Overview
The goal of MAIS 700: Capstone Course will be to guide students in a reflective process on the integrated and interdisciplinary pathways of their studies in the MA-IS Program. This reflective process will culminate in a Capstone Project that consists of either a final paper on a topic of the student’s choice or a curated eportfolio accompanied by a thorough reflection on the student’s MA-IS journey.
Learning outcomes
After completing MAIS 700, you will be able to:
- reflect on your path into and through the MA-IS Program
- reflect on your disciplinary and interdisciplinary interests and priorities
- reflect with fellow students on similarities and differences in interdisciplinary interests and approaches in MA-IS focus area choices, study plans, and experiences of MA-IS graduate study
- read, reflect on, and discuss with fellow students examples of the best recent scholarship on interdisciplinary theory and practice
- develop a proposal for your multi-disciplinary or interdisciplinary Capstone Project
- provide and respond to constructive peer review feedback on Capstone Project proposals
- conduct research using current and relevant research literature on a specific research question using a multi-disciplinary or interdisciplinary methodology and analysis
- write a final paper that answers the research question and demonstrates the use of either a multidisciplinary or an interdisciplinarity approach and the integration of student’s learning about the topic, the methodology, and the disciplines relevant to the student’s topic, or create a capstone eportfolio that represents your learning throughout the MA-IS Program
Evaluation
To receive credit for this course, students must participate in the online activities, successfully complete the assignments, and achieve a final mark of at least 60 per cent. Students should be familiar with the Master of Arts—Interdisciplinary Studies grading system. Please note that it is students' responsibility to maintain their program status. Any student who receives a grade of “F” in one course, or a grade of “C” in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.
The following table summarizes the evaluation activities and the credit weights associated with them.
| Activity | Weight |
| Online Participation | 15% |
| Reflective Essay | 15% |
| Capstone Project Proposal | 20% |
| Capstone Project (Final Paper or Eportfolio) | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Repko, A. F., Newell, W. H., & Szostak, R. (Eds.). (2012). Case studies in interdisciplinary research. Sage.
Foshay, R. (Ed.). (2011). Valences of interdisciplinarity: Theory, practice, pedagogy. Athabasca University Press.
Other Materials
All other course materials are available online, including a Course Information manual, weekly activities, and assigned readings.