Dissertation Proposal Development Program

The College of Liberal Art’s Dissertation Proposal Development (DPD) program expands and improves formal dissertation prospectus and grant proposal development for humanities and social science doctoral students at the University of Minnesota. It is modeled on the Social Science Research Council's (SSRC) Dissertation Proposal Development program.

In 2024, 12 students from College of Liberal Art (CLA) and College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) will be selected to participate in the program. The program will include an intensive five-day workshop in spring, followed by independent student summer research, and another intensive five-day workshop in the late summer and early fall, prior to fall research grant proposal deadlines. Both workshops are in person. Faculty instructors will work closely with students on preparing research questions, literature reviews, identifying grant opportunities, work plans, and writing proposals and prospectuses; the students work together in peer groups as well. The goal of the program is to increase student success in grant competitions as well as to refine a dissertation prospectus that may help the students better concentrate their efforts and reduce time to completion. The program targets students at the end of their second or third year (depending on department expectations) in graduate school, around the time when they are articulating their dissertation prospectuses.

This initiative was initially made possible in part by a grant from the Social Science Research Council, with funds provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and with additional support from the University of Minnesota Graduate School and the College of Liberal Arts.

2024 Faculty Facilitators:

 Akeem Anderson, American Studies
 Alice Kang, School of Kinesiology
 Amanda Davis, Nursing
 Briana Beeman, Theatre Historiography
 Daniel Aufmann, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
 Emily Jones, English
 Esther Liu, Anthropology
 Eugene Wong, Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
 Fa'aumu Kaimana, Anthropology
 Geonlyung Kim, English
 Hannah Schwendeman, Sociology
 Hopewell Hodges, Institute of Child Development
 Jessica Tran, Natural Resource Science and Management
 Kerstin Tuttle, English
 Linda Parranto Vital, Political Science
 MaryKate Wolken, History of Science, Technology and Medicine Program
 Megan Manion, Political Science
 Mskwaankwad Rice, Linguistics
 Nasema Zeerak, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
 Pauline Maison-Dessemme, French
 Richard Lim, American Studies
 Shiman Li, Design, Housing, and Apparel
 Treasure Tinsley, History
 Youngmin Chu, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
 Yulian Fernando Segura Castillo, Curriculum and Instruction (Culture and Teaching)
 Sarah Snyder , Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature

Alexandra Chocontá Piraquive, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies
Ali Yildirim, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies
Anna McNulty Taylor, Curriculum and Instruction, Literacy Education
Ayaan Natala, American Studies
Berika Ozcan, Political Science
Chelsea Osademe, American Studies
Clare Harmon,  Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
Cynthia Pando, Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration
Daniel Cueto-Villalobos, Sociology
Daniela Sepúlveda Soto, Political Science
Eliana Chavkin, History
Greta Gebhard, Theatre Arts and Dance
Isaac Esposto, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies
Joshua Althoff, History
Kristen Einertson, Communication Studies
Kristen Reynolds, American Studies
Mi'Chael Wright, Sociology
Morgan Brokob, Sociology
Morgan Graham, English
Nina Peterson, Art History
Paulomi Sharma, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
Rebecca Kosten, Philosophy
Sean Quartz, Communication Studies
Sutina Chou, Political Science
Valeria Lopez Torres, Graphic Design
Vishal Jamkar, Public Affairs

 Alya Ansari, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
 Amanda Brown, Curriculum and Instruction
 Annika Yates, Anthropology
 Baruch Malewich, Political Science
 Berkant Caglar, Anthropology
 Brian Le Lay, Writing Studies
 Corissa Marson, Applied Economics
 Courtney Sarkin, Health Policy and Management
 Dewitt King, American Studies
 Elizabeth Quillen, History
 Emily Sumner, Asian Literatures, Cultures, and Media
 Jacqueline James, Writing Studies
 Jonathan Borja, American Studies
 Joshua Morrison, Communication Studies
 Kadir Yavuz Emiroglu, Anthropology
 Kirstin Kuchler, Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
 MaryGrace Trifilio, Anthropology
 Muhammad Osama Imran, Anthropology
 Nathan Buckley, Anthropology
 Quentin Dishman, Music
 Rania Madani, Anthropology
 Shuyi Deng, Social Policy Analysis
 Thanzeel Nazer, Anthropology
 Tibisay Navarro-Mana, History
 Yun Feng, Anthropology
 

Aleisha Barton,  Art History        
Alexis Zanghi,  Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature        
Anne Briggs,  Music        
Benjamin Postone,  History        
Carlie Cervantes De Blois,  History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Catherine Ulep, History        
Consuelo Sanchez-Bautista, OLPD - CIDE        
Eesha Kunduri, Geography, Environment and Society    
Jaan Sharma Pathak, Geography, Environment and Society    
Jayne Kinney,  History        
John Dieck,  History        
Kiara Padilla,  American Studies        
Kyle Baasch,  Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature        
Leah Malamut,  History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Liz Calhoun,  Geography,  Environment and Society    
Magaly Ordonez, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Merle Matthews, Anthropology        
Olga Salazar Pozos,  Spanish & Portuguese Studies        
Ray Balstad,  French and Italian        
Samhar Khalfani, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Shankar Csr, History        

AK Wright, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies
Amber Hamilton, Sociology
Anya Kaplan-Seem, Geography, Environment, and Society
Aras Koksal, Sociology
Brittany Knutson, Communication Studies
Collin Diver, Spanish and Portuguese Studies
Danielle Stambler, Writing Studies
E Ornelas, Feminist Studies
Emily Mitamura, Political Science
Hasan Tankut Atuk, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Hon Ki Cheung, Music
Ian White, Comparative Literature
Isaac Asante-Wusu, Geography, Environment, and Society
Jeffrey Hanson, Musicology
John Kendall, Geography, Environment, and Society
Megan Moore, Sociocultural Anthropology
Michelle Lee, American Studies
Moinak Choudhury, English
Oforiwaa Pee Agyei-Boakye, Geography, Environment, and Society
Sara Seweid-DeAngelis, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Shakita Thomas, Curriculum and Instruction/ Culture and Teaching
Snigdha Kumar, Sociology
SunMin (May) Hwang, Human Factors & Ergonomics
Vanessa Voller, Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development
 

Arif Hayat Nairang, Anthropology
Colleen Stockmann, Art History
Elizabeth Hazel Rickard, Theatre Arts and Dance
Harsha Anantharaman, Geography
Katherine M. Martin, Nursing
Kriti Budhiraja, Sociology
Lindsay Ilana Turner, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Lisa Santosa, Geography, Environment, and Society
Nicholas Williams, History
Nina Medvedeva, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Sayan Bhattacharya, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Tiffany Lachelle Smith, Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Dana DeVlieger, Music
Eric Goldfischer, Geography, Environment, and Society
Ezekiel Joubert, Curriculum and Instruction
Harshit Rathi, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
Kari Campeau, Writing Studies
Matthew Treon, American Studies
Michael Kadow, History
Mikkel Vad, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
Nithya Rajan, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Robin Wright, Geography, Environment, and Society
Vanessa Guzman, American Studies
Wei Ye, Anthropology