Search Courses
You may search for a Senior Capstone course by selecting a THEME or TERM from the menu at the left. You may also search by entering a part of the title or the instructors name in the box below. For concise listings of all 2019-2020 Capstone offerings, review our Capstone Capsule. If you need assistance, contact the Capstone Office/University Studies at 503.725.5890.
Please refer to the PSU Class Schedule regarding the days, hours, and meeting location. For information about when the new class schedule is available or when you can register for the new term, follow this link: When to Register.
NOTE: Due to the intensive nature of Capstones, students must receive permission from the course instructor prior to the first day of class if they are going to miss the first class session. For on-line Capstones, students must demonstrate active participation during the first week of the term. All Capstone courses factor in student attendance and participation into the final grade which is deeply impacted by missing the first week of the term.
NOTE: "Sustainability" tagged courses will NOT automatically count toward the Sustainability Minor. Students must seek approval from Joseph Maser, Ph.D. in the Environmental Science & Management department to count any Capstone toward that specific minor.
SEARCH BY Title or Instructor: Enter a single word from the title of a Capstone, "gardens", "justice", "literacy", etc., the Course Registration Number (CRN), or a professor's first or last name in the box below.
Instructor Name: Heather Petzold
CRN: 44299
Being an Effective Change Agent in Portland This course is for students interested in being effective change agents for the public good. Each student (individually or with others) will take the initiative before the Capstone begins to arrange a project with a community organization. This project may be an existing relationship or one sought for the purpose of this class. A minimum of three working hours per week with the organization is required. During the course, students will be supported ...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Community Health Education-Youth Research
Instructor Name: Molly Gray
CRN: 44305
It is estimated that 1 in 10 individuals identify as a sexual minority. Often an already challenging stage in identity development, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender & questioning (LGBTQ) youth face a set of issues unique to their daily lives. We examine the paths sexual and gender minority youth navigate in society, exploring such questions as: What challenges do LGBTQ youth encounter? How do they cope, survive, find understanding & celebrate themselves amidst homophobia and...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Research Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Anmarie Trimble
CRN: 44296
This class is an opportunity to explore hands-on the complexity surrounding education, equity, and empowerment, with a specific focus on collaborative peer mentoring, which often includes academic tutoring. Our community partner is the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA). At NAYA, students will have the opportunity to interact with bright youth from diverse cultures and work with them on improving their academics and future prospects. Capstones will collaborate with their Capstone...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Education Education-Youth social work tutoring Mentoring social justice native american indigenous family NAYA trauma-informed
Instructor Name: Sally Eck
CRN: 44287
Women’s Oral Narratives In this course, we will be working with our community partner, the local non-profit organization; the IPRC, Independent Publishing Resource Center. Our project is to coordinate a series of *rap sessions* with local teen girls about current issues in their lives. We will use these group conversations to encourage the girls to become a part of our ZINE project - where they will write, edit, and publish a grassroots, mini-magazine with our class. In preparation for this...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Tracy Dillon
CRN: 81141
A grant is a proposal that seeks funds to solve a problem and normally is directed by a nonprofit organization [IRS 501(c)(3) designation] to a federal, state, or local government agency, a foundation, or a corporation.
Each term, partners for this capstone change. You will be writing on behalf of a nonprofit that promotes or engages in sustainability in some way. Specifics about these partners and their funding needs are provided in the Course Learning Modules on the Home Page. Read the...
Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020
Sustainability Grantwriting
Instructor Name: Catherine Howells
CRN: 44306
Portland's Water: History and Challenges. This course is designed to give students an opportunity to learn about tap water and create community outreach products for the Portland Water Bureau. Our community partner for this class is the Portland Water Bureau. This class will focus on the Bull Run watershed (the source of Portland's drinking water) and the work of the Portland Water Bureau -- how they deliver our water to our taps. We will learn about the history of the water system, the...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Sustainability Research Community Health Business-Engineering-Technology
Instructor Name: Conrad Schumacher
CRN: 44295
Teaching Art and Social Change The working Thesis for this class is that for Art, or indeed anything/anyone, to effect change in a society the work/ideas must be palatable to the majority, real and tangible in terms of outcomes and sustainable over time. We never get far when we try to change using hate, anger, force or such "clubs."
This course is open to anyone intrigued with the questions raised by public Art (and possibilities of Art) in our society. This capstone should be of particular...
Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Community Health Arts
Instructor Name: Amy Minato
CRN: 44301
In light of looming environmental crises, what can individuals do to change direction? In this course we collectively examine our society to determine which cultural and personal values support, and which inhibit, sustainability. This course includes study, research, reflective writing and class discussion on the first book in the Ecochallenge series, Choices For Sustainable Living. Students participate in weekly minor “green" activities at home and report their accomplishments online at ...
Fall 2019Spring 2020Summer 2019Winter 2020Winter 2021
Instructor Name: Kimberly Mukobi
CRN: 44267
Grant Writing for Animals: Shelter Pets
Lotus Banner.jpg
Approximately 2.7 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs - about one every 11 seconds - are euthanized in U.S. shelters each year. This class partners with a local no-kill animal shelter to further its goals of eliminating the unnecessary euthanasia of healthy or treatable companion animals in the community and finding them permanent, loving homes.
Students will participate in the various aspects of...
Spring 2020Spring 2021Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2019Winter 2020Winter 2021
Animals Shelter Pets Pets Grant Writing Online or Hybrid Courses Grantwriting Hybrid or Fully online
Instructor Name: Kristin Teigen
CRN: 44291
This Capstone partners with the Urban League and the Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) to confront housing disparities and strengthen the voice and influence of communities of color in Multnomah County, Oregon. Students will learn the history of communities of color in Portland while engaging in programs with the Urban League and CAT to expand renter’s assistance programs and support those who have been newly housed.
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Anti-Racism Grantwriting Education Activism Leadership
Instructor Name: Zapoura Newton-Calvert
CRN: 44262
The “achievement gap” has been at the forefront of discussions about the U.S. education system since the implementation of NCLB in 2001. The public has been tuned into this so-called “achievement gap” alongside high dropout rates, lack of access to equitable early childhood education, public disinvestment in the education system, disparities in access to higher education, and more. According to the Children’s Defense Fund’s State of America’s Children Report, the gaps (more accurately and...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Education social justice Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Joseph Wightman
CRN: 44298
Leadership Through Mentoring in K-8 Schools - The mentoring of young people takes many forms. Some young people are fortunate to grow up with a caring parent, relative or adult ally who serves as a mentor to them. Other young people do not enjoy the benefits of a strong mentor in their lives. Research shows that mentoring results in a myriad benefits for both the mentor and the mentee. For all involved, these include the development of leadership skills, increased interpersonal communication...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Education-Youth Education Leadership social justice Mentoring
Instructor Name: Lindsey Schuhmacher
CRN: 44273, 44280
Welcome to EveryBody Matters: Embracing Size Diversity! This course focuses on fatness as a social and cultural construction, examining the relationship between discrimination caused by body size and gender, race, and social class. Students will use social justice and healthcare perspectives to question weight bias and explore ways in which the fat community and its supporters resist sizeism.
A 2010 study from Yale University shows that body size discrimination occurs at the same rate as...
Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Community Health social justice Activism Gender social movements Online or Hybrid Courses Hybrid or Fully online
Instructor Name: Laura Mulas
CRN: 44272
Global citizenship is of utmost importance as our societies are increasingly becoming more connected through media and technology. There is a growing disparity in the American school system that allows only the privileged students to participate in meaningful and engaging cultural learning. Schools that receive funding and support are able to facilitate cultural exchanges in person for students and faculty, while the majority of students in the public system receive little financial support and...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Summer 2019Summer 2020Winter 2020Winter 2021
Education - Youth Hybrid or Fully online Online or Hybrid Courses