Global Perspectives

This capstone is designed to provide an opportunity to learn about Spanish culture and society by means of synchronous and asynchronous discussion group forums between American and Spanish middle and high school students.  The communities of students will be from: Portland, Oregon, various schools in Washington state and Zamora, Spain.  These forums will be between paired classes (one USA and one Spanish) of similar grade and language level and will be facilitated and monitored by both teachers of each class.  Each grouping of classes will be assigned 2 capstone students. 

This multidisciplinary Capstone is carried over two terms (Spring and Summer). The Spring term portion involves pre-travel projects in preparation for the service-learning trip and classroom learning experience. The Summer term portion is a two-week service-learning experience in Nicaragua (tentative travel dates: June 15/16 - June 29, 2015). Students and faculty will focus on service-learning activities in the areas of public health and community development related to aging and older adults in Nicaragua.

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.

Effective Change Agent

There are various community partners for this Capstone. The cooperative learning environment set forth for this class will help students create the ‘learning community’ necessary to achieve the course objectives. This cooperative approach (group activities, assignments and projects) will rely heavily on active participation and will therefore be dependent upon the level of responsibility that the student chooses to take for themself and for their classmates.

Empowering Portland's EcoDistricts with GIS and Asset Mapping  Asset mapping methods combined with geographic information systems (GIS) technology have proven to be an effective way to help citizens and organizations identify, analyze, describe, and mobilize around assets and issues of concern to them.

The Community Geography Project of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies trains community groups and middle and high school students in GIS technology to enable them to ask new questions and better strategize and promote their agendas.

 

 

Effecting Change: Russian

This Capstone is restricted to RUSSIAN FLAGSHIP PROGRAM. Only students who are enrolled in PSU Russian Flagship program can take this course; and the course is conducted totally in Russian.

Intercultural competence is an important skill that one needs to acquire to be a successful and contributing member of modern global society. This course is the concluding component of the Portland State University Russian Language Flagship Partner Program that focuses on the preparation of global professionals. The course provides students the opportunity to explore working environments related to their professional interests particularly in Russia.

Reporting Live

Rural communities in NW Argentina are among the poorest in the country. Lacking the rich soils of the Pampas, facing more extreme climatic conditions, and subject to a heavily concentrated land tenure system, agricultural production, the mainstay of the region’s economy, has failed to raise the standard of living of the bulk of the population. The northward expansion of soybean production into marginal lands, while providing new economic opportunities for large landowners, threatens small rural communities and the environment in the region.

An Exploration of Leadership Through Service in Mexico
First offering summer, 2013

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