The student's written work and creative production towards the Capstone project is an evolutionary process of thinking. Making and writing go hand in hand in all studio practice. Research is an expectation of all art and design students throughout their academic careers and ongoing in their professional practice. Writing is another way of investigating and communicating one’s expressive voice, translating visual ideas into textual language.
It is expected that the Capstone project will lead the student both into new research and studio activity. Thoughtful and continual activity of the student’s production will be graded for content, as well as the Capstone & studio works in progress. Through the semester students will be writing a number of ‘units’ towards their Capstone project, incorporating thorough research, numerous edits and three large draft versions of their 20 page, minimum, papers. Student writings and creative work will be graded from early drafts through to edited versions, evidence of continual studio engagement, to the completion of the Capstone essay and final creative work at the end of the term.
In all cases, students need to be able to integrate scholarly research, readings, critical notes and discussion with their working thoughts, individual interests as well as incorporating how the research may effect one’s own creative output.
The written work, like excellent studio practices, need to develop over time.
In all papers, cite specific connections made between studio practices, theoretical readings and research.
Keep up with a properly written bibliography, and bibliographic annotations, citing research primary, secondary, (tertiary sources in some cases), URLs and other. Your Capstone paper will incorporate an Annotated Works Cited Bibliography as well as a Works + Image Consulted Bibliography.
All written pieces need to be handed into me, double-spaced, spell check and your surname on upper right hand corner of each page, paginated.
ideas + research
Your research paper should be related to your creative work by subject and must be 20 pages in length, minimum. It must involve scholarly research and may not simply be a descriptive book report, historical account or a discussion of the process you followed in making your creative work.
▪ It must include at least 8 primary or secondary sources.
▪ Make connections to how your research affects the industry in which you are advancing toward (studio/photo studies).
▪ Connect your subjective response to your own research and how it affects you as an artist.
▪ include visual components including visual references, independent creative work embedded into the paper (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, et al.)
▪ follow MLA style format.
Involve yourselve in the reading of various Capstones. Some include: Brittany Moore, Anastayisa Sedykh, Alexis MacDonald, Gwen Nestle earlier works include: Jason Beardsley, Elizabeth Hutchison, others…
No doubt you have prepared yourselves slightly ever since you knew about students being in a year long senior project.
No doubt you have begun looking into areas that are of interest to you.
Do not worry about how this can connect to your creative output – you will find connections as you develop your research and studio production. Do an Amazon.com or Google search making sure there is pertinent and reflective literature out there for your studyBegin this reading, taking careful notes and keeping a proper Bibliography and annotations. Begin to construct your thesis statement. A well-reasoned thesis statement should always be initiated by a good question. Your creative work should be ongoing as studio practioners and designers.
In the first week, you will hand into me your Thesis Statement/Question and a survey and an analysis of pertinent literature and five (5) visual works in the field in which you are concentrating your research efforts, the beginnings of your OUTLINE of your research paper.
committee members
You will elect to have one professor from the Studio Art / Photography programs.
You will elect one other professor from outside of these programs.
You will also be assigned to a Professional Contact. These are individuals who are outside the college, working in a professional field that your interests align with.
I will serve on all Senior thesis as Faculty Advisor.
Campus Committee Members
You will meet with each of your campus Committee members at least twice prior to midterm to speak with them about your research and your studio work.
Your Committee Members, all of them, are here to assist you as you continue to develop your ideas - even though it is not in perfect form. Committee Members need to read your work twice prior to midterm and twice following midterm, in addition to your final edition. Signed copies from your Committee members are to be handed into me following.
Professional Contacts
You will meet with your Professional Contact in the month of November to show them both your creative work and your written work. You need to send them the draft of your Capstone two weeks prior to this meeting and bring hard copy of this to your meeting with them. You will also have them sign the form that they have read and commented on your written work, turning it into me shortly thereafter.
Your midterm and final drafts need to be Okayed and signed off by writing tutors in the Resource Learning + Writing Center here on campus, noting their informative reads of your work and any corrections that need to be completed, have been prior to submitting to me.
By the end of Fall term you will have completed the following:
- a survey and analysis of pertinent literature and visual works in the field.
- a well-reasoned and developed thesis statement, which should be initiated by a good question.
- a 2-page Introduction about your research and its theoretical connection to your practice
- a detailed outline of your research paper.
- a constructed Table of Contents including Addendum (you will complete in the Spring term).
- an annotated works consulted bibliography of at least 8 items.
- three drafts of your research paper—one of first 5 pages or more, the second draft must be at least 10 pages, the final 20 page draft (print and electronic versions must be handed in).
- a creative project proposal package, revised at least once and handed in twice during the term (one at midterm and one in November.
- on going thoughtful and carefully crafted creative work.
- one meeting with your professional contact, submitting a synopsis summary of each critique.
- two meetings with your Faculty Contact members.
- two independent critiques with me - one prior to midterm, one following.
- the barebones of a website.
- the beginnings of a brand that you will use for all hardcopy of cv, etc.
