Course instructor: Dr. Carolyn Steele steelec@yorku.ca

Times and Location: Stedman Lecture Hall (SLH) 107, during the Fall - Tuesdays 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm (often ending by 9:30 pm); during the Winter we will meet every three weeks as a class on Tuesday evening as you will be working intensely on your capstone projects during the term. In addition, will meet individually with each of you once in the Fall and twice in the Winter at a mutually convenient, prescheduled time.

Office Hours

You can contact me via email at steelec@yorku.ca to set up a time to talk whenever you have a question or something to discuss. I encourage you to take advantage of this option as it would also give me an opportunity to get to know you better, making this a more meaningful course for all of us. There will be several opportunities throughout the course for us to talk privately as well.

Students discover how local cultural production is fostered, disseminated, or restricted in and by the communities they serve. Building on cultural theories and concepts of public pedagogy, students work in small groups with partner organizations to engage in their choice of publicly-focused, research or self-directed projects.

This capstone course is the culminating requirement of the Humanities program. It can be taken as either a 3000-level or 4000-level course. Although students at both levels will cover the same material and complete the same assignments, students at the 4000 level will be expected to complete expanded, more substantive assignments.

An understanding of public humanities will be gained as students interact directly with principals, organizations and practices in the cultural sector, augmented by course assignments, field trips, guest speakers and the development of a major capstone project. The project focus and structure will be designed by each student according to their personal interests and goals. Where appropriate and feasible, the options for a capstone project may include projects including but are not limited to:

• collaborating with an organization to develop/deliver programming;
• organizing/producing culturally relevant performances, exhibits, events or other forms of cultural production or practice;
• assessing an organization’s reach/effectiveness and/or developing a proposal to expand its audience/focus;
• conducting community-based research about a particular organization or cultural practice.

Projects can be completed individually, in pairs or in small groups and must be completed by the end of the course.

Students will learn about key concepts and prepare their project proposal based on these throughout the fall term, and work on their project throughout the winter term.  Approval for the project must be obtained from the course director before the project begins.

Although this is an in-person course, you will need access to stable, higher-speed Internet connection, access to Microsoft Word (you have free access here: https://yuoffice.yorku.ca/), and a computer with webcam and microphone, or a smart device with these features  for some elements of the course. You can borrow a laptop from Scott Library if needed: https://www.library.yorku.ca/web/ask-services/printing-and-computing/computing/laptop-borrowing/ .

Here are some useful links for computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Computing for Students Website

Readings and Resources

All course readings will be provided on the course eClass site.

Assessment

1. 10% Presentations
2. 20% Project Proposal
3. 30% Course Engagement (in-class and online activities)
4. 40% Capstone Project

**NOTE** - Students who have registered in Doing Culture as 4207 will do the same assignments as those in 3207 with added components, and will be expected to produce more nuanced and substantive work that the third year students

Purpose of the Capstone Project

A capstone project is a multi-faceted assignment that will culminate in experience with competencies that can enrich student resumes and graduate school applications.  It is students’ responsibility to identify and approach potential partner organizations with active support from the course director. In most cases. students are expected to complete these projects in-person according to the unique characteristics of each project. Projects must be designed to pivot to an online format if required by university regulations.

Types of Capstone Projects

Option A – Community-Based Research Project:

Cultural sector organizations are often required to provide their funders with documented evidence of their value and impact or are curious about the needs and expectations of their users/participants. Students who select this option will collaborate with a cultural organization to design, collect and/or analyze such information. Organizations can use the results of this project for strategic planning, funding and marketing purposes. During the winter term, students will spend a minimum of 6 hours/wk with the organization working on these activities. NOTE: If anyone in the group has not taken a research methods course in any program, they will be required to take a short online training course. The group will be provided with templates and explanations of the methods they may want to use in their research.

OR

Option B – Community-Based Participation (placement-model:

Many cultural sector organizations and collectives are often stretched thin in terms of human, material and financial resources.  Students selecting this option will collaborate will a cultural that interests them to identify specific ways (e.g. running a program, managing a project, organizing an event) they can contribute to the organization’s needs and priorities. During the winter term, students will spend a minimum of 6 hours/wk with the organization working on these activities.

OR

Option C – Cultural Production, Exhibit or Event:

Students will plan, develop and deliver a culturally relevant event, performance, podcast, advocacy campaign, exhibit, resource etc. aimed to educate, animate and/or foster cultural competency and appreciation. This can be undertaken on their own initiative or in collaboration with a student or community group/association. Students will be required to complete a project plan, critical reflection log and document what they created. Students will spend a minimum of 6 hours/wk planning, developing and launching their project during the winter term.

OR

Option D – Research Project:

Students who have a strong interest in research and in a particular cultural organization, issue or practice may choose to do a major research project focusing on this interest. This should include historical/archival research, a theoretical perspective linking explicitly to the course concepts, and a qualitative research component (e.g. interviews, focus groups, questionnaires etc) based on the narratives of contemporary stakeholders. This option can provide students with valuable insight about potential opportunities for gaining experience in such contexts or lay the foundation for graduate studies or careers in the cultural sector.

This research project can be conducted individually or in pairs or small groups. NOTE: If anyone in the group has not taken a relevant research methods course in any program, they will be required to take a short online training course. They will be provided with templates and explanations of the methods they may want to use in their research.  Students expect to spend a minimum of 6 hours/wk planning, researching and writing their capstone research project.

Upon completely this course successfully, students will be able to:

• Strategically apply relevant theories concepts to contemporary instances of cultural production and education
• Critically analyze internal and external factors influencing Canadian cultural organization/practices
• Demonstrate facility in the design and development of an ethically-sound, research or publicly-focused experiential learning project

 Accommodations

• If you have a documented disability you can register with Student Accessibility Services to receive an official accommodation letter. Please show me this letter at the start of the course.
• If you do not have a documented disability, but feel you may need specific accommodations, please contact me at the start of the course to set up a meeting to discuss your specific needs.
• In either case, I am committed to do everything I can you help you succeed in this course, so please don’t hesitate to contact me.