Capstone Courses: Fall Term 2009
Addressing the Food Gap at p:ear
Sarah Dougher, sarahdougher@gmail.com
Course Description: p:ear is a downtown Portland organization that engages homeless and transitional youth, 15-24, using mentorship and the tools of education, art and recreation. p:ear’s Kitchen and Food program provides hands-on training for youth in the areas of food preparation, gardening, nutrition, and the economics of eating. This capstone will partner with this program to engage students in scholarship about food cultures, social justice and sustainability, developing independent research about homeless adolescents and food insecurity. Students will forge new relationships with food providers in the region to support p:ear’s work, culminating in a fundraising feast. **First class meets on campus; subsequent classes meet at p:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave (in Old Town/China Town).**
Applications of Social Marketing
Suzanne Atkin, satkin@workplaceharmony.com
Social marketing adopts the same marketing principles that are used to sell products to consumers to "sell" ideas, attitudes and behaviors. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors to benefit the target audience and the general community. Like commercial marketing, the primary focus is on the consumer--on learning what people want and need rather than trying to persuade them to buy what we are producing. Rather than dictating the way that information is to be conveyed to the community, researchers are learning to listen to the needs and desires of the community citizens themselves, and build community programs from there. This class focuses on that process and will partner with the City of Beaverton.
Being an Effective Change Agent
Heather Petzold, 2hap@comcast.net
This course is for students interested in being effective change agents for the public good. Each student (individually or with others) will take the initiative before the Capstone begins to arrange a project with a community organization. This project may be an existing relationship or one sought for the purpose of this class. A minimum of three working hours per week with the organization is required. During the course, students will be supported and challenged to develop skills in speaking, listening, building relationships, and coordinating action. Through class discussions, practices, reading, and self-observations, students will recognize and explore the four University Studies' goals and make meaning of how they apply to our everyday lives. Each student is expected to bring to the first day of class a confirmation letter from their community sponsor. This letter should include the student's name, the focus and timeframe of the project, a description of the types of people with whom the student will interact, and the sponsor's signature. Permission of instructor required. Contact instructor by phone (503-725-5376) or e-mail (2hap@comcast.net) for full details regarding course requirements.
Bilingual Education
Ann Wales, awales@pdx.edu
This capstone centers on two community-service components. First, students will volunteer as tutors/classroom aides in the bilingual Spanish/English dual immersion program at a local elementary school. A course requirement will be preparation of two activities for inclusion in a website which will serve as a repository of interactive activities in Spanish. This website, which will serve as a resource for teachers, constitutes the second community-service component of the capstone. Students must be able to demonstrate oral proficiency in Spanish at the 300 level.
Business Outreach
Lara Damon, damonld@pdx.edu
This course is about the role of a small business consultant and how small business really works. It will combine lectures, guest speakers, class discussions, and an in-depth consulting project with a small business in North or Northeast Portland.
Civil Rights Movement in Portland
Felicia Williams, fwilliam@pdx.edu
The Civil Rights movement changed the way people thought about race and equal opportunity in America. This course will examine how the movement happened in Portland as students record oral histories from African Americans who fought for Civil Rights in Oregon. The interviews will then be digitized and uploaded to the Internet and students will use photographs and clips from the interviews to create a video documentary that can be used publicly.
Collaborations: Boys and Girls Club
Heather Petzold, psu20307@pdx.edu
This course focuses on the importance of service learning in our community. As a class, we will have the opportunity to discover, evaluate, and reflect on the needs of our community by creating and facilitating educational workshops, mentoring, and exploring fundraising opportunities for the Boys and Girls Club. Students will learn respect for themselves and others as part of a community and will promote teamwork, leadership and problem solving skills. Community issues to be addressed include: listening, intercultural communication, leadership, mediation, and cooperative learning skills. Additional time (20 hours) outside of class will be required during hours of operation (Monday-Friday 2:30-7:00). As we are working with youth, a background check will be required as well.
Community Education New Urban High School
Gloria Totten, (503) 725-5384, totteng@pdx.edu
This Capstone explores developing and teaching lesson plans on basic skills such as liberal arts, math, science, art (topics vary). Students will be required to work as an interdisciplinary team, researching information, practicing and presenting course material in a classroom setting (our community partner is New Urban High School). This course requires an out of class commitment of one full day - during school hours (8 am to4 pm). Contact instructor with questions.
Developing Leadership, Interpersonal, & Communication Skills through
Mentoring in Education
Sarah A. Bunton, Ph.D., sbunton@pdx.edu
This course explores the social issue of mentoring and educational opportunities and, in doing so, exposes students to leadership development, theory, and skills. During activities like tutoring at mentoring at the Harriet Tubman Leadership Academy for Young Women, a college preparatory school and the community partner for the course. PSU students will be challenged to use and develop communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills. Each student will mentor at the school for a minimum of 20 hours for the term and using those experiences as a foundation for discussion and reflection will explore issues like educational capital, social responsibility, communication, and leadership.
Direct Democracy, Society and Environment
Joshua Binus, binus@pdx.edu
Oregonians have been able to vote directly on state policy for more than a century through the initiative, referendum, and referral system. Since 1904 voters have been called on to make decisions on a wide range of issues, including: social and criminal justice, environmental regulation, taxes, land use, family planning, healthcare, education, public utilities, the use of new technologies, etc. Unfortunately, because the Oregon Legislature never gave the State Archive the mission of documenting the state's initiative system, the evidence from past campaigns was never systematically collected and made available to the general public. This capstone has been addressing this problem by exploring how the state initiative system works, who funds the campaigns, and how measures were run and marketed to voters. After students gain a working knowledge of the initiative system, they will get a chance to speak to a wide variety of professionals (activists, pollsters, public relations experts, attorneys, journalists, and past and present public office holders) who have worked on past campaigns and are well positioned to donate historical materials to the Ballot Measure Archive Project (BMAP). As the first project of its kind in the country, BMAP has received broad support from across the political spectrum for its non-partisan approach and even earned an editorial endorsement from the Oregonian in 2008. The class is designed so that students from any discipline can understand the topics covered and succeed on their project, regardless of whether work is carried out individually or in a team.
Developing Leadership, Interpersonal, & Communication Skills through
Mentoring in Education
Sarah A. Bunton, Ph.D., sbunton@pdx.edu
This course explores the social issue of mentoring and educational opportunities and, in doing so, exposes students to leadership development, theory, and skills. During activities like tutoring at mentoring at the Harriet Tubman Leadership Academy for Young Women, a college preparatory school and the community partner for the course. PSU students will be challenged to use and develop communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills. Each student will mentor at the school for a minimum of 20 hours for the term and using those experiences as a foundation for discussion and reflection will explore issues like educational capital, social responsibility, communication, and leadership.
Educational Equity
Deborah Arthur, debs@pdx.edu
This Capstone explores a variety of issues related to educational equity, including segregation, school funding, standardized testing, curriculum choices, language and bilingual education, among others. We partner with a variety of schools and community programs designed to enhance the educational opportunities and success of urban public school students. Community-based learning may include being a teaching assistant in classes, tutoring students one-on-one, and participating in field trips, recreational, cultural and volunteer activities. This is a “blended” or “hybrid” course, meaning that in addition to class time, there is an on-line component. Successful completion of background checks may be required for participation in some of our community partnerships. Upon registration please contact the Instructor Deborah Arthur at debs@pdx.edu.
Effective Environmental Interpretation
Stephanie Wagner, stephanie@tryonfriends.org
The Effective Environmental Education Capstone focuses on the preparation and presentation of environmental education programs for visitors to Tryon Creek State Park. Collaborative groups work to develop and analyze materials and programs dedicated to educating the public about a variety of environmental topics relevant to understanding local ecology and the natural history of Tryon Creek State Park.
Programs will focus on the Nature Explorations for School Groups field trips presented at the Park. Class participants will function as Nature Guides for small groups of elementary school students visiting the park. As our population has become more urbanized and technology oriented, children have fewer and fewer opportunities to interact with the natural world. We are all dependent on healthy ecosystems to support life on our planet, including our own, and we are increasingly asked to examine issues involving the environment. In order to make informed decisions about our personal role in supporting the environment, the Friends of Tryon Creek feel it is important to experience the natural world directly. It will be the role of class participants to assist children in their explorations of the Park and help them develop a comfort with our natural systems.
Enhancing Youth Literacy: Service in K-8 Public Education
Zapoura Calvert, zapoura@pdx.edu
The Enhancing Youth Literacy Capstone has partnered with King Elementary School in Northeast Portland since Fall 2002 after a 2-year Partnership at Beach Elementary in NE Portland. King is a Title I school with a 90%+ minority population. Capstone students work in K-8 and ESL classrooms, both as one-on-one tutors and as classroom assistants, and in King's after school SUN program in a variety of capacities, tutoring and teaching.
Each term at the request of our community partner at King they also complete a combined research/hands-on project. In the past two years, they have inventoried, organized and evaluated King's software programs and science materials, installed the software and instructed teachers and students in its use, created two science labs out of unused classrooms, prepared software and science resource materials for teachers, and organized, publicized, and ran various family nights (International Night, Writer's Night, and Environmental Night).
The goals for King students are to enhance their reading, writing, math and science skills and to introduce them to university seniors who might serve as role models and increase their own expectations for attending college. The goals for capstone students are to increase their awareness of cultural diversity and their own potential for community service and later engagement after the capstone.
Girl Power – Women’s Oral Narratives
Sally Eck, ecks@pdx.edu
In this course, we will be working with our community partner, the local non-profit feminist bookstore IN OTHER WORDS and their sister organization, The Women's Community Education Project. Our project is to coordinate a series of *rap sessions* with local teen girls about current issues in their lives. We will use these group conversations to encourage the girls to become a part of our ZINE project -- where they will write, edit, and publish a grassroots, mini-magazine with our class. Please take a look at the enclosed outreach plan for more detailed objectives. In preparation for this project, we will read feminist scholarship about teenage girls as well as focus groups and zine publishing methodologies.
Global Portland - African Children
Sam Gioia, gioia@pdx.edu
This capstone involves supporting African refugee children in public school settings. The primary population is a group of Somali children in inner SE Portland. Capstones students will assist these children for three hours per week during school hours. The times may vary according to the capstone student’s schedule. PSU class times (Monday and Wednesday) will orient students to contextual issues affecting the children they are working with. This includes an overview of contemporary issues pertaining to immigration, cultural diversity, history and cultural background of Somalia, and support for Muslim families in the US. This course is particularly relevant for students in International Studies, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Applied Linguistics, Black Studies, and pre-Education majors. All PSU juniors and seniors are welcome in this course.
Grant Writing Capstone: Brews to Bikes
Tracy Dillon, dillong@pdx.edu
Working with PSU?s nationally recognized student-run press, Ooligan Publications, participants in this capstone will identify and develop grant writing opportunities to do sustainable publishing. This quarter, capstone grant writers will help produce the title, Brews to Bikes, which examines Portland’s artisan economies. The grants will help Ooligan publish this text “green” meaning, using sustainable publication processes that often are more expensive than traditional publishing costs.
The ideal candidate for this capstone is someone who is interested in the field of book publishing as well as grant writing and sustainability.
This is an online course. No regular class meeting will occur, but students should expect to visit Ooligan staff members on site at Portland State University regularly at mutually convenient times. In addition, Ooligan will host a general orientation meeting early in the fall quarter that students in this capstone should plan on attending (time/place to be arranged).
Grantwriting for Environmental Advocacy
Celine Fitzmaurice, celine@pdx.edu
Grant writing skills are critical to the survival of many non-profit environmental organizations. In this course you will learn grant writing skills by developing real proposals for a local environmental non-profit. The rich history of citizen-based environmental advocacy in the US will play a central role in class discussions and reflective writing assignments throughout the term.
Grantwriting for Native American Preservation
Beth Aileen Dillon, beth@bethaileen.com
Grants support Native American cultural preservation by funding educational and archival programs. In this course you will learn grant writing skills by developing real proposals for a Native American related non-profit. Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. is a not for profit corporation committed to Native American cultural preservation, education, and race reconciliation. Working in collaboration with diverse cultural organizations and educational institutions, WOTE records and preserves oral tradition and cultural arts of exemplary indigenous elders, historians, storytellers and song carriers. WOTE shares these teachings with younger generations of Native Americans as well as public audiences of all cultures via the Wisdom of the Elders Radio series, the Turtle Island Storytellers Network online speaker's bureau for Native American oral cultural artists, and the Northwest Indian Storytellers Association.
Immigration in the Workforce
Andrew Reed, areed@seworks.org
Classroom topics will include immigration, sociocultural behavior, and workforce development. Students will assist a non-profit workforce development agency called SE Works Inc. Outside of class, students will help to develop and maintain a website for immigrants as they transition to life in the U.S.
Inside-Out Coffee Creek Prison Exchange Program
Amy Spring, springa@pdx.edu
This Capstone course provides an opportunity for a small group of students from PSU and a group of residents from Coffee Creek Correctional facility to exchange perceptions about crime, justice, and the ways in which marginalized communities are affected by public policy. It is a chance for participants to gain a deeper understanding of how income, communities of color are affected by incarceration policies in Oregon and the US. This will be accomplished by marrying theoretical knowledge and practical experiences in weekly meetings extended throughout the term. This course will be held at Coffee Creek located 20 minutes from PSU (carpooling available). The class will complete a project with inmates that will help enhance the lives of those who live at Coffee Creek. Participation requires all students to pass a background check.
Juvenile Justice
Deb Smith, debs@pdx.edu
This Capstone partners with the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice, Juvenile Services Division. Through their work in the community, as well as through supportive academic activities, students in this Capstone will have the opportunity to deeply explore current issues in juvenile justice. Successful background checks will be required for students to be able to work directly with youth, although are not required for participation in this Capstone.
Leading Latinos
José Padin, padinj@pdx.edu
This capstone connects PSU students with SMILE— Student Mentors Into Latino Excellence/Somos Mentores Impulsando Latinos al Exito.
SMILE is an after-school mentoring program that connects Latino students at four Portland high schools with PSU mentors. The high school students, in turn, are volunteers mentoring younger students in 10 Portland middle schools. SMILE is a positive chain of youth mentoring that aims to support and uplift for Hispanic students, the capstone is open students from all backgrounds.
The capstone needs a core of students with some proficiency in Spanish, but this is not required at all. The main requirements for joining are: an ethic of community service, a thirst for enriching cultural experience, a desire to put your college skills to work opening doors for younger people who are still discovering their potential against the current of “can’t do” messages, and the humbleness to open yourself to the joy of their company. A great many Latino students in our Portland schools do not come from families where someone has a college degree, so the roadmap seems very fuzzy and not even real. You made it through high school, and you are about to complete college. You are a young role model they can relate to.
In a nutshell:
Capstone students go to their assigned high school once a week to work with their high school “mentees” in group mentoring sessions planned by SMILE staff.
Capstone students plan three major events to open new horizons for their high school mentees.
Readings and a weekly 90-minute class expose capstone participants to the theory, research, and practice of youth mentoring.
Linking the Generations, Communication, Aging and Society
Cindy Koonz, teachcin16@hotmail.com
Students will engage with older adults to complete a variety of life history projects. Students will address their assumptions and stereotypes toward the aging population and will reflect upon personal barriers and successes in the intergenerational communication process. Communication issues will be addressed in the areas of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intercultural communication. In addition to the community work, the course will focus on interdisciplinary discussions, lectures, and activities to increase awareness of the older population. This is an evening course with travel to off campus site and a background check required. Fingerprinting also may be required. Contact instructor upon registration to complete paperwork prior to start date. Processing can delay work in the community.
Social Justice Education
Cynthia Carmina Gomez, gomezc@pdx.edu
This course is an advanced exploration of diversity and social justice in the United States. This Capstone provides students with a framework for understanding specific forms and the interlocking systems of oppression; a process to explore how oppression affects our lives; a pedagogical framework for teaching and training about concepts of oppression and diversity; and an application of these ideologies and skills in secondary schools.
Marketing for Non-Profits
JoAnn Siebe, siebeconsulting1@mac.com
During this Capstone, PSU students will work with the Community Partner as a marketing resource team. During class sessions students will examine literature, film and other resources that speak to different aspects of marketing for non-profit organizations. They will discuss the marketing challenges facing these organizations. Students will work collaboratively on mutually agreed upon projects that are beneficial and satisfying to both PSU and the Community Partner.
Marketing Public Health Capstone
Debbie Kaufman, kaufmand@pdx.edu
Description: This course will integrate marketing principles and health issues as we support our community partners with formative research to advance their public health goals. Topics will include: social marketing + social change; ethical issues in social marketing; the role of policy, culture and social norms in public health; customer-centered marketing; theories of behavior change; and how one’s own background and culture impact effectiveness in the work of promoting social change. This Capstone does require group meetings outside of class, as well as coordinating schedules with our community partners.
Media Literacy: Navigating the Making of Meaning
Mark Oldani, moldani@riverdale.k12.or.us
Media literacy is the study of the effect that various modes of communication have on the information that is being transmitted. The investigation of issues related to media crosses disciplinary boundaries and is a focus of some of the current K-12 curriculum. Class participants will learn about the impact of commercial media on themselves and their community and develop various approaches to address the impact of media on their community. Class members will work directly with members of community and media organizations, the general public, and/or high school or middle school faculty to research and prepare units of study on the issues surrounding media literacy.
Meditation for Global Healing
Julie Porter, jporter@pdx.edu
Qigong is an ancient Chinese meditative healing practice that encompasses a philosophy of living with a quiet mind, open heart, and in service to others. This capstone provides an opportunity to explore the personal and community implications of this healing practice and its underlying philosophy. You will learn meditation forms and explore the concept of personal awareness and social responsibility. Working with a community partner gives you the chance to be of service to others and learn about their needs in the context of the course material.
Multimedia Production
Robert Bremmer, bremmer@pdx.edu
The multimedia Production Capstone Class produces web page marketing and education tools for community partners and community issues. Continuously taught for over five years, the class has evolved from video production trough CD ROMS, Interactive DVD's and now creates useful tools and marketing entirely on the web.
Each term a companion blog and web page will be developed around core issues and for community partners. The class self divides into groups: Client Liaison/Research, Content Development, Creative, Technical, Marketing and Management. Guidance and instruction is provided in each area, so expert knowledge is not required however it is beneficial if students have basic skills in one or more areas.
The goal of each class is to make a useful product which will continue to be used and even grow readership after the class has disbanded. This class identifies a target demographic and determines how best to develop a tool to alter the behavior and or thoughts of any user of the site. The prime objective of the class is not to develop a site but to create a dynamic group communication and learning experience, where students an develop to a higher level their leadership and communication skills and experiment with creative, technical and viral marketing techniques. Recent developed tools include: womenshealthawareness.googlepage.com and www.womenshealthawareness.blogspot.com also www.toxinfreetomorrow.com and www.toxinfreetomorrow.blogspot.com.
Students will interact with each other in the class, in different groups, and with a local community demographic primarily through survey and interviews. We will also launch surveys over the internet interacting with remote individuals and groups as well. Students should feel comfortable communicating at high level spoken and written English. The textbook used is Howard Gardner's 'Changing Minds.' The Instructor can be reached at: bremmer@pdx.edu.
Portland's Water: History and Challenges
Catherine Howells, chowells@pdx.edu
The community partner for this class is the Portland Water Bureau,
which delivers drinking water to the majority of houses and businesses
in the Portland metropolitan area. This class will focus on the history and challenges facing the Water Bureau -- regulations and water quality, operations and maintenance, watershed protection. We will work with the Portland Water Bureau to identify topics to research and to develop an information product for the public.
Science Inquiry in the Outdoor Classroom
Rick Hugo, hugo@pdx.edu
In this course you will volunteer as a Science Mentor with Wolftree, Inc., an award-winning non-profit science education organization. Wolftree brings children in grades 4-12 out of the classroom for small group, hands-on field experiences. Wolftree's primary field site is in the foothills of Mount Hood, with other sites located 60 to 90 minutes from Portland. You are responsible for your own transportation, although carpools can usually be arranged. You will also spend several of your "field" days in classrooms preparing students for their outdoor experiences. You'll volunteer one full day per week (Tuesday - Friday) - please enroll in the appropriate course section. All sections will also meet on Mondays to discuss topics related to science inquiry and pedagogy. Wolftree's innovative curriculum is based on following student curiosity rather than leading formal presentations. This course is designed for aspiring educators and scientists, although students from any major will benefit from practicing the Socratic style of dialogue. No specific science background is required. You will be required to complete a criminal background check BEFORE the course begins. As with any Capstone, students are highly encouraged to contact the instructor before enrolling to discuss the course responsibilities and activities.
Sexual Assault Education Theater
Eden Isenstein, eni@pdx.edu
In this class, students will learn about the dynamics of sexual assault as they practice using theater as a tool for social change. Students will develop a short play about sexual assault and its prevention based on classroom readings, discussions, prior learning, and lived experiences. This play will then be performed for various campus audiences based on the Theater of the Oppressed Open Forum model, in which audience members are invited to stop and shift the action by joining the play, thereby practicing strategies for facing challenging situations and "rehearsing for the future."
Sexual Minority Youth
Molly Gray, mcg@pdx.edu
It is estimated that 1 in 10 individuals identify as a sexual minority. Often an already challenging stage in identity development, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender & questioning (GLBTQ) youth face a set of issues unique to their daily lives. We examine the paths sexual and gender minority youth navigate in American society, exploring such questions as: What challenges do GLBTQ youth encounter? How do they cope, survive, find understanding & celebrate themselves amidst homophobia and intolerance? How do GLBTQ experiences vary across difference such as race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender and expression? Has the growing strength of political mobilization and visibility of GLBTQ issues affected and/or included the needs of youth? How can youth needs be brokered by social services, families, and the community at large? Our community partner will be the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC).
Solid Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling
Shanna Eller-Segal, ellers@pdx.edu
This Capstone partners with governmental organizations in the Portland Metropolitan Region to increase solid waste reduction, reuse, and recycling through community research, education, and outreach. Capstone students may be involved in activities ranging from designing resources to educate residents, to assisting business meet the requirements for mandatory business recycling, to researching how to reduce waste, increase recycling, and implement composting at public events.
Street Roots: Exploring Issues of Homelessness
Colleen Kaleda, colleenkaleda@comcast.net
This course will explore and expose various issues surrounding poverty and homelessness through direct contact with non-profits, businesses, government and the homeless community. Students will research, write and photograph stories for publication in Street Roots, Portland's homeless newspaper. Specific topics will be tailored to student interest and developed in conjunction with the Editor-in-Chief of Street Roots. Subjects may include economic/business impact; social and cultural impacts; mental health; hunger; unemployment; and impacts on women and children.
Sustainable Food Systems and Educational Farms
Megan Kupko, greenfarmmama@gmail.com
*Due to the nature of this course, it will be held at Learning Gardens Lab (SE 60th Ave & Duke) with the exception of the first class, which will be held at the designated PSU classroom. The time is ripe to be part of the growing sustainable food movement! This class addresses the current food issues that face urban citizens by holistically engaging students in the many layers of Portland's local food and farm culture. Students will critically analyze the state of our current food systems while being engaged in positive solutions to agricultural-related issues. The community partner and classroom is the Learning Gardens Lab, where students will gain hands-on farming experience, experientially explore their personal connection to food and the land, participate in the Learning Garden programs, and positively contribute to food security in our greater community. Students will also build relationships within the local food network through experiences at Ecotrust, Zenger Farm and the Oregon Food Bank.
Sustaining Oregon's Communities and Landscapes
James Hillegas, jvhillegas@gmail.com
June Rzendian, jrzendzian@gmail.com
In 1989, the World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as "[development that] meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations." As the 21st century progresses, the concepts of sustainable development and sustainability have become increasingly complex. Partnering with Northwest History Network, this class will explore the idea of sustainability by looking at its historical meaning, and connect with and chronicle sustainable enterprises in the Willamette Valley through oral histories.
The Listening Project
Celine Fitzmaurice, celine@pdx.edu
This course will explore the concept of "listening" as a tool for social change worldwide. Our partner for the course will be the Macdonald Center based in the Old Town district of Portland. The Macdonald Center is an outreach program for residents of this area, many of whom are homeless or reside in transitional housing. Students will sit with members of the Old Town community as part of a daily hospitality program, visit residents of single room occupancy hotels, or serve up soup and conversation to homeless individuals.
The Natural Food Industry and the Cooperative Business Model
Pedro Ferbel-Azcarate, pferbel@yahoo.com
This Capstone will provide an orientation to the natural food industry and the cooperative business models. Students will gain hands on experience working with the community partner, People’s Food Cooperative, on various business related inquiries including financial analyses, marketing studies, and plans for short and long term growth. We will address different business strategies in the natural food industry and for cooperative businesses, specifically, and make the connection to broader themes including health and nutrition, food security and food politics, environmental sustainability, urban design, and community development. There may also be opportunities for partnering with PSU's Food For Thought Cafe, on similar food industry projects.
Tutoring Adult ESL at Community College
Michelle Culley, mculley@pdx.edu
Capstone students will tutor small groups of adult English as a Second Language learners for 2 - 3 hours a week in local Community College ESL classes. Capstone students must be proficient speakers of English. Students must contact Michelle Culley prior to registration. Tutoring times vary, please contact Michelle for specifics. In addition, all capstone students will meet from 12:45-15:45 every Wednesday on the PSU campus for coursework on ESL strategies and immigration issues.
Tutoring/Mentoring Native American Youth
Anmarie Trimble, atrimble@pdx.edu
For this capstone, students will be mentoring and tutoring middle school and high school youth at the Native American Youth & Family Center (NAYA). NAYA 's mission is to empower youth via education, community involvement, and cultural programming by creating positive learning experiences. PSU students will assist NAYA by engaging youth in educational and other activities, providing a role model for learning, and tutoring and mentoring students on their homework and/or in after-school programs. Mentoring activities may also include cultural arts events and assisting in sports activities. This Capstone meets two times a week: The class will meet 3 hours/week on Fridays at PSU for training with the instructor, and after the first week of training individuals will volunteer at NAYA for 2-3 hours/week during an afternoon of their choice (see PSU registration schedule for available days and times). The Friday sessions will include discussions on readings exploring Native American culture, educational issues, and service learning. Students will also coordinate a class project in service to NAYA. (Projects in the past have included a book drive and gathering learning resources for the NAYA Learning Center.) Individual writing assignments include personal reflective projects, resource reviews/analyses, and final reflective narrative. BACKGROUND CHECKS: Because we are working with underage students, background checks will be required of all students in this Capstone.CLASS SCHEDULE: All students must register for the weekly Friday training session AND for a separate NAYA session on an afternoon of your choice. (See PSU registration schedule for available times.) TRANSPORTATION: Students are required to attend both PSU and NAYA sessions. There is public transport to NAYA via Tri-Met bus #75.
Volunteer Stream Monitoring
Maryann Schmidt, maryanns@pdx.edu
Capstone students will coordinate and implement all aspects of the quality assurance project plan (QAPP) for the Student Watershed Research Project (SWRP)'s volunteer monitoring program. Students will work as a team to ensure data quality for the 25 high school groups involved in SWRP. This project requires training, classroom, and field support. This course will integrate chemical, biological and physical watershed analysis skills. In addition, students will be responsible for verifying macroinvertebrate and plant samples, performing field/lab analysis of duplicate water quality samples, and mathematically determining whether the accuracy and precision goals of the QAPP are being met. Students will also be responsible for data management, auditing of student data, providing feedback to data collectors, and evaluating the impact of SWRP on participating students.
