I'm currently setting up my thesis template using ccw_chithesis.cls so that I can use Chicago Manual of Style formatting for the paper (as well as the referencing style).
In the past (writing the odd short paper here and there) when I wanted to indent something, I simply included
in the preamble. I've included it in my thesis document however it is not working, I'm guessing because it's overridden by instructions in the .cls file.
As far as I can tell (I'm relatively new to LaTeX), the relevant part of the instruction in the .cls file is this: