The Capstone Experience

The Honors Program offers a variety of Capstone courses designed to provide a unique academic experience with enthusiastic instructors who are expert in their fields.  New Capstone courses are being created all the time through consultation with academic advisors, department chairs, and the Honors Program Director.  Indeed, Honors students are encouraged to propose Capstone courses.  Below are examples of Capstone courses which have been offered in the past or will be offered soon:

·        International James Fenimore Cooper Conference - early summer intensive one-week independent studies or small seminar in Cooperstown combining literature, museum studies, history, and environmental studies.

·        Burroughs Conference - intensive one-week independent studies or small seminar involvement combining literature, museum studies, history, and environmental studies.

·        Imaginative Geography:  Tolkien: interdisciplinary English-Geography seminar on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien who used physical and cultural geography to fascinating and illuminating effect in all his works.

·        Art and History in Rome, Italy – intensive ten days to two weeks experience in Rome with field work and writing in the history and culture of the city and Italy.

·        Lithuanian Field Experience – intensive ten day study in Lithuania including the history of the Holocaust and the anti-Soviet partisan movement.

·        The River Experience as Metaphor - Intensive one week independent studies or small seminar involvement combining literature, environmental sciences, and canoeing.

·        Women and Imperialism – interdisciplinary seminar involving the English and History Departments which examines the role of British and American women of the middle and upper classes in the representation, promotion and extension of overseas and domestic empires between 1875 and 1914.

Students are encouraged to check with the Program Director for new Capstone courses or to consult with their academic major department or other departments to investigate the possibility of alternative capstone experiences tailored to their particular interests and needs. Meet with your instructors early in the preceding semester to organize and design your course.