Preparation (8 months: June-January)

Students prepare for their InterFuture experience by attending three training conferences, completing reading and language study, undertaking specified coursework at their campus, designing a pilot study, and writing a project plan.

IF National Training Conferences:
InterFuture Scholars from across the U.S. gather three times during the course of their preparation to plan and refine their projects with the assistance of InterFuture staff, alumni, and guest advisors.  These three conferences feature small group discussions, workshops, individual consultations, and cultural awareness exercises.

Exploratory Conference:  June (4 days)
The first conference gives candidates the opportunity to weigh alternative project topics and research locales.  By the end of this conference most participants have developed a manageable question to guide their forthcoming research.

Research Design Conference:  August (5 days)
The second conference follows a summer of background reading and, if needed, language study. Students are aided in clarifying their research designs and methodologies, deciding on appropriate data-gathering techniques, and beginning the work of structuring interviews.  Exercises, such as role-playing and community explorations, acquaint participants first-hand with some of the challenges encountered while carrying out intercultural research.

Intercultural Skills Conference:  January (4 days)
The third conference emphasizes self-awareness and sensitivity to culturally influenced attitudes and behavior.  Simulations and other exercises help InterFuture Scholars identify their own preconceptions, develop a sense of how they are perceived by others, and become aware of the underlying cultural factors that may influence the actions of people they meet in unfamiliar surroundings. 

Coursework
In the U.S. during the fall semester, each participant includes the following elements in his or her accredited academic schedule, either as courses or supervised individual study.

Literature Review:  With the help of a faculty advisor, the InterFuture Scholar reviews the literature on the topic to be investigated, examines relevant research methods and completes readings on the locale(s) to be visited.

Language:  Unless a student regularly speaks the language to be encountered in the field, InterFuture Scholars going to countries other than the U.K., Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, the Republic of South Africa, and Tanzania engage in language study.  Students will arrange for class or tutorial work emphasizing conversation skills and the vocabulary of the intended project.

Pilot Study:  InterFuture Scholars conduct a small-scale field investigation on the research question in the U.S., usually in a community near the student’s home campus, to test research methodology and hypotheses.  

Project Plan
During the Preparatory period, the InterFuture Scholar is engaged in writing, revising, and expanding a comprehensive project plan.  This outline sets forth the research question and sub-questions; the justification for the study; methods to be employed in identifying, gathering and analyzing data; background material on the issue and related studies; and a plan for sharing findings on return.

As it develops, the project plan is reviewed by the student ’s on-campus advisor, members of the InterFuture staff, and members of the InterFuture network who have knowledge of the topic.

Overseas (1 or 2 semesters: beginning in January)

To enable an InterFuture Scholar to conduct a research project in the field overseas, InterFuture provides the following support services.

Living Arrangements
InterFuture arranges in advance all living arrangements for each student in the research locale(s) overseas.  Typically, InterFuture Scholars live with host families to allow for full immersion in the host culture.  Occasionally, students may live in student housing or in private lodging.  Each living arrangement varies by the research locale and the student’s needs for their research project.

National Coordinators
At each overseas research locale an InterFuture National Coordinator (a local scholar, teacher or administrator) assists the student during the entire duration overseas.  This National Coordinator will be the students’ primary contact overseas, typically greeting the student at the arrival airport, helping the student get settled in their living arrangements helping the student begin research, forwarding mail, and assisting with any problems or needs that might arise during the student’s stay overseas.

Project Advisors
In each research locale, the National Coordinator makes arrangements for an InterFuture Project Advisor based on the student’s research project.   The Project Advisor is an academic or specialist knowledgeable in the student’s field of study who can offer advice on initial contacts, readings, and field study.  A student normally meets with this advisor weekly, during the duration of their entire stay overseas.

Evaluation Conferences
An Evaluation Conference in Amsterdam takes place in late April, when all InterFuture Scholars conducting research in the spring term gather to present, compare and examine their findings.

Return (1-2 semesters: beginning on return to U.S.)

The InterFuture experience culminates in the InterFuture Scholars presentation of their findings upon return to the U.S.  A final project paper or equivalent project is produced based on investigations carried out in the U.S. and overseas.  In addition, returning Scholars also share their findings with various campus organizations, academic programs, and community groups interested in the project.