Interdisciplinary Capstone Seminar

Interdisciplinary Capstone Seminar

Application Form

Faculty Member ______

Seminar Title ______

Proposed Semester ______

Department Chair Signature ______

Most general education programs concentrate on the first two years, preparing students for their major course of study. However, the Elon Core Curriculum requires courses throughout the four years, complementing the disciplinary major, and providing the strong liberal arts education so important to the mission of our institution. The capstone course of our program has several distinguishing features:

• First, Elon’s interdisciplinary capstone is designed to serve as a culminating experience that engages the modes of inquiry, knowledge and communication skills acquired throughout a student’s academic career. It also challenges students to consider, to varying degrees, ethical reasoning, personal and social responsibility, and global citizenship.

• Second, these courses are all interdisciplinary. Interdisciplinary courses stress integrating and applying knowledge to problems larger in scope than a single discipline can handle.

• Third, these courses are writing-intensive seminars. The courses use a variety of writing styles to promote high-level critical thinking while providing upper-level writing experiences and instruction.

Faculty wishing to teach an interdisciplinary capstone in the Elon Core Curriculum must submit this application and a tentative syllabus to the Core Curriculum Council. The tentative syllabus should include course objectives, a preliminary reading list, and possible writing assignments.

The Core Curriculum Council recommends that applicants consult with the Associate Director of the Elon Core Curriculum () before finalizing and submitting a proposal.

Please submit an electronic copy of your application to . Deadlines are

Summer term courses: 15 October of the preceding year

Fall Semester courses: 15 October of the preceding year

Winter term courses: 15 March of the preceding year

Spring Semester courses: 15 April of the preceding year

A capstone seminar that is taught three times may be reviewed again by theCore Curriculum Council.

Required Information

The Core Curriculum Council uses the following criteria to determine whether or not your proposal fulfills the requirements of our upper-level seminars. Included are some helpful hints that may assist you in composing your application. Please use the space provided (and expand it as needed) to explain how your proposed course would satisfy these criteria.

• Integratesdifferent modes of inquiryacross disciplines, allowing insights not possible in any one discipline alone.
• Requires sophisticated reading and writing assignments that encourage students to see things from multiple perspectives.
• Serves to attract students from a range of majors from across the university.

• Integrates and applies knowledge to address complex problems in local and global contexts
• Sets clear, high-level course objectives that move beyond mere comprehension and analysis to synthesis and evaluation.
• Creates cognitive dissonance for students. As Meyers points out, “Students cannot learn to think critically until they can, at least momentarily, set aside their own visions of the truth and reflect upon alternatives.”
• Promotes a rational response to questions that cannot be answered definitively.

• Utilizes a variety of seminar pedagogies that encourage student participation and engagement.
• Recognizes the complex nature of the learning process, challenging students to reach while offering a supportive learning environment.
• Does not overuse any pedagogical approach (e.g., film, lecture, case study, role play).
• Promotes inquiry, innovation, and creativity.

• Encourages students to practice a mature writing process.
• Uses a variety of writing types.
• Uses plentiful writing enabling students to make meaning within the course.
• Practices both writing to learn and learning to write.

• Requires a substantial interdisciplinary project that integrates and applies what students have experienced through their studies at Elon, from first-year courses to this course (examples include reflective portfolios, integrative research, fellowship/grant proposals, research-based multimedia projects, etc.).
• Refers to the project as a “Capstone Project of the Elon Core Curriculum” on the syllabus.
• Provides opportunities for reflection on the components of the largermission of the Elon Core Curriculum: personal and social responsibility, ethical reasoning, and global citizenship.

Please attach a tentative syllabus that will help illuminate your course proposal. The syllabus should include course objectives,a preliminary reading list, and possible writing assignments.

ELON CORE CURRICULUM MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Elon Core Curriculum is to help students cultivate the intellectual curiosity, abilities, and knowledge required for lifelong learning as global citizens. To fulfill this fundamental mission of a liberal arts education, the Elon Core Curriculum is organized around three broad domains—inquiry, knowledge and communication—with specific goals for each. Further, this educational mission is deepened through intellectual reflection and practical engagement and is guided by two fundamental principles. First, ethical reasoning must guide the pursuit and use of knowledge. Second, personal and social responsibility must be fostered to encourage students to commit themselves to an intellectual life in the service of their community, country and the world beyond them.

DOMAIN & GOALS

INQUIRY: The creative and critical processes used to acquire and develop knowledge

1. The identification of significant issues, the framing of questions, and the selection of appropriate modes of inquiry to address those questions

2. The knowledge and application of modes of inquiry within the arts and sciences

3. The integration of different modes of inquiry across disciplines

KNOWLEDGE: Theoretical and applied knowledge as constructed according to diverse epistemologies within contemporary and historical contexts

4. The understanding of theoretical knowledge spanning the social, material and natural worlds

5. The understanding of the multiple dimensions of human experience within and across cultures and environments

6. The integration and application of knowledge to address complex problems in local and global contexts

COMMUNICATION: Expressive and receptive communication in multiple contexts

7. The preparation and presentation of ideas and information orally, visually and in writing

8. The analysis, interpretation, evaluation and synthesis of information from multiple sources: oral, visual and written