Media & Cultural Studies Capstone Seminar

Course Philosophy

This capstone centers research as a political and creative act. Drawing from feminist epistemology, decolonial methodologies, and critical media studies, the course positions students as knowledge producers whose work matters beyond the academy. Students learn that research can take multiple forms—written scholarship, documentary film, sound projects, digital media, performance—and that each mode generates distinct insights.

The course emphasizes ethical research practices, particularly when working with marginalized communities or sensitive materials, preparing students to navigate IRB processes and community-engaged scholarship with care and rigor.

Course Structure & Timeline

The semester follows a scaffolded progression:

Weeks 1–3: Finding Your Question

• Artist-Researcher Profile assignment
• Epistemology readings (feminist, decolonial, situated knowledges)
• Research proposal development

Weeks 4–6: Literature & Theory

• Ethics and IRB training
• Literature review drafting
• Citation management and research organization

Weeks 7–10: Methods & Analysis

• Ethnographic, archival, and digital research methods
• Case study development or creative project production
• Individual mentorship meetings

Weeks 11–13: Writing & Revision

• Peer review workshops
• Draft refinement
• Presentation preparation

Weeks 14–15: Public Presentation

• Public capstone symposium in IML
• Peer feedback and course reflection

Assignments & Assessment

• Artist-Researcher Profile (10%) — Students research a practitioner-scholar whose work bridges creative practice and critical theory, presenting their methods and contributions to the class.
• Research Proposal & Bibliography (15%) — Formal proposal outlining research questions, theoretical frameworks, methodology, and comprehensive preliminary bibliography.
• Literature Review Draft (15%) — Substantial engagement with existing scholarship (8–10 pages), demonstrating command of relevant theoretical conversations.
• Case Study/Project Draft (20%) — For written projects: analytical section applying theoretical frameworks to case studies. For practice-based projects: the creative work itself (video, sound, installation, performance, etc.).
• Final Capstone Project (25%) — Complete written work (~25 pages) or practice-based project with supporting documentation (introduction, literature review, reflection, bibliography).
• Capstone Presentation (15%) — Public presentation at end-of-semester symposium, demonstrating ability to communicate research to broader audiences.

Methodological Approaches Covered

Qualitative Research

• Ethnographic interviewing and observation
• Oral history methods
• Archival research
• Visual analysis and walkthrough method

Critical Frameworks

• Feminist epistemology
• Decolonial methodologies
• Media archaeology and historical analysis
• Practice-based research

Digital Methods

• Digital ethnography
• Social media analysis
• Hashtag research
• App walkthroughs

Ethical Considerations

• IRB protocols and informed consent
• Participant recruitment
• Research relationships and power
• Visual ethics and photography rights

Bibliography

Research Methods & Epistemology

• Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Studies and its Theoretical Legacies”
• Haraway, Donna. “Situated Knowledges”
• Jaggar, Alison M. “Love and Knowledge: Emotion in Feminist Epistemology”
• Richardson, Laurel. “Writing: A Method of Inquiry”
• Sawchuck, Kim. “Thinking about Methods”
• Sullivan, Graeme. “Artist as Researcher”

Decolonial & Critical Methodologies

• Chakravartty, Paula, Rachel Kuo, Victoria Grubbs, Charlton McIlwain. “#CommunicationSoWhite”
• Lans, Aja M. “Decolonize this collection: Integrating black feminism and art to re-examine human skeletal remains in museums”
• Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples
• Trouillot, Michel-Rolph. Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History
• Tuana, Nancy. “Viscous porosity: witnessing Katrina”
• Tuana, Nancy and Shannon Sullivan. “Introduction: Feminist epistemologies of Ignorance”

Ethics & IRB

• Cole, Teju. “When the Camera was a Weapon of Imperialism. (And when it still is)”
• Pauwels, Luc. “Taking and Using Ethical Issues of Photographs for Research Purposes”
• Sabati, Sheeva. “Upholding ‘Colonial Unknowing’ through the IRB: Reframing Institutional Research Ethics”
• Sontag, Michael. “Research Ethics and Institutional Review Boards”

Ethnographic & Qualitative Methods

• Bonilla, Yarimar and Jonathan Rosa. “#Ferguson: Digital Protest, Hashtag Ethnography and the Racial Politics of Social Media in the United States”
• Galliers and Simeonova. “The Need for Qualitative Research in the Age of Digitalization”
• Light, Ben, Jean Burgess, and Stefanie Duguay. “The Walkthrough Method: An Approach to the Study of Apps”
• Sandvig, Christian and Eszter Hargittai. “How to Think about Digital Research”
• Schull, Natasha. “Data for Life: Wearable Technology and the Design of Self-Care”
• Tawil-Souri, Helga. “Checkpoint Time”

Archival & Historical Methods

• Douglas, Susan. “Writing From the Archive: Creating Your Own”
• Gitelman, Lisa. “Media as Historical Subjects”
• Spigel, Lynn. “Introduction to Welcome to the Dreamhouse” and “Outer Space and Inner Cities”
• Sterne, Jonathan. “Rearranging the Files: On Interpretation in Media History”

Writing & Craft Resources

• Booth, Wayne. From Topics to Questions and Making Claims
• Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students

Pedagogical Approach

The capstone seminar operates as a research workshop where students are treated as emerging scholars. Individual mentorship is balanced with peer collaboration—students provide substantive feedback to one another, learning to read generously while offering critical insights.

The course normalizes research as messy, iterative, and non-linear. Students learn research management strategies (note-taking systems, citation managers, data organization) alongside theoretical frameworks, acknowledging that successful scholarship requires both intellectual rigor and practical organization.

Guest speakers, including Macalester's Postdoctoral Fellow from the Native Initiative, bring diverse methodological perspectives. Embedded librarian support ensures students develop sophisticated research skills and understand institutional resources.

Notable Course Features

• Flexible Project Formats: Written scholarship or practice-based research (video, sound, performance, new media)
• Scaffolded Deadlines: Major components due throughout semester to prevent last-minute cramming
• Public Symposium: Final presentations open to campus community, with catering provided
• Peer Review: Structured workshops with clear criteria and feedback forms
• Individual Mentorship: Required one-on-one meetings at key milestones
• Professional Development: “Letter to Future Students” assignment passes wisdom to next cohort
• Research Infrastructure: Training on citation managers, note-taking systems, file organization
• IRB Training: All students complete institutional review board process, preparing for future research

Previously taught: Spring 2023, Fall 2021, Spring 2021