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 2021-2022 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.

Healing & Indigenous Education at NAYA
Instructor Name: Anmarie Trimble
CRN: 81268
This class is an opportunity to support hands-on the culturally and trauma-informed mission of the Native American Family Center (NAYA). This course usually focuses exclusively on peer mentoring, but due to the extraordinary circumstances of Covid 19, and the disproportionate impact on the indigenous community, NAYA (pronounced Nay-Ya) has adapted volunteering options to best support their safety and immediate needs. Despite these changed service options, this course continues its commitment to...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Fall 2021Fall 2022Spring 2020Spring 2021Spring 2022Summer 2019Summer 2020Summer 2021Summer 2022Winter 2020Winter 2021Winter 2022
Education Education-Youth social work tutoring Mentoring social justice native american indigenous family NAYA trauma-informed
Social Justice In K-12 ED Capstone
Instructor Name: Zapoura Newton-Calvert
CRN: 81238
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 2020Fall 2021Fall 2022Spring 2020Spring 2021Spring 2022Summer 2019Summer 2020Summer 2021Summer 2022Winter 2020Winter 2021Winter 2022
Education social justice Education-Youth
Leadership and Mentoring
Instructor Name: Joseph Wightman
CRN: 81589
Leadership Through Mentoring in K-5 Schools - The mentoring of young people takes many forms. Some young people grow up with a sibling, relative or another adult ally who serves as a mentor to them. Some benefit from formal mentoring programs in schools or from community organizations. Not everyone enjoys access to regular mentoring, yet research shows that mentoring has tremendous benefits for both the mentor and the mentee. These benefits include the development of leadership skills,...
Fall 2019Fall 2020Fall 2021Fall 2022Spring 2020Spring 2021Spring 2022Summer 2019Summer 2020Summer 2021Summer 2022Winter 2020Winter 2021Winter 2022
Education-Youth Education Leadership social justice Mentoring
Embracing Size Diversity
Instructor Name: Lindsey Schuhmacher
CRN: 81226, 81228
Welcome to "Embracing Size Diversity!" This course focuses on weight stigma as a social and cultural construction, examining the relationship between discrimination caused by body size and gender, race, ability, and social class. Students use social justice and healthcare perspectives to question weight bias and explore ways in which we can resist sizeism individually and collectively. Emphasis is placed on the Health at Every Size™ (HAES) approach to wellness as well as advocating for size...
Fall 2021Fall 2022Spring 2020Spring 2021Spring 2022Summer 2019Summer 2020Summer 2021Summer 2022Winter 2020Winter 2021Winter 2022
Community Health social justice Activism Gender social movements Online or Hybrid Courses Hybrid or Fully online social change Sociology Disabilities
Meditation and Service
Instructor Name: Jenna Padbury
CRN: 63940
We will practice and grow in our understanding of mindful meditation and awareness as a foundation for personal and global healing. Meditation is a practice that encompasses a philosophy of living with a quiet mind, open heart, and in service to others. Learners will cultivate their own mindful meditation practice 6 days a week for 15-20 minutes a day. Together we will explore the connections between ancient Eastern philosophy, personal healing, and social responsibility. Service-learning...
Fall 2020Fall 2021Fall 2022Spring 2021Spring 2022Winter 2020Winter 2021Winter 2022
meditation mindfulness Community Health trauma-informed social justice contemplative practices interpersonal neurobiology
Gathering Garden Stories
Instructor Name: Deborah Burke
CRN: 64934
This Capstone will partner with the Learning Gardens Laboratory (LGL), a 12-acre garden education site on Portland’s southeast side. Students work collaboratively to gather stories of community gardeners, teachers, and community partners who regularly gather at LGL to learn and farm. Capstone students will gain skills in interviewing, storytelling, and using narrative as a means for social change, in addition to learning about sustainable food systems and the impact of learning gardens. 
Spring 2020Spring 2021Spring 2022
Community Health Sustainability Education social justice Ecology Garden-based learning food
Community Psychology Capstone - Dancis
Instructor Name: Julia Dancis
CRN: 64010
    Description This two-term capstone will explore a core community psychology framework--Participatory Action Research (PAR). In the spirit of learning by doing, students will partner with groups on campus to design action research projects around the course theme: Disrupting Systemic Racism at PSU. These projects will involve collecting data and using those data to inform social action. The course will culminate with group reflections on the projects and on Participatory Action Research...
Spring 2021Winter 2021
Research social justice Anti-Racism