Senior Capstone Seminar in Psychology

Catalog description

In an architectural context, a capstone is the top-most stone that completes a building. In an academic context, a capstone is the final class that completes a student’s curriculum. Capstone classes provide students with an opportunity “to demonstrate comprehensive learning in their major through some type of product or performance” (Palomba & Banta, 1999, p. 124). In other words, a capstone is a class in which senior psychology majors are required to pull together what they have learned in their previous classes and use this integrating experience to demonstrate they are capable of doing what they should be able to do when they graduate from the program (e.g., think critically and develop a realistic plan to pursue a career in psychology or a psychology-related field). This process serves a dual purpose. First, it allows psychology majors with a final opportunity to practice and demonstrate the skills they will need to succeed after graduation on the job or in graduate school. Second, it provides the Psychology Department with a final opportunity to assess whether or not it has been successful in its mission to produce competent psychology majors.