HCOM 475 Capstone

Fall 2008

Guidelines: Capstone Interdisciplinary Reflection Essay Guidelines

In this essay you have the opportunity to reflect on your trajectory, development, and
learning through an interdisciplinary major. It should be 2 pages, double-spaced, 12pt
font.
In first section the focus should be on what has been meaningful to you, what you’ve
learned over these two years: intellectually, academically, experientially, and with regard
to your place/role in the world. It’s about what you have developed in terms of skills,
ability to approach and address problems and how the multiple disciplines your have
experienced in this major have facilitated that learning process for you. Some thinking
points to help you develop this part of the essay might include:
• Your understanding of the major at different points in time (when you started, as
you went through it, now in retrospect)
• Your understanding of the individual parts of the major, the major as a whole.
• The impact of your concentration on your learning or your future.
• Your development as a student and your exposure to different pedagogies – in the
classroom, in projects.
• Impact of one class on another, one MLO on another, one disciplinary approach
on another; one set of course readings on another; your ability to make
connections across disciplinary divides.
• Gaps, missed opportunities, things that did not cohere for you.
• Impact of your HCOM education on your life choices and life chances.
• Relationship of your education to your social perspectives and future
commitments.
In the second section the focus should be on the impact of this interdisciplinary learning
experience on your ability to complete Capstone. Specifically reflect on your experience
of producing an interdisciplinary piece of research and/or creative work. Some thinking
points to help you develop this part of the essay might include:
• Your expectations and level of preparation for Capstone research and writing.
• The successes and challenges of designing an interdisciplinary project.
• The challenges and successes of in-depth research across different disciplines and
bodies of knowledge, including different research methods and strategies.
• Your discoveries along the way; what you learned.
• The challenges of producing scholarly or creative work at a more advanced level.
• What you feel you’ve accomplished, not accomplished.
• The impact of this work on others.
• The impact of this project on your preparation for the future.