COL 299 – Course Requirement Details

Event Selection:  There are several selection criteria that you must adhere to:

1. You must select an event from each of the three categories: Humanities; Social Science; Multicultural Valuing
2. You may only select one event that involves watching a film or documentary
3. You are strongly encouraged to select at least one event that is on campus and one that is off campus
4. Any changes to the event must be approved by either the Capstone teacher or the event creator or possibly both.

Description of Event Essays: The event essays must adhere to the following criteria:

1. You must submit the event form with your event essay
2. Your event essay must answer, or at least address, all of the guideline questions outlined on the event form.
3. The essay must be 2 pages, double spaced with normal fonts and margins
4. The essay must be written in one of the approved standard formats. (See Capstone Web site for link to Citing your Sources)
5. List the name of the event and the event category on your event essay.

Description of Event Peer Reviews: The peer reviews must adhere to the following criteria:

1. The peer review process will both allow you to review samples of other work and also allow you to get suggestions for your own work from your peers in class.
2. Reviewing the work of others requires some tact.  This is not an opportunity to vent your anger about other issues nor, however, is it a situation to ignore problems.  There is a fine line between being too nice and being too mean.
3. Your job as a reviewer is to give an honest and fair assessment of whether or not the work accomplished the goal of the assignment.  There are several criteria that you will need to review to determine if your fellow student accomplished the goals of the event.  (See peer editing guidelines on Capstone Web site.)
4. Your job as a critique receiver is to determine which suggestions you feel are relevant and useful and incorporate those ideas into your final essay and disregard comments that are not helpful or diminish the impact of your essay.

Description of Final Paper/Projects: Your final project can take the format of either a research paper or a created project.  Regardless of the format your final project must adhere to the following criteria:

1. You must select one of the events essays you submitted and propose an idea of how to expand that idea to the professor for approval.
   1. Expansion involves taking the concept brought out in the guideline questions and doing research to elaborate on that concept.
   2. For example, if the event required that you examine an aspect of human nature, your expansion could be to find supporting documentation of those human actions.
2. You must find a minimum of five (5) approved outside sources to support or contrast your topic
3. This is not an expanded event essay.  This is not a narrative of an action.  You are researching the concept that an event brought to your attention and documenting that research.

Specific Criteria for Research Papers

1. Papers must be:  5-7 pages of researched text in length; double spaced; normal fonts; normal margins; correctly cited both in-text and with an additional work cited or bibliography at the end.

Specific Criteria for Created projects

1. You must include a digital version of your created project and include it in your portfolio and on the electronic version.
2. You must submit a 2-3 page summary of researched text with an additional formal works cited or bibliography with both your portfolio and on the electronic version.
3. Your creation must have the research necessary to show the expansion of your selected event essay.

Description of Reflection paper: The reflection paper must adhere to the following criteria:

1. This paper will be 2 pages double spaced with normal fonts and margins.
2. The purpose of this paper is to encourage you to reflect on your educational experiences and identify how they have changed your ability to understand the world.
3. In the paper you will review:
   1. how your college coursework has helped you to become a more sophisticated participant in the world;
   2. how your Capstone experience helped you to recognize your interaction with the world;
   3. how your selected activities for this class served as a transition from your SCC course work to further education or to your chosen career.
4. Topics to include:
   1. How well did I choose the events/activities?
   2. What did I learn from those events/activities?
   3. How did I contribute to, and interact with the class?
   4. Did I observe the conventions for essay writing and for the final project?
   5. How does my education help me to understand the world around me?
   6. How does my final paper demonstrate my level of education?
   7. What growth in knowledge, thinking, and experience have I gained from my general education courses at SCC?

Description of portfolio format and electronic requirements: The portfolio must adhere to the following criteria:

1. The submitted portfolio must be professional.
   1. Imagine you are submitting a proposal for a professional job.  What impression do you want to make?
2. You must submit:
   1. Final (revised) copy of each event essay
   2. The corresponding event form for your event essay.
   3. Your final research paper with work cited page OR the summary for your project with the work cited page and a digital version of your project.
   4. Your reflection paper
   5. A digital version* of your portfolio containing:
      1. final version of each of your three event essays;
      2. final research paper OR digital file(s) of your created project with a summary document;
      3. reflection paper.

*A digital version can be saved on either a floppy disc, a CD, or a USB port (jump drive).  These digital formats will not be returned to the student.

Passing Grades:  Depending on the total points your individual professor has created for the class you must earn 75% of the total points to pass the class.