Master Syllabus
Course: SOC/ANT 420 Capstone Seminar
University Studies Cluster 5A – Capstone Study
This University Studies Master Syllabus serves as a guide and standard for all
instructors teaching an approved course in the University Studies program. Individual
instructors have full academic freedom in teaching their courses, but as a condition of
course approval, agree to focus on the outcomes listed below to cover the identified
material, to use these or comparable assignments as part of the course work, and to
make available the agreed-upon artifacts for assessment of learning outcomes.
COURSE OVERVIEW
The capstone study is a “topics” class. It is a rigorous, advanced, seminar-style class
that allows students to engage in an in-depth study of a particular theme in sociological
or anthropological research, drawing upon their previous coursework and the material
presented in the seminar. It is one of the required core classes for majors in Sociology
and Anthropology. Students typically take the capstone seminar in the first or second
semester of their senior year. Recent topics have included: Baby Boomers versus
Millennials; Objects of Desire & Commodities of Consumption; The Anthropology of
Disasters; Forgetting and Remembering Slavery; Psychosocial Themes in Literature;
Media and Social Change.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Course-specific learning outcomes
Through their capstone study, students will:
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Demonstrate familiarity with the principal discipline-specific approaches to the
course topic.
Demonstrate the ability to critically interpret theoretical arguments and social
science research, orally and in writing.
Demonstrate familiarity with key departmental learning objectives, and critical
social science approaches to studying society and culture.
Formulate a research topic appropriate to the subject matter of the course.
Design and carry out an original, independent research project with a solid
theoretical foundation appropriate to the subject matter, which integrates
knowledge and skills gained in their major courses, and utilizing an effective
research strategy.
Synthesize the results of their independent research into a substantial product
that demonstrates the following: effective, discipline-specific writing, use of
relevant social science research, the ability to integrate material from multiple
sources, and familiarity with one of the accepted methods of citation. The result
will be a 15-25-page research paper, or an alternative format that demonstrates
the same standard of proficiency.
Demonstrate an advanced ability to effectively present their research results
orally.
University Studies Learning Outcomes
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Upon completion of the capstone study, students will be able to:
1. Synthesize the knowledge and skills gained within major courses, independently
complete a research-based project or creative work and integrate the results of both in
an open-ended project or experience (projects within the major are encouraged).
2. Integrate knowledge and principles from the field of study with those of the broader
University Studies curriculum.
3. Demonstrate advanced information literacy skills by selecting, evaluating, integrating
and documenting information gathered from multiple sources into discipline-specific
writing.
4. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, the results of the project or
experience.
Course Requirements
This course is a senior seminar, the capstone course of your studies as a
Sociology and Anthropology major. The format and expectations of the seminar are
different from the typical lecture class. In a seminar students are expected to take
responsibility for their own learning and the success of the course. Students will lead
discussions, make presentations, and do a substantial research project. The readings for
this course will vary according to topic and instructor. But reading expectations for all
sections are rigorous and include representative scholarly work from anthropology,
sociology, and related fields. The emphasis is on fostering students' ability to critically
interpret theoretical arguments in the social sciences and effectively utilize social
science approaches in studying society and culture. The research project will culminate
in a 15-25 page research paper, or an alternate format appropriate to the subject that
demonstrates the same standard of proficiency. Students will give formal oral
presentations on their research.
Assignments
Research paper/alternative format
Oral presentation
Additional optional graded assignments (vary from instructor to instructor)
Short discussion papers
Preliminary and revised proposals
Annotated bibliography
Leading class discussion
EXAMPLES OF ASSIGNED READINGS
Books and chapters
Anderson, Terry H. (1996). The Movement and The Sixties: Protest in America from
Greensboro to Wounded Knee. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Atwood, Margaret. (1997). Alias Grace. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
Bohannan, Paul. (1988). The Impact of Money on an African Subsistence
Economy. In J.B. Cole, Editor, Anthropology for the Nineties. New York, NY: The Free
Press.
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Geary, Patrick. (1986). Sacred Commodities: The Circulation of Medieval Relics. In
Arjun Apadurai, Editor, The Social Life of Things. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press.
Harris, T. (1991). The Silence of the Lambs. New York, NY: St. Martins Press.
Horton, James O. and Lois E. Horton (Eds.) 2008. Slavery and Public History: The
Tough Stuff of American Memory. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Caroline Press.
Hosley, Bayo. (2008). Routes of Remembrance: Refashioning the Slave Trade in Ghana.
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Lessing, Doris. (1989). The Fifth Child. New York, NY: Vintage Books.
Lievrouw, Leah. (2011). Alternative and Activist New Media. New York, NY: Polity Press.
Perlstein, Rick. (2009). Nixonland: The President and The Fracturing of America. New
York, NY: Scribner.
Sahlins, Marshall. (1988). The Original Affluent Society. In J.B. Cole, Editor,
Anthropology for the Nineties. New York, NY: The Free Press.
Schrift, Alan D. (1997). Introduction: Why Gift? In Alan D. Schrift, Editor, The Logic of the
Gift. New York, NY: Routledge.
Jean Twenge. (2007). Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More
Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before. New York, NY:
Atria Books.
Wright, Richard. (2005). Native Son. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
Scholarly articles and other materials
Budka, Philip. (nd). From Cyber to Digital Anthropology to an Anthropology of the
Contemporary? EASA Media Anthropology Network working paper.
Ginsburg, Faye. (nd). Rethinking the Digital Age. EASA Media Anthropology Network
working paper.
Giovanetti, Jorge L. (2009). Subverting the aster’s narrative: public histories of slavery in
plantation America. International Labor and Working Class History, 76(01), 105-126
Mazzarella W. (2010). Beautiful balloon: the digital divide and the charisma of new
media in India. American Ethnologist, 37(4), 783-804.
Spitulnik, Deborah. 1993. Anthropology and Mass Media. Annual Review of
Anthropology, 22, 293-315.
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Tyson, Amy M. (2008). Crafting emotional comfort: interpreting the painful past at living
history museums in the new economy. Museum and Society, 6(3), 246-262.
SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS
Short discussion paper
At the beginning of each class where there is assigned reading, you must submit a 2 to 3
page (typed, double-spaced) commentary on the readings. Students should summarize
the main points for all the readings assigned, and also provide an analysis of the
readings: simply agreeing or disagreeing with the authors is not analysis. At this level in
your degree, you must demonstrate that you are capable of providing insightful and
thoughtful analyses. All journal entries must be well written, in complete sentences and
paragraphs. You must use one of the standard formats (MLA, APA or Chicago) to cite
the readings.
Learning outcomes
 Demonstrate ability to critically interpret theoretical arguments and social science
research in writing.
 Demonstrate familiarity with one of the accepted methods of citation.
Preliminary proposal
A preliminary proposal is the first step in doing a research project and a research paper.
It is a plan for your research and writing. Proposal writing is not busy work! Proposal
writing is not easy because you have not done all of the work yet. It is a balancing act
because you have to do a certain amount of work to figure out what it is that you are
going to work on. Once you think you know enough, you write a proposal seeking
approval for what you intend to do. In this proposal you must persuade your reader that
you have the basic understanding, research competence, background knowledge, and
technical skills to complete the proposed project successfully.
For a preliminary proposal you must do the following:
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State the overall theme or topic within which your research/paper is located.
Narrow the topic into a specific and focused research question.
How did you come to this topic?
Why are you interested in this topic? What do you hope to learn from it?
How does this topic reflect what you have learned in your major?
What sub-topics will you research to answer the question?
What methodology(ies) will you use?
Where will you find your data (sites for original research, primary sources,
secondary sources)?
Learning outcomes:
 Formulate a research topic appropriate to the subject matter of the course.
 Design and carry out an original, independent research project with a solid theoretical
foundation appropriate to the subject matter, which integrates knowledge and skills
gained in their major courses, and utilizing an effective research strategy.
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Annotated bibliography
Locating and critically assessing written sources is a critical part of a research project.
You need to be able to search effectively, understand the difference between popular
and scholarly sources, know how to locate peer-reviewed and scholarly journal articles,
and how to evaluate Internet sources.
An annotated bibliography is a tool for critically evaluating sources on a particular
subject. It helps you learn about a topic and formulate your ideas to prepare you for
further research on a topic. By writing an annotated bibliography you demonstrate your
mastery of a topic and your familiarity with the social science literature on that topic. It
includes the full citation information for the source, and then a substantial paragraph or
two that provide an evaluative summary of the source.
To write your evaluative summary, you need to (1) summarize some of the main
arguments or contributions of the article or book and (2) analyze and evaluate the utility
of the source.
Your annotated bibliography should meet the following guidelines:
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It should include at least 15 written sources.
Of those 15 sources, at least 3 should be books and at least 8 should be peerreviewed or scholarly publications.
No dictionaries, encyclopedias, generic websites like Yahoo.com or Wikipedia.
If your research includes examining online sources (blogs, websites, Twitter
feeds, Facebook groups) as part of your evidence/data, then include those. You
will need to include a brief description along with the citation.
You must demonstrate that you have read more than the abstract of the article or
the back-cover blurb for the book.
Learning outcomes:
 Demonstrate advanced information literacy skills by selecting, evaluating, integrating and
documenting information gathered from multiple sources into discipline-specific writing.
 Demonstrate familiarity with one of the accepted methods of citation
Research paper
Overview
A research paper must address a significant question and demonstrate that its author
can interpret findings and formulate conclusions that are the result of INDEPENDENT
thinking and careful evaluation of source materials. These findings must be expressed in
clear and grammatically correct language that is well organized into cogent and coherent
arguments. Thus, a research paper must have an introduction, a discussion section, and
a bibliography. The research paper must be a comprehensive, complete and ORIGINAL
scholarly work
The paper can be based on secondary (library and archival) or primary (first-hand
ethnographic observation and interviews) research, or a combination. In either case,
your paper or poster should be analytical and not just descriptive. That is, the
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phenomenon or issue you have researched should be situated in a socio-historical
context. Your paper should make use of discipline-specific concepts, theories,
frameworks or methods, and should address some of the key themes, theories and
issues we have covered in this class.
Subject selection
If possible, select a subject that interests you within the parameters of the assignment.
The subject should be as narrow as possible; most students make the mistake of trying
to cover too much. Ideally, the subject should be focused enough so that you can
analyze your material and provide factual support in the pages allotted. One limiting
factor is that you must draw your material from a number of sources, so make sure your
topic is large enough that multiple sources exist. Look through the books and skim the
bibliographies at the ends of the chapters or articles to get some ideas.
Your paper must make use of some theoretical material. There is no one specific theory
or author that you must use, but you need to show some familiarity with some of the
different social science approaches and theories introduced in class.
The project will include the following steps:
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Preliminary proposal. Define your topic, your primary research question and data
sources.
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Expanded proposal: This needs to be 2-3 full pages in length. You should have
a more developed set of research questions and an overview of your central
argument.
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Annotated preliminary bibliography: You need to make sure that there are
sufficient sources for you to conduct the research.
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Draft paper or poster: You need to submit a complete draft of your paper so it
can be peer reviewed.
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Peer review: You will exchange papers with another student in the class and
evaluate using a rubric provided by the instructor.
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Final paper or poster: Must follow formatting and citation guidelines.
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Oral presentations: A formal oral presentation summarizing the key points of your
research.
Learning Outcomes:
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Synthesize the knowledge and skills gained within major courses.
Independently complete a research-based project or creative work and integrate the
results of both in an open-ended project or experience (projects within the major are
encouraged).
Demonstrate advanced information literacy skills by selecting, evaluating, integrating and
documenting information gathered from multiple sources into discipline-specific writing.
Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, the results of the project or
experience.
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SAMPLE COURSE OUTLINE
Week
Week 1
Week 11
Topic covered
Overview of class: introduce major
themes and theories. Explain
expectations and assignments.
Develop topic, begin theoretical or
background reading.
First major sub-theme.
First major cluster of readings.
Student-led discussion.
Continue first major sub-theme.
Continue first major cluster of readings.
Student-led discussion of readings.
Start second major sub-theme.
Second major cluster of readings.
Student-led discussion of readings.
Continue second major sub-theme.
Second major cluster of readings.
Student-led discussions.
Third major sub-theme.
Third cluster of readings.
Student led discussions.
Continue third major sub-theme.
Third cluster of readings.
Student led discussions.
Start last major sub-theme.
Fourth cluster of readings.
Student-led discussions.
Finish up last major sub-theme.
Final readings.
Student-led discussions.
Student oral presentations.
Week 12
Week 13
Student oral presentations.
Student oral presentations.
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Assignments
Discussion paper
Preliminary proposal
Discussion paper
Feedback on preliminary
proposal
Expanded/revised proposal due
Discussion paper
Discussion paper
Annotated bibliography
Discussion paper
Discussion paper
Draft paper/poster
Peer review of paper/poster
returned to students
Final version of paper/poster
UNIVERSITY STUDIES COURSE RATIONALE
The senior capstone course will be an in-depth examination of a specific and focused
topic, based on department faculty interest and areas of expertise. It fulfills the
department’s overall learning goals by giving students an opportunity to integrate their
learning in the program and produce original knowledge. The senior capstone course is
a requirement for graduation for all majors in the department; however, students can opt
to complete a senior thesis (SOC/ANT 492 and 493) in lieu of the capstone seminar. The
senior capstone course will reflect the practices of a seminar class, including an
emphasis on students as active participants in the creation of knowledge. While teaching
styles will vary from instructor to instructor, the emphasis is on discussion and studentcentered learning. The course will integrate theory, methods, and knowledge from the
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field of study. Students will design and carry out an independent research project, based
on secondary and/or primary research as appropriate to the topic and student interest.
Students will communicate, both orally and in writing, the results of their research or
project. The final product will be a 15-25-page research paper or an alternative format
appropriate to the subject matter. Students will demonstrate literacy skills by selecting,
evaluating, integrating and documenting information gathered from multiple sources into
discipline specific writing. Students will be encouraged to present the results of their
research in on-campus or other venues.
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