back to Helen Leland Witmer, who implemented the thesis as a requirement beginning in 1920. A review and critique of the changes to the thesis process and the factors that led to these changes as noted by the former and current chairs of the Research Sequence are included. The conclusion addresses the rationale for discontinuing the thesis as an MSW requirement and presents the course replacements starting in 2018.
“Learning Research through an Individual MSW Thesis: Active Learning at Its Best” by James W. Drisko, former chair of the Research Sequence and former cochair of the PhD program, makes a solid case for the thesis as an instrument for active learning—particularly for the millennial generation. Emphasizing how research knowledge and skills become clear and relevant through project design and implementation, Dr. Drisko takes the reader step-by-step through each phase of the research process and clearly explains the what, how, and why of each stage, further elucidating the benefits of the thesis process. Dr. Drisko also notes the potential challenges that may emerge during the thesis process.
In “Research Methods: Serving the Thesis Legacy through a Social Justice Commitment,” Debra Hull, research advisor and instructor of Advanced Research Methods in the MSW program, argues that the research curriculum, which includes the thesis, furthers the social justice mandate of the social work profession. The article begins by explaining the theoretical underpinnings of the social justice values including its evolution from distributive to relational and strengths-based justice and tying them back to CSWE-EPAS standards. Next, the author describes how justice principles/values are integrated into the research methods curriculum as evidenced through the attitudes of the instructors of research courses and its impact on students. An illustration of how social justice questions are processed through the content of the courses is included. Further illustrations depicting analysis of mixed-method and quantitative designs are also provided. Finally, the author reflects on the experience of teaching research at Smith.
The next 14 brief articles were written by Smith College staff, research advisors, and representatives of SCSSW from the class of 1969 to the class of 2016.
Debra Carney, writing counselor at the Smith College Jacobson Writing, Teaching, and Learning Center, in “A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power: The Thesis and the Imperative of Social Work Writing” illustrates the importance that writing skills hold in the field of social work. Social workers must clearly and objectively document the treatment process including the biopsychosocial assessment, interventions and session by session progress, process, and outcomes. The Writing Center counselors at Smith have assisted and counseled hundreds of students (and faculty!) over the past few decades and this history is described in the article. Pertinent examples of student writing issues and the ways in which the writing counselors have helped give a vivid sense of their work.
In “The SSW Master’s Thesis and the Smith College Libraries: From Collecting to Collaborating to Cutting-Edge Experimentation” Sika Berger, Pamela Skinner, and Mary Lou Bouley, Nielson staff librarians, provide an excellent summary of the many ways the library staff have worked collaboratively with SSW to make student theses accessible to the larger community and reveals how the library used to the SSW to test out technological innovations that were subsequently implemented in the college. It reveals that the implementation of a thesis requirement involves more than a research advisor. The efforts of the library staff were also essential in making the thesis a very successful enterprise. The article rounds out the range of reflections on the contribution of the SSW thesis.
Pearl Soloff, research advisor, gives a heartfelt reflection of her “15 Years of Mutual Schooling: Being a Research Advisor.” She includes two vivid examples of timely and cutting-edge thesis topics; one from a current student; the other graduated some years ago. The author then describes her follow-up of this second student who has moved from the thesis topic to developing and implementing a widely acclaimed and successful form of rap therapy. Dr. Soloff notes that the advising process provides a valuable learning opportunity for both the student and the advisor.
Joan Lesser, research advisor, in “Intersubjectivity in Thesis Advising” provides an extremely informative and insightful article describing how she used intersubjective theory as a frame for her advising technique and as a way to build a collaborative, mutual teaching/learning experience with her students. She is particularly careful in attending to issues of class, culture, race, academic history, and learning style, all of which need to be taken into consideration during the thesis process.
“The Legacy of the Thesis Project and Research Advising: A Different Kind of Relationship” was submitted by Sophie Marzin, an SCSSW alumna. Ms. Marzin provides a personal reflection on what she retained from the experience of completing a master’s thesis. She describes the pedagogical difference between the research methods course and the thesis process, including the role of the research advisor.
“Learning Together: A Dialogue on Collaborative MSW Thesis Advising” is a jointly written article by David S. Byers, research advisor, Joel Coburn, Avigail Hurvitz-Prinz, and Paige Hustead, former students. Collaboration among a group of students and their advisor in a peer relationship can enhance and expand the learning experience of the whole group, and this is clearly shown in this reflection article. Highlighting what made this particular collaboration work so well, the authors noted several factors. First, they established a formal process of communication that remained consistent during the thesis process. Second, the advisor established a collaborative relationship between himself and his students. Third, everyone, including the advisor, made equal and timely contributions during their meetings. The Skype session that reflected on their process shows the lasting effects for each participant.
Wendy B. Rosen, former adjunct faculty and SCSSW PhD alumna, in “The Master’s Thesis as Creative Enterprise” highlights student fears of the thesis project and how advisors and students adapted the requirements to meet the student’s interests and needs. What is also compelling is the author’s description of the era in which the thesis was completed. In the late 1970s, when the author completed the thesis, society was not as accepting of gays and lesbians. This was a time in which “coming out” was risky. The author was fortunate enough to have been assigned an advisor who also identified as gay and served as a mentor on many different fronts.
“Research and Writing Is Social Justice Activism” is a reflection piece written by Anderson Beckmann Al Wazni, a recent SCSSW alumna. The author describes how the completion of the thesis lead her to new opportunities to present the thesis findings via publications and presentations and the realization that research and policy can be linked in such a way as to pursue social justice through further activism.
In “Clinical Practice versus Social Justice Activism: Resolving Conflict through Research,” Rebecca Stahl, an SCSSW alumna, focuses on a long-standing and continuing issue for many social workers. The author’s narrative shows how research can bring together two apparently opposing issues: clinical practice and social justice activism. As Ms. Stahl noted, clinical practice and activism do not have to be binary choices.
“Transformative Holding: A Reflection on the Legacy of the Smith School for Social Work Thesis,” written by Casey (Zandona) Loughran, a recent SCSSW alumna, offers a brilliant description of a parallel process of the student’s exploration and investigation of the topic and the advising process that mirrored the developmental phases of empathic attunement. This is a wonderful example of how the thesis process and advising can be looked at psychodynamically.
“Reflections on My 1969 Smith College School for Social Work Thesis: Children’s Use of Humor in Psychotherapy,” written by Monica McGoldrick, former adjunct faculty and SCSSW alumna, is a very thoughtful and at certain points humorous reflection article. The description of the author’s disagreement with the agency about using recordings of clinical sessions is a reminder of current student disagreements with agency supervisors and faculty. The article also offers sound advice about giving voice to social workers.
“Epitaph for a Thesis: Bridging the Gap between Grief and Growth,” by Maia Nikitovich, a recent SCSSW alumna, demonstrates how the motivation to complete a thesis does not necessarily require passion for the topic. Ms. Nikitovich clearly shows how the mourning of her father’s death served as a way to move through the thesis process. Her completed thesis certainly served as an epitaph to her beloved father.
“The Me-this, Redeemed: A Reflection on My Thesis Project and How It Helped Me Heal,” by Zpora R. Perry, an SCSSW alumna, describes how she struggled to identify a thesis topic that was not personal but found that, in this case, the thesis topic was very personal and healing. In the process, Ms. Perry draws parallels between clinical practice and research, concluding that completing the thesis was a way for her to make meaning of the experience of having cancer and undergoing treatment at the same time that interviews with cancer survivors were taking place. This very personal reflection article is hopeful and inspiring. It shows that the process of completing a thesis can be healing.
“A Familiar Friend: The Impacts of the Master’s Thesis over Four Formative Career Phases,” by Cole Douglas Hooley, an SCSSW alumnus, plays with the concept of transitional object by identifying those “objects” that were used during and after the thesis to ease anxiety and proceed to independence. The objects the author identifies represent the roles that others played or the author played in proceeding through the thesis process. These roles—coach, bridge-builder, door-opener, or teacher—paralleled the author’s career path from MSW student, to supervisor, to PhD applicant and chair of the Alumni Awards Committee. In describing these stages, the author shares the lessons learned from each object. This reflection article offers a clever use of Winnicott’s transitional object concept to convey the value of the thesis over the author’s career.
Through these articles, reflections, and abstracts, it is our sincere hope that we have been able to showcase the many wonderful aspects of the thesis assignment and the impact it had on the lives of the students, staff, advisors, and faculty who have been part of the rich history of the thesis.
As we look forward, we do so with a commitment to build on the legacy of the thesis by finding ways for students to discover the many ways that a deep understanding of research contributes to their education and training, supporting their efforts to become excellent clinicians able to improve the quality of life for the individuals, families, and systems that they seek to serve.