Syllabus Capstone (Corr 496 and 497)
Dr. Sherrise Truesdale-Moore
AH 113; Phone 507-389-5602. Main Office 507-389-1561
Email: sherrise.truesdale@mnsu.edu
Course Overview:
The Capstone Class is a vehicle for gaining a broader understanding of the field of
corrections by the sharing of experiences and presentations in various correctional settings. A
single internship will not give a general understanding of all the unique aspects of correctional
work or a sense of the various perspectives and “cultures” that motivate agency behavior. By
sharing the experiences students have in these correctional settings we all gain a better
understanding of the possibilities and the need for collaboration in being effective in realizing the
vision that drives correctional work.
The class also calls on students to reflect on the knowledge gained in the four years of
study in college. It asks us to reflect on skills and understandings gained through the general
education curriculum, the minor discipline and through the study of corrections. This reflection
helps develop the practice of mature reaction to situations and to the various types of individuals
involved in the correctional environments. Thinking about your knowledge and what you have
learned leads to critique of our program of study from the vantage point you enjoy in a
correctional setting.
The discussion board for each week allows students to share experiences, ask questions
and record insights. It is expected that we all will contribute to the discussion board, read the
posts and respond to others. This is a chance for us to encourage each other and develop a sense
of pride in the class as we take our first steps into corrections. You never know which one of
you will be the Commissioner of Corrections someday.
The traditional Field Practice Paper (Part I of the final paper) gives you a format for
reflecting on this experience. You might begin to develop this paper now and share with others
as it builds. The field practice paper outline is contained within your packet and @.....
http://sbs.mnsu.edu/soccorr/corrections/fieldexperience.html and a guideline of questions and/or
topics are provided to assist in completing the final paper. The second part of the final paper
Part II) is an experiment that has been well received by students. Everyone will complete both
Part I and Part II at the end of the internship (Field Practicum) and submit them in the drop box
so labeled.
Course Requirements:
1. Attend two capstone seminar meetings. You will be notified of the scheduled dates
as they are set. Be sure to check your emails and D2L (for this course) on a regular basis for the
meeting dates/locations and addresses. Take advantage of locations or settings that you have not
visited during your time on campus such as probation offices, group homes, prisons, etc. and
training opportunities if your internship will provide this. Be diligent because you may not get a
chance in the future. Please leave Friday available for capstone seminars and activities. Finally,
your end-of-semester capstone presentation will be in Pedro Thomas’ Foundations class.
However, some of you may be asked to present at the CADA house to assist with career/student
development for domestic violence victims.
The initial meeting is scheduled at MSU (TBA). This meeting is to answer any questions that
you may have before your work with the internship office. Our other capstone days will be
scheduled so that we can meet at intern sites. Begin to talk to your mentors to see if your site
might work for a capstone meeting. You will need a room for about 20 people and it would be
very nice if the mentor and his/her director/supervisor would give us a presentation about the
agency. Then the last capstone meeting will be back at MSU to present for the Foundations
Classes. More direction will be provided, but you will be asked to develop a five slide
PowerPoint presentation. For the on campus meetings come to the Sociology and Corrections
Dept. Office to get direction to our meeting room.
2. Submit a “learning contract” (you and your supervisor should go over this) to the drop
box provided on D2L. Include a statement that your mentor/supervisor has reviewed and
approved. Indicate the date of that approval. Please have this completed as soon as possible.
The start of the third week of your internship is a reasonable deadline. This document is useful
for you in that it will make the expectations on you clear. It gives you a chance to plan your
internship with the help of your mentor; it makes what you do during this time intentional rather
than haphazard. It offers a chance to reflect on what you want to experience, learn, and what you
can do to help the agency for whom you are interning. Think about what you have to offer the
agency. Think about learning to negotiate relationships. It is very important to make sure you
understand what the agency and your mentor expects of you. It is a good idea to ask about some
“long-term” project you can work on when things get slow at your agency. You will find that
there is a rhythm in most agencies that varies from very slow to fast and furious and everything
in between. Having a special project will help you demonstrate your ability, innovation and
commitment. Additionally, discuss the following: Professional/Office dress code, Human
Resource policies (i.e. taking off, confidentiality, and ethical dilemmas), training and
certification opportunities, court decorum, and safety issues.
3. Stay active on the monthly discussion board. Share your experiences, talk to your
classmates, ask for advice, encourage each other. Have a little fun as well. The discussion board
has worked well. Many issues have been resolved through the class discussion. When you don’t
know what to do in some situation, ask your classmates. When you have a success, share it with
your classmates. When you have a problem, ask for help from your classmates.
4. Prepare a resume. During the time of your internship, you will need to complete this
assignment by October 1st. Your resume will be reviewed and critiqued by a panel of three
corrections professionals to give you feedback on your resume.
5. You will have a field practice paper due on the last day of your field practice
placement. A drop box will be provided. As mentioned above this paper follows a traditional
more academic format and a format that asks you to prepare written responses to the type of
questions you might be asked during an interview for a job in corrections.
6. Written evaluation of your field practice performance by your intern
mentor/supervisor is a requirement. This is also due as soon as possible after you complete your
field practice. Be sure to remind your mentor that this is necessary for your final grade.
7. Prepare a 5-slide PowerPoint presentation concerning your internship. Consider
your responsibility in educating the Foundations and Orientations to Corrections class to help
prepare them for their correctional internships.
Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have a better idea about how this can go. I
would like your input. This is an experience that is very important to you, the program and to
the work we do in corrections. Please contact me for assistance with this experience.
Thank you,
Dr. Truesdale-Moore