WCL490 Capstone Seminar
The purpose of the capstone requirement for the Spanish major provides students with a unique opportunity to work closely with a faculty member on a focused topic of research. It will also provide the program with a mechanism for determining whether our students are meeting the learning outcomes for the major. Students are expected to have developed solid linguistic grounding, broad knowledge of the language's corresponding cultures, and skills in literary and cultural analysis. Building upon this knowledge from previous coursework in the major, the seminar will educate students about current trends in the discipline, introduce them to a focused area of research, and engage them in presentations and weekly discussions. Students are expected to give a formal class report and write a research paper demonstrating language proficiency, critical and creative thinking, analytical skills and a cultural perspective as the culmination of the capstone requirement. Students majoring in Global Studies engage in cross-disciplinary work to examine global/local issues with a holistic approach. They will prepare, present, and attend end-of-term student presentations on their capstone projects. Seminar students expand, sharpen, and coordinate their comprehension by reviewing and discussing selected advanced readings in the field of Globalization Studies. Interdisciplinary perspectives and contemporary problems will be stressed. Students will be expected to draw upon and synthesize the knowledge they have acquired from prior internationally-oriented coursework, language courses, study-abroad experiences, and related studies to their overall education and personal and career goals. In addition, students in the Seminar will complete a research paper using primary-source material. Pre-requisite: Senior status