Summer 2023

This Capstone explores visions for a just food system that empowers all community members to have equitable access to healthful, nutritious and culturally appropriate foods, information and education about food systems, and land to grow without exploitation, and with a commitment to sustainability. Students will engage directly with growing food, alongside readings, group discussions, group activities, and Capstone team project work, to investigate the concepts of sustainability, systems-thinking, food justice, and food sovereignty.

In this course we will examine and critique local food systems, engage systems thinking to explore the impacts and root causes of food insecurity at the community scale, survey current food movements, and learn about PSU programs and resources designed to promote student food security in our university community.

Learning Gardens, Community Engagement, & Sustainability -  This course will explore the concepts of sustainability, growing food, and personal connection to land/nature through community engagement with the PSU Learning Gardens Lab (LGL). This course focuses on community building, group discussion, and personal reflection and will involve working on projects that support the mission of LGL. 

This capstone course introduces oral history as a method for documenting, preserving, and amplifying the diverse histories and voices of LGBTQ+ community leaders and activists regionally and nationally utilizing an intersectional framework. Through listening to interviews, exploring related primary source materials, and learning from guests to our course, we will learn about local and regional LGBTQ+ history as situated within the larger context of this history in the U.S. Topics will include exploration of movements for LGBTQ+ rights as they intersect with racial justice in Oregon and the U.S. Simultaneously, we will develop and practice our listening and interviewing skills, edit oral history interview transcripts, and work in teams to develop teach-ins and public-facing educational materials in partnership with the Gay Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN).

One of the most powerful learning opportunities for a student is studying abroad.  The impactful, sensory experience of being far away ultimately brings us closer to ourselves, naturally offering a platform to examine how we identify and relate to the world around us. 

Higher Education in Prison

Drawing on poetry, political theory, sociological texts, film, and personal narratives, this course offers an introduction to prison and its critiques, as well as the power of education to transform individuals and societies. This hybrid course meets once a week at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF); Capstone students will study together with women enrolled in higher education at the women’s prison, about 20 minutes south of PSU in Wilsonville. Successful background clearances are required in order to participate.

Trans Oral History Project

This fully-online Capstone will examine the issues relevant to the lived experiences of transgender and nonbinary individuals and the associated socio-political climate for this population in the U.S.  Students will collaborate digitally with the Trans Oral History Project at the New York Public Library to transcribe recorded oral histories to increase access to the archives as well as deepen awareness and solidarity with those who are transgender and/or nonbinary.

Regenerative Gardening, Mindfulness and Nature Connection

The time is ripe to be part of the growing sustainable food movement! This class addresses the current food issues that face urban citizens by holistically engaging students in the many layers of Portland's local food and farm culture.  Students will critically analyze the state of our current food systems while being engaged in positive solutions to agricultural-related issues. The community partner and classroom is the Learning Gardens Lab, where students will gain hands-on farming experience, experientially explore their personal connection to food and the land, participate in the Learning Garden programs, and positively contribute to food security in our greater community.

Creating Global Citizens

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 are left without any type of cultural exchange or enrichment program. This capstone will provide this needed and valuable cultural exchange.