IYFD: updated summer 2008
History of the Master of Arts Degree in
Intercultural Youth and Family Development
2004-2008
203 Schreiber Gym
32 Campus Drive #0503
Missoula, Montana 59812-0503
Intercultural Youth & Family Development (IYFD) Program History:
2004-2008
Program Background and Goals:
The Level II proposal for a new interdisciplinary master’s degree in Intercultural Youth and Family Development at The University of Montana was fully approved by the Graduate Council, Faculty Senate, and Board of Regents in Spring 2004. The idea had been initiated by a small group of faculty following a symposium sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development, in which representatives from several international aid organizations emphasized the shortage of job applicants with prior training in intercultural perspectives on youth development. It was therefore felt that the program would fill a vital and unmet need for students who wish to engage in volunteer or compensated work in the helping professions outside of their own cultures, and to do so in an ethically sound and well-informed manner.
The emphasis is on developing applied competencies (values, knowledge and skills) necessary for effective service in a variety of cultural settings. These are based on knowledge from psychology about comparative practices and behaviors related to children and families, from counseling about appropriate tools for working with youth and families in different cultural contexts, and from fields such as community health, anthropology, social work, negotiation, and management of non-profit organizations as applied to cross-cultural perspectives.
The goals of the program are to develop students’ capacity to: deepen their understanding of the impact of culture on patterns and outcomes of child development; overcome ethnocentric assumptions; cope with emotional responses to difficult service situations; be aware of personal health and safety concerns when working in new or unfamiliar environments; apply professional skills such as capacity-building and assessing both the needs for and effectiveness of assistance efforts.
According to its Mission Statement, UM-Missoula “dedicates itself and its resources to the search for truth and new knowledge, the responsibility to disseminate knowledge, and the obligation to provide service to the people of the state, nation, and world. The University strives for excellence in all its endeavors…to assist the people of Montana to achieve their fullest cultural, professional, and personal potential.”
Embedded in both the UM and the Board of Regents Mission Statements are the central themes of service, respect for all peoples, and the determination to assist Montanans to live up to their full potential. Now more than ever, to live to one’s full potential requires global perspectives of some depth and sophistication. This degree is therefore designed to assist students to more fully understand child and human development needs in their own and other cultures, emphasizing not only the acquisition of specific knowledge, but also an active critique of that knowledge and its relative application globally and domestically.
Our intention is that this degree will prepare people from diverse cultural backgrounds to explore and respect the many ways of helping that exist in the world, and the many ways in which imposing culturally-insensitive or inappropriate “helping” can in fact be detrimental. Students are encouraged to form a learning community within their cohort, sharing independent study findings, developing support networks, and enhancing each other’s growth and development both on campus and during field placements.
While there are many master’s level training programs in the U.S. in international studies, maternal and child health, medical anthropology, nutrition, peace studies, social justice, humanitarian aid, and global studies, our search revealed none with an applied focus specifically on understanding child and family systems from a multicultural perspective. Many helping profession graduate programs have begun to add courses in multicultural applications, but these often remain at the theoretical level with few requirements of applied service or field-based experiences. In addition, many of these programs focus more on physical health interventions and preventative measures, whereas the IYFD program places greater emphasis on mental health, developmental and behavioral needs of children within the contexts of community and social support systems.
Peace Corps Master’s International Partner School:
In spring of 2004, the IYFD Program was approved as a Partner School with the United States Peace Corps Master’s International program, similar to the arrangement already existing at the time with UM’s College of Forestry and Conservation Master’s of Science degree in International Resource Management. The following excerpts are taken from the original application to Peace Corps prior to this approval; please be aware that some of these plans and policies have changed as the program has evolved, as described later in this document
Description of proposed partnership
This proposal outlines an innovative, applied masters degree designed to train individuals to meet the needs of children, youth and families living in conditions known to impinge on healthy development. In many cultures, children with diseases or disabilities are locked away and provided with minimal institutional care. Children are orphaned due to poverty, famine, violence, AIDS and other deadly diseases at alarming rates. By the year 2010, it is estimated there could be as many as 40 million orphans in the 23 countries most affected by AIDS. As many as 100 million children are living on the streets in different countries around the world. As resources diminish, the most vulnerable members of any population – often the children -- are hardest hit.
The proposed interdisciplinary master’s degree will provide students with key elements needed for effective intercultural service, employment and research in the human services arena. One important goal will be to ensure that participants expand their perspectives about “normal” development and best practices in education, avoiding the assumption that Western models are applicable universally. We are not aware of any comparable master’s training programs in the United States, although Peace Corps has MI programs that focus on problems of environment, public health, and maternal/child health. Other American universities do offer degrees in socio-economic development, peace and conflict resolution, nutrition, social work, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, but these all emphasize somewhat different skills and training.
Perceived benefits
Many agencies are involved at the community level in working with children, youth and families in economic poverty or social distress. The problems and ethics of cross-cultural and multicultural work are complex, especially in the emotionally-laden and politically charged areas of youth development and family support. It is incumbent upon relevant disciplines such as psychology, child development, social work, and counseling to prepare both volunteers and professionals to meet these growing challenges more effectively.
Students in industrialized nations often do not engage in the kind of learning necessary to work effectively with disadvantaged or culturally different youth and families. Frequently, a gap exists between the education and training received in post-secondary classrooms, and the practices needed to responsibly offer assistance in cultures other than one’s own. However, The University of Montana has a strong record of encouraging volunteerism and community service. Despite its relatively small size, UM has sent the tenth largest number of volunteers into the United States Peace Corps; it has a very active Office of Civic Engagement that promotes service learning throughout the state; and it is a pilot site for a new AmeriCorps*/Vista program enabling volunteers to receive credit for course work related to their assignments in the field.
We believe that this program will benefit prospective students by helping them engage in reflective consideration of cross-cultural differences ina variety of areas including: approaches to child-rearing, grief and loss, mental health counseling, and familial/community roles. In turn, this will prepare these students for more sensitive service in areas related to youth and family development during their overseas assignments. As a result, the effectiveness of their Peace Corps service should be enhanced and the host country people with whom the volunteers work should gain a better understanding of Americans and their ability to provide thoughtful and useful assistance in other parts of the world. The University of Montana will also benefit from this program by the development of new and innovative courses, by exposing instructors as well as other students to intercultural perspectives, and by the potential for eventually attracting more international students and faculty to its campus.
How will students’ academic experiences prepare them for Peace Corps?
Following a year of graduate level study in the areas of of human development, counseling, and conflict management, students in the IYFD Program will have increased knowledge of culturally-sensitive approaches to working with children and families in developing countries. These students will therefore be better prepared for volunteer service in the helping professions, as their training will exceed that possible in the shorter Peace Corps training programs.
After completing coursework, what will students be able to do?
Upon completion of the IYFD master’s degree, the student will have:
1)thorough knowledge of cross-cultural human psychological, social, and physical development, especially during childhood and youth, but also across the life span;
2)master’s level knowledge of research on culture, cross-cultural differences and sources of misunderstanding;
3)basic helping/counseling skills;
4)awareness of ethical guidelines for intercultural and international research and intervention;
5)understanding of developmental, psychological, and social implications of poverty and trauma;
6)master’s level research skills;
7)master’s level conflict resolution skills;
8)foundational understanding of international norms and laws concerning the rights of children;
9)significant applied experience in an international or cultural setting other than their own;
10)completed a final project germane to their academic work and Peace Corps assignment.
Return to campus following PC service or other Internship:
Students were originally expected to return to The University of Montana for one summer session or semester following their Peace Corps service in order to complete their professional paper/project. This turned out to be unrealistic, however, largely for financial reasons. We therefore no longer expect students to return after their Internship, and instead urge them to complete their degree requirements prior to the end of their internships.
Integration of PC or other Internship experience into academic program:
The Internship is an integral part of the academic program andstudents often prepare their professional projectrelated to this experience. In addition, the IYFD 501 and 502 courses (Intercultural Aspects of Human Development, I and II) now incorporate a seminar paper through which each student is to become the “Resident Expert” on a specific country or region where they might like to serve, and on a specific issue related to children, youth or families there. The student must also research the programmatic efforts currently being made to address this concern, and propose a further strategy or project to enhance the effectiveness of these efforts.
Academic expectations during overseas or domestic Internship:
IYFD Program faculty will make every effort to remain in regular contact with the students via electronic mail (if available to the student) or by regular postal services during the internship. This will facilitate submission of journal reports or other kinds of observations and project updates during the students’ Internship experience. It is expected that each student will submit at least quarterly reports to their Advisor, describing progress in their planned activity or project, any difficulties encountered, and preliminary drafts as appropriate. Otherwise, there will be no specific academic demands such as papers, readings, etc. during the Internship. Students are, however, required to complete an End-of-Service Internship Report prior to graduating from the IYFD program.
Contingency plan for students not choosing Peace Corps:
The IYFD Program does admit a limited number of students who, for a variety of possible reasons, will not be serving in the Peace Corps. In such cases, the Program faculty will assist these students in arranging for volunteer service either domesticallyor overseas, in situations where their intercultural skills can be fully utilized. It is the student’s responsibility to investigate these possibilities as thoroughly as possible, with the help of IYFD and other faculty as well as the UM Internship Services Office, in order to make an informed and appropriate decision about Internship placement.
Relationship with RPCV groups and regional office:
Two of the individuals involved with the creation of this Program, Lynne and Otto Koester, are former Peace Corps Volunteers (1968-1970) and are active members of the Western Montana Returned Peace Corps Volunteer organization. This group meets monthly, performs service projects locally as well as offering financial support to occasional projects of Montana PC Volunteers in the field, and hosts an annual “retreat” at Flathead Lake. The University of Montana has a Peace Corps recruiter (now located in the Office of Career Services), and the RPCV group is also in contact with the Peace Corps Regional Office. Each year, we host a “nominations party”, with the assistance of people from these two offices, for the purpose of meeting and sharing experiences with newly-recruited Volunteers.
Communication and contact with the Peace Corps headquarters:
On October 25, 2005,a site visitor from the national headquarters in Washington, DC came to The University of Montana and met with students, faculty, and administrators involved with UM’s two Master’s International programs. The visitor was Sylvia Alejandre, and this was the first time a member of the Peace Corps staff from Washington had met with any of us in Montana. This provided several question-and-answer opportunities, and was especially useful for those students who plan to do their Internships as Peace Corps Volunteers. The Peace Corps staff later held a 2-day meeting in DC for all Master’s International Program Directors, June 28-30, 2006. Otto Koester attended this conference; for a full report, see the IYFD 2004-2006 History document.
On Sept. 27, 2007 another PCMI Coordinators’ Meeting was held in Seattle, WA; Lynne Koester and Nancy Seldin represented IYFD. Participants were all from existing PCMI programshoused at universities in the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska. The primary meeting was an open discussion, sharing ideas and tips about what works in particular programs, and a presentation by Jahleezah Eskew from the Washington, DC Peace Corps Headquarters. This was followed by a Recruitment Panel at the University of Washington, in which we all participated. (See Appendix A for complete report from this Peace Corps conference.)
Support from the Provost, Deans, and Department Chairs:
Since IYFD is an interdisciplinary program, it has received support from a variety of administrators and departments on campus. This has been greatly appreciated, for without such encouragement, cooperation, and funding, the program would never have come into being. The initial budget was provided by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The budget for subsequent years has been used to cover course buy-outs, instructional materials, office supplies, and modest stipends for instructors, the Program Director, and the Internship Coordinator. One Graduate Teaching Assistantship has also been provided by the Graduate School each year.
Additional support from Deans Gerald Fetz (CAS), RobertaEvans (Education), and David Strobel (Graduate School) has been crucial in helping the IYFD faculty grapple with issues such as recruitment, internship policies, faculty workloads, and concerns related to not having an academic “home”. In a number of instances, these Deans have also provided additional funding enabling us to advertise the program nationally and to attend international conferences related to global youth development. As of July 2007, IYFD became part of the Counselor Education Department chaired by John Sommers-Flanagan.
In several cases, IYFD faculty must have course buy-outs in order to offer the additional courses needed for our students. Professors Nabil Haddad and Allen Szalda-Petree (past and present Psychology Department Chairs) and John Sommers-Flanagan have been consistently receptive to these requests and have made it possible for faculty to offer new courses without taking this on as an overload. There is reason to be concerned, however, that this is not a good long-term solution. In the Psychology Department, for example, it has meant that one section of the large undergraduate Child and Adolescent Development course – usually offered by Lynne Koester – is now frequently being taught by a graduate student. An ongoing problem is that there is no administrative release time for the Director, who therefore ends up taking this on as an increasingly large and demanding overload as the IYFD program itself grows.
Recruitment, website and brochure:
A brochure was developed and distributed nationally to colleagues and professional acquaintances, as well as locally to UM students and faculty. The IYFD Program is highlighted on the following websites: and (listed under “Participating Schools”).
Faculty bio-sketches & affiliations:
Lynne Sanford Koester, Ph.D. – Program Director (sabbatical 2006-2007)
Lynne Koester is Professor in the Department of Psychology; she is a developmental psychologist with a focus on parent-child interactions and fostering optimal development in the early years. Lynne earned her graduate degrees from The University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Psychology. Prior to joining the faculty at The University of Montana, she was a researcher at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, where she was involved in studies of the social-emotional development of deaf and hearing infants with either deaf or hearing parents. She has collaborated extensively with infant development scholars from Germany, and is a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Ethiopia.