Capstone Projects

IST Capstone Options (BAIS)

The IST 497 capstone research project is the culmination of your work as an Integrative Studies student. You will demonstrate that you can integrate perspectives, methods, and insights from different disciplines to address a meaningful complex problem. All projects must be well-informed and appropriately researched. They must follow good practices in academic research and information literacy, which includes an evaluation of the sources and the claims that are made, as well as properly formatted citations. And all written work must be stylistically and mechanically sound.

There are at least three possible forms your capstone project might take, allowing you the flexibility to apply and showcase your integration of focus areas and skills as best suits your interests. Your choice of capstone form, and your specific topic, must be approved by your instructor in advance. In any project students are encouraged to work with the instructor to identify mentors in other programs or in the community to support their work. All capstone projects will be presented to an audience at the end of the semester.

The Informed Scholar (A Scholarly Project )

The scholarly project is a well-researched paper on a manageable complex interdisciplinary topic. This roughly ten-page paper will be evaluated as a piece of scholarly interdisciplinary research and should include

  • a title page;

  • a one paragraph abstract;

  • a bibliography correctly formatted according to MLA, APA, or Chicago Style;

  • a clear thesis and conclusion;

  • sufficient background information (contextualization) to help the reader understand the problem or question you are addressing;

  • the integration of different disciplinary insights;

  • research, argument and critical analysis;

  • and appropriate use of scholarly research and referenced material.

The Informed Artist (A Creative Project)

The creative project includes an artistic creation (an artifact or event) and requires a roughly five-page artist’s statement. The artist's statement should include a discussion of the artist’s point of view on a complex question or topic, historical or contemporary background information, a discussion about the choice of media, and a clear statement of the artist’s insights and intentions. A properly formatted bibliography is also expected. Examples of creative projects include, but are not limited to, artistic performances, fine art or literary creations, and exhibits.

The Informed Citizen (A Service Project)

The service project includes an artifact, activity, or event with social engagement at its core, and requires a roughly five-page statement of purpose that explains the project and its relevance to a specific community problem, provides historical or contemporary background information about the problem addressed, identifies the audience for whom it is intended, and discusses its value to the wider community. A properly formatted bibliography is also expected. Examples of socially engaged projects include, but are not limited to, service projects in the community, the development of a website for a nonprofit organization, and the design and distribution of educational materials aimed at raising awareness of the complex social problem under study.