Communication Capstone Project

All declared Communication majors must complete the Capstone course (COMM 196) before graduating. We will be offering one section of Capstone for Fall 2022, and two sections for Spring 2023. 

The Capstone project you produce in COMM 196 represents the culmination of your experience studying Communication with our department. It requires you to make a scholarly or creative contribution to the field of Communication Studies and should draw upon the work you have accomplished in your major courses.

To secure a place in a section of COMM 196, write up your proposal by answering the questions on our handy Capstone Project Proposal Guide about the research or creative project you plan to complete, detailing the topic, method, and theories that you will use. If you need help focusing your interest into a proposal, you can email Communication Chair Ellen Rigsby (erigsby@stmarys-ca.edu). She'll be happy to help you. Then email your proposal (attached to an email as a digital copy) to Administrative Assistant Lori Erokan (le6@stmarys-ca.edu). Deadline to submit the proposal: Friday April 29, 2022.

Please note: you won't be able to register for the course by yourself. Just be sure to leave room in your Fall 2022 schedule for M/F 1:00-2:40pm. Once your proposal is approved, we will register you for the class.

* Scott Schonfeldt-Aultman will be the advisor for Fall 2022 (specialty: qualitative methods)

*Jason Jakaitis will be advising one section of Capstone for Spring 2023 (specialty: media)

*Veronica Hefner will be advising the other section of Capstone for Spring 2023 (specialty: quantitative methods)

However, if your schedule dictates that you need to take Capstone in Fall 2022, Scott can advise on any type of project, so don't worry. The same goes for Jason and Veronica. If you need to schedule your qualitative-based project for Spring 2023, either one can advise you.

Students who plan to do a quantitative project must have completed COMM 110. Students who plan to do a qualitative project must have taken COMM 111. And students who plan on producing  a media-based project: you must have completed at least one upper division application course. For basic guidelines for producing a media-based Capstone project, see the Capstone Media Project Guide.

Questions? Please call Lori Erokan at 925-631-4048.