Guidelines for MTS Contextual Education Project Proposal
Instructions
Complete the attached cover page. Attach to it a narrative statement of no
more than 5 pages that addresses all the following categories. Take a holistic
approach and consider some or all of the following contexts in relation to your
own educational objectives: ecological; economic; geo-political; interpersonal;
personal; social; spiritual.
Submit this material to The Office of Contextual Education (STH Suite 107) by
March 31st (for consideration for Fall semester or following Spring).
Biographical statement
Give a brief biographical summary. Include information on your course of
study and how you chose to pursue the MTS at BU.
Intended placement and/or project description
1. Give key information about the organization, individuals, and/or
environment in which you will be placed.
2. Identify a strategy for supervision. Who will be your principle mentors
and how will you interact with them? Who will be the primary supervisor
and what are this person’s qualifications for conducting such
supervision?
3. Describe what you expect to do by addressing these questions:
a. Learning goal(s): What do you want to learn through a contextual
education placement/project?
b. Project/placement purpose: What is the reason for the specific project
or placement that you will be undertaking?
1. Activities: What, specifically, will you be doing? There may be
several things. Each activity should be visible in the sense that
people should be able to see or understand that the activity either
takes place or it does not. (For example: projects that concern
research may entail involve consulting specific bodies of literature;
placements that concern social action involve organizing specific
meetings.)
2. Quantifiables: Your activities should be measurable or countable.
How will you quantify them?
3. Non-quantifiables: Each activity, or the overall project, will most
likely have qualities and/or results that cannot be measured or
counted. What do you expect some of these might be?
c. Vocational Assessment Goal: What is it that you hope to learn and to
take with you after your placement has finished that you can use in
your longer-range vocational choice? On what basis will you evaluate
the effectiveness of this project?
d. Contextual Goal: How do you see your contextual education
placement/project fitting into the larger global setting and STH’s
objective of training students to “contribute in a variety of ways to the
life of faith in the world?”1
e. Final reporting/product: what will be the final tangible product of
your project? How will you share your findings?
Anticipated costs2
Only include this section if you anticipate incurring significant or unusual
expenses. Please identify these and state how you plan to cover these costs.
International project assumption of risk and liability statement
If your project involves any international travel, please include the following:
Assumption of Risk and Liability Statement:
In proposing this international project of my own design, I agree to assume all risk and
liability for my participation in it.
_______________________________________________
Signed
________________________
Date
______________________________________________
Witness
Optional comments
If there is anything else that you think should be known or understood
about this proposal, please include it in this section.
1
Curriculum Steering Committee, 2009.
At this time, STH does not have funds to support contextual education placements and we cannot
approve placement proposals that include activities costing money but for which no provisions have been
made.
2
MTS Contextual Education Placement and/or Proposal
Cover Page
Student Name & Signature:
Academic Advisor Name & Signature:
Specialization:
None
Hebrew Bible
New Testament
Theology
Religion & Science
Pastoral Care
Religion & Conflict Transformation
Other _______________________
Address:
Semester of Matriculation:
City, State, Zip/Postal Code:
Telephone:
Email:
Site Name:
Project Advisor/Supervisor:
Address:
Telephone:
City, State, Zip/Postal Code:
Fax:
Country (if outside USA):
Email address and/or Website:
Planned Schedule:
 Summer____
Beginning Date:
_____/_____/_____
DD
MM
 Academic Semester/Year ____
Ending Date: _____/_____/_____
YY
Number of hours in overall program:
1. Total hours on tasks/ site
2. Total hours in preparation
3. Total hours in supervision
4. Total hours in travel
5. Total hours of Sabbath (10% of 240)
6. Total hours in class (CAR group TF801)
7. Other (explain)
TOTAL HOURS for the course
DD
MM
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____ (total must add to at least 240 hours)
Weekly schedule at placement:
__________________________________________________________________
Approved by:
Rev. 4/15
YY
(signature): _____________________________ Date ______________