Thes-kus, 2016
An enduring tradition, the “thes-ku.” For many years now, a graduating student has come forward to unleash the flood of procrastination-inducing capstone-inspired poetry. The concept: capture the content of your capstone in haiku format (that is, three lines with five, seven, and five syllables). Please find below a sampling of the capstone titles and related thes-kus. Note that many, but not all, students write a traditional thesis to fulfill the capstone requirement. Also note that I have snagged these off the Social List and am sharing them without attribution, but without objection from their writers.
One student wrote that she “mostly wrote a thesis just so I could summarize it in haiku format.” Whether that’s 100% true or not, her thes-ku leads the collection:
Wired for Geopolitics: Incentives Shaping Technology Companies’ International Policy Decisions
Google runs the world
Because they want more profit?
It’s not that simple.
War Without Weapons: A History of International Politics in Sport and the Future of North Korea
Sports matter to Kim
It’s ideological
Let’s play together!
Systematically Seeking Shared Value: An Analysis of USAID Public-Private Partnerships
Once about leverage
Now shared value is our thing
Finding it is hard
Promoting Pluralism or Patronage?: Parliamentary Electoral System Design in Timor-Leste
East Timor elects
Few parties despite system.
Pacts spread patronage.
The Role of Congress in Offensive Cyber Operations
No one likes Congress
Cyber is so hot right now
…Checks and balances?
Fractured Lives: Personal Narratives of the Chinese Cultural Revolution
Parents’ old stories
Have historical value
Who would’ve thunk it?
Feminism on the Field: Changing Attitudes about Girls’ Soccer in Southern Morocco
Girls play soccer too
Attitudes are hard to change
These girls are badass
Doing Harm: How Humanitarian Organizations Have Exacerbated Identity Conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State
Conflict is the worst
But humanitarians
Could be the worst-est.
From the Jamba to Christian Dior: Fashion Trends and Regime Preservation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kim likes fashion
Don’t be hatin’ on his vogue
It’s all political
Paying for Performance: Policy Reform to Improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in Rural Bihar
Conditional cash
Sometimes it just ain’t enough
Systems change vital.
The PPA Crutch: The Implications of Renewable Energy Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) in New England. Lessons Learned from Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) Independent Power Producers (IPP)
Utilities sign
Power Purchase Agreements
While solar price drops.
Life after Salesforce: User Adoption and Implementation Strategy from Social Impact Organizations
Cloud computing what
UTAUT for who
Fletcher can speak tech
The Business Case for Sustainability: Developing an Environmental Vision and Strategy at a Privately-Held Retailer
Climate change is real
You’re pretty late to the game
Let’s convince your boss
Energy is Power: The Role of Oil in Self-Determination Movements with Case Studies on Iraqi Kurdistan and Greenland
Oil runs the world
revenues or resource curse
it creates new states?
A Blend in 21st Century Warfare: The Balance of Deterrence vs. Provocation
Putin Rides Big Bears
Russia is reemerging
NATO is worried
Promoting Pluralism or Patronage?: Parliamentary Electoral System Design in Timor-Leste
East Timor elects
Few parties despite system.
Pacts spread patronage.
What is Missed When Measured: A Systematic Review of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Conflict-Affected Populations
Gender-based violence
Such a mouthful. Hard to rhyme.
Don’t forget the men.
Survival in the Frontier Borderlands: Widespread and Opportunistic Violence, Governance, and Livelihoods in the Karamoja Cluster
Guns be a’flowin’
Cattle raided, crops stolen
State can’t stop us now
Last, but not least, as the haiku is a revered Japanese poetry form, we have a contribution from a Japanese student, who noted that a true haiku should refer to the seasons, and who implied that this is not her best-ever haiku effort.
The United Nations, Peacekeeping Operations and Assisting Sustainable Rule of Law
背中押す （せなかおす：Se Na Ka O Su）
法の治めし （ほうのおさめし：Ho U No O Sa Me Shi）
国づくり (くにづくり：Ku Ni Zu Ku Ri)
The translation:
Let them build RoL
No imposition, it’s culture
A long and winding road