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: Yoko Sakurauchi
CRN: 64047
This Capstone takes place over the winter and spring terms. Over two terms, Winter and Spring, Capstone students will work with elementary school programs in the Portland area by assisting the classroom teachers. They will also engage in activities to promote foreign language education for young children. The class addresses various issues concerning language learning and teaching, learning styles, language policies, Japanese/Chinese culture and diversity. Completion of JPN/CHN201 is...
Spring 2020Winter 2020
Global Perspectives Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Sarah Loose
CRN: 64056
Learn about local queer history from the folks who paved the way and help preserve their stories. Our community partner is the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN). Help GLAPN save our history by doing an oral history/interview of an elder member of the community. GLAPN selects the folks students will interview. Students will work in pairs for the interview. Before the interview, students will learn about local queer history including anti-gay ballot initiatives,...
Spring 2020Winter 2020
Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Heather Petzold
CRN: 81167, 14127
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 2020
Community Health Education-Youth Research
Instructor Name: Molly Gray
CRN: 81155, 14111
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 2020
Research Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Anmarie Trimble
CRN: 81174, 81379, 14114
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 2020
Education Education-Youth social work tutoring Mentoring social justice native american indigenous family NAYA trauma-informed
Instructor Name: Shayna Snyder
CRN: 14166, 44152
This Capstone is spread out over two terms (3 credits each in Fall and Winter) and centers on two community-service components. First, students will volunteer as tutors/classroom aides in a bilingual Spanish/English dual immersion program at one of two local schools. In addition, students will design a classroom activity to share with the dual immersion teachers as well as participate in other projects as needed.
During the course, students will read and discuss material that complements...
Fall 2019Winter 2020
Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Sarah A. Bunton, PhD
CRN: 64055
Cultivating Leadership Capacity and Promoting Educational Equity
This interactive course explores the conceptual intersections of educational equity, social responsibility, and the development of leadership capacity. Using a tiered leadership model as a framework, and with a foundation emphasizing education as a key influence on an individual’s social and economic future and opportunities, this class partners with Portland Public Schools (PPS). Throughout the term, PSU students have...
Spring 2020Winter 2020
educational equity Education-Youth Leadership social change
Instructor Name: Sally Eck
CRN: 81152, 81157, 14122
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 2020
Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Patrice Morris Ball
CRN: 64040, 14092
Design and Edit Organ Donation Outreach Materials
Students will work with the nonprofit agency Donate Life Northwest (DLNW) while learning about their mission to save/enhance lives through the promotion of organ, eye, and tissue donation. Students will design/edit promotional documents (digital, video, electronic or for print), while integrating knowledge from their own field of study, familiarity with today's popular culture, and the community partner’s mission to increase registration of...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Spring 2020Winter 2020
Research Global Perspectives Community Health Hybrid or Fully online Education-Youth Online or Hybrid Courses
Instructor Name: Amy Steel
CRN: 44656, 43892, 44167
This capstone meets on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4-6:50 at PSU for the first week of the class. Beginning the third week, students will meet at Arleta on Wednesday and PSU on Fridays. Wednesday class sessions will take place from 4:00-6:00pm at Arleta Elementary 5109 SE 66th Ave. Students will need to be at the community partner site on Wednesdays by 4pm* (Please note: The Arleta sessions will end by 6pm on Wednesdays in order to provide adequate time to get back to campus by 6:50pm...
Winter 2020
Sustainability Education-Youth Arts
Instructor Name: Suzanne Savaria
CRN: 14190, 44172, 14133
The arts play a critical role in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities. They have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery and achievement in our county.
In this course we will examine what it means to advocate for the arts and define our roles as advocates. We will explore the world of arts advocacy and arts education and gain a deeper understanding of how to better sustain a healthy arts community. We’ll take part in...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Winter 2020
Education-Youth Business-Engineering-Technology Arts
Instructor Name: Marylin (Katie) Kissinger
CRN: 64025
Strengthening Headstart: Health, Growth And Justice Head Start is this nation's largest investment in young children to date. It is also one of the few remaining efforts from the 1960's "War on Poverty".
Students will:
review data and documentation of the historical successes and challenges of Head Start;
analyze and reflect on the impact it has had in communities;
engage in a qualitative/participatory research project;
design a collective action project in conjunction with Head Start...
Spring 2020Winter 2020
Research Education-Youth Hybrid or Fully online Online or Hybrid Courses
Instructor Name: Deborah Arthur
CRN: 64484, 44169
How do I transform my own life? How do I transform my community and the world? This course provides an opportunity for a small group of students from PSU and a small group of students incarcerated at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility (MYCF) to work together in a structured peer and collaborative learning environment to address these questions. Each week, 12 PSU students and 12 incarcerated young men will meet at MYCF in Woodburn. Students (both outside PSU and inside students) will examine...
Spring 2020Winter 2020
Education-Youth Criminal & Juvenile Justice Community Health
Instructor Name: Zapoura Newton-Calvert
CRN: 81144, 14642
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 2020
Education social justice Education-Youth
Instructor Name: Jenna Padbury
CRN: 64062
During this course students will grow in their cross-cultural skills and understanding. They will learn about refugee resettlement and the systemic educational obstacles that English learners face and overcome.Students completing this capstone will have a well developed sense of their civic identity as it relates to newcomers in their local communities.
Capstone students will serve as homework helpers and classroom assistants for about 3 hours a week. They will serve 1 day a week at one of two...
Fall 2019Spring 2020Winter 2020
Online or Hybrid Courses Education-Youth Global Perspectives
Instructor Name: Joseph Wightman
CRN: 81158, 14117
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 2020
Education-Youth Education Leadership social justice Mentoring