Portland's Water: History and Challenges

This Capstone will focus on the Bull Run watershed and the workings of the Portland Water Bureau. Students research the history of the water system, water quality, current issues, and other interesting topics. The class will work with the Water Bureau to develop community outreach products.

Capstone courses are designed to provide an opportunity for you to apply the expertise you have developed in you major and in University Studies to real issues and problems in our local community. They are designed to enhance each student's ability to collaborate with other students and the Capstone partner within a team context. Finally, they are designed to encourage active involvement in the community. This Capstone will be a hands-on experience that will require your flexibility and willingness to stretch and explore as individuals and in the group work. Capstones are unique opportunities to use what you have learned as a student at PSU for the enrichment of the larger community.

This Capstone course is designed to engage our learning community in meaningful action with our community partner. In doing so, we will build relationships with the community partner and develop a mutually beneficial final product of collaborative design.

Course Objectives:

• The ability to do research, writing, and presentation in written and visual formats.

• The ability to understand the historical record, written or visual, as integral to understanding social inquiry in general, with an emphasis on issues of public history.

• To have hands-on experience with creating an informative exhibit and  to enhance students' facility and confidence with written and oral communication.

• The ability to work collaboratively, with an emphasis on making interdisciplinary connections in your various assignments and projects.

• To develop a meaningful public program for the community partner.

• To facilitate students' building of healthy and functional relationships around both differences and likenesses experienced within the classroom community and with the community partner's constituencies.