Seminars  Performances  Real-World Experience  In-Class Work  Writing Issues  Upcoming Capstones  Value of the Capstone

ONGOING CAPSTONES
Seminars
A common format for the capstone class is a seminar requiring independent research leading to a paper and presentation. Professors break the project into stages and monitor progress, but the research is largely self-paced. The History Department, which has required a seminar since the spring of 2001, offers a choice of three-hour courses on a particular historical topic. Previous topics have included the Crusades, the Inquisition, immigration, and revolutionary leaders. This spring Rick Heiser is teaching Rome and Roy Campbell Nationalism and the Making of Modern India. Next fall's seminar topics are Vietnam, taught by Mike Nelson, and Slavery and Freedom in America by Anita Gustafson. Majors write a twenty-page research paper and give a presentation, answering questions from faculty and students. Heiser says that such a course "helps students learn to manage information, write, and speak in a clear and concise way. Good seminar projects are a combination of a well-crafted paper, a poised presentation, and a keen ability to field the questions of professors and others who attend the presentation."

The Biology Department has offered a seminar for nearly thirty years. In fact, biology professor John Inman was a student in the first one. That course, he says, "initially a discussion group, has evolved tremendously to the rigorous class it is today." The current format and basic requirements were in place by 1980. The one-hour Junior Seminar introduces students to the process of researching, writing, and presenting a scientific review article. In the Senior Seminar, students complete their research, present the results to the class and the professors, and write the final paper. Jim Wetzel, currently teaching the biology Junior Seminar, plans to revise it, adding more instruction by librarians on sources now available for research in biology and more time for work on writing. Junior Seminar student Heather Hawkins prepares for the lecture on writing and revising.

Several other departments have adopted the seminar format to challenge students with intensive, independent work. Terry Barr's current topic in the first English capstone is post-WWII Jewish-American literature. After reading and discussing three works as a class, students choose a topic of interest, write a twenty-page research paper, and present their ideas to classmates and English faculty. Research in progress includes Brittany Flowe's examination of love and marriage in an interfaith setting, Polly Spangler's analysis of the golem myth in recent Jewish literature, and Justin Lowman's study of the connection between the control of the movie industry by Jews and the depictions of Jews in film before, during, and shortly after WWII. The new Capstone in Political Science, taught by Don Raber, gives students a choice of topic and genre for the paper: an analysis of political theory, a public policy proposal, or a detailed literature review, for example. The capstone allows students to apply what they have learned from political science courses to in the biology seminar. back to top

PERFORMANCES
Art, Theatre, and Music majors may perform as the capstone requirement, depending on their area of concentration. While those with an art history emphasis write and present a major paper, students following the studio track create original work for display at the Senior Show. The Art Department's capstone is a four-semester process beginning with Junior Project, continuing with Junior Seminar and Senior Seminar, and culminating in the Senior Show. For the Show, seniors handle "publicity, invitations, all of it. They have to learn to promote themselves," according to Laura Crary. Through creating and promoting the Senior Show, art majors gain "a sense of what artists actually do day-to-day." In Theatre's Capstone Experience, the project also depends on the area of study. Lesley Preston says that theatre history majors write a research paper, actors may perform a one-person show, and design students may create the set, costumes, and lighting for a show.

Music majors, according to Karen Buckland, have various capstone options as well. Those in performance give one half and one full recital with program notes and a paper of ten to fifteen pages on the music they perform. Majors without an emphasis on performance give a lecture instead on theory, pedagogy, or music history, again with a related paper. back to top

REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE
Other capstones involve students in real-world experience. In the Computer Science courses Software Development 1 and 2, Wayne Smith forms teams to develop a software project for an actual customer. First semester, students work on concepts of software development and practice projects. Then Smith presents three or four options for software, which usually serve campus needs. This year's team is developing software for Sodexho, making it possible for students to order and pay for meals at Springs online. For example, Smith says that athletes who come from practice will be able to avoid the lines by ordering in their rooms, allowing them time to shower before picking up their meals. Although Smith's program consists of two courses, teams often do not have enough time to run a program and check it for "bugs." He hopes teams continue to produce tangible results, perhaps "expanding into the community by offering a software program to nonprofits, culminating in a demonstration before customers."

Rickey Madden's Business Strategy, the capstone for the Economics and Business Administration Department, integrates all majors-accounting, economics, and business administration. Madden has taught this course for twenty-four years at various colleges, the last two years at PC. He assigns case studies for the seniors to analyze: first three individual cases and then a team case. Students address questions about a business situation and give recommendations from the perspective of a consultant.

Madden spends early class meetings on case analysis and writing. Students use given information to work on the reports but may also add other research and data as long as they follow the time perspectives in the case. Madden videotapes the team presentations to give current students feedback and to use with future classes. Although he assesses the teams as a group, he also asks each person to evaluate the contributions of their team members. As with Smith's software teams, these business teams introduce students to an important aspect of business strategy today. back to top

IN-CLASS WORK
Capstones differ in the types of in-class work and amount of class time required along with the independent project. While studio-oriented art majors work independently with Ralph Paquin or Mark Anderson, they also meet with art history students during the weekly "Crary Hour." Crary uses this hour to discuss aspects of art that may not be a part of other courses, such as artists' statements. The Computer Science capstone students also meet weekly to hear status reports from the software development teams.

Seminars usually require background reading and class time. In Senior Capstone in Political Science, seniors read six books and write short response papers. Some history professors also assign four or more books and short papers: in some seminars students read during semester break. Biology Senior Seminar students do their own independent research, but all attend the presentations. Learning from the presentations or performances of classmates is a common component of all capstones. back to top

WRITING ISSUES While many facets of the capstone experience are unique to the student's chosen major, faculty interviews attest to similarities in students' issues with writing. Problems with research and use of secondary sources and quotations seem to be the prevailing concern. Crary claims the most consistent problem is too many "decontextualized quotations." Students fail to comment on a source's idea, instead using quotations to stand in for original analysis.   Biology Junior Seminar students sign up for writing conferences "to weave their ideas together," as Wetzel advises. back to top

UPCOMING CAPSTONES
Blueprints of capstone courses in the planning stages show potential and originality. Charles Rains will pioneer Advanced Physics Lab. For this course "students will repeat a big 20th century physics experiment that gives us our view of the world. They will plan, research, reproduce what earlier scientists did, and present their results--using the modern equipment available in a student lab today." Deb Lee says that the Education Department plans a hybrid capstone somewhere between a seminar and a real-world format. The course will require majors to propose a question under the topic of diversity, collect data from the real-world classroom where they complete their forty hours of practicum, and relate their findings to the class. German majors will be able to choose from several courses for the capstone: German Civilization, German Film and Society, or German Literature Capstone. These courses, says Connie Colwell, are similar in that all synthesize various aspects of German culture.

According to Bob Bryant, the Religion Department plans to join Christian Education and Philosophy to create an interdisciplinary, topic-based capstone. Grace Yeuell, making a transition from teaching her own capstone, believes that exposing students with these different emphases to one another's perspectives will further enhance the liberal-arts experience that PC provides. The course will be team-taught by two professors, rotating among departments, and will require a research paper and an oral presentation.

THE VALUE OF THE CAPSTONE
The faculty interviewed agreed that the capstone experience has great value in preparing seniors for graduate work or careers. Because they demand a rigorous level of scholarship, dedication, and originality, capstones encourage deep thinking. Capstones allow seniors to tailor a significant project of their college career to their individual interests and to learn invaluable lessons in the all-important life skill dubbed time management. back to top

Polly Spangler and Jill Frey          Communication Across the Curriculum Ideas at Presbyterian College