Teaching the undergraduate capstone course in sociology

Abstract

The senior culminating course, often called the capstone course, emerged as a pedagogical tool in college and university curricula during the latter half of the twentieth century in the United States. The course has become common in many disciplines, including the social sciences. The principal justification for the course is that it can be used to help department faculty achieve broad learning goals by integrating skills, knowledge, and liberal values that inform a department’s curricula at each level of the undergraduate experience. Arguably, however, a capstone course can achieve its goals only if it is intentionally structured. There are four common models within sociology for organizing the course. While the models differ, each shares the goal of integrating student learning and does so through required writing assignments, among other practices. This chapter discusses the various options for designing and teaching the sociology capstone course and provides references to additional sources that will be helpful in making intentional choices for executing a successful course.