The Capstone project is an optional add-on to the Graduate Diploma in Language and Literature at Signum University. Students may elect to complete a creative or academic Capstone after completing five graduate courses (the full Graduate Diploma program). Students interested in continuing on to earn a Master of Arts in Language and Literature should not complete a Capstone, as they will have the opportunity to complete a full MA thesis at the end of the MA program.
During the Capstone semester, students will enroll in the three-credit Capstone class and work closely with a faculty mentor to complete a scholarly or creative writing project.
Prior to beginning this phase, all students will need to complete and submit an application outlining the proposed project, necessary sources, the structure of the finished work, and a loose timeline for the semester. It will be used by the thesis coordinator to help you find a suitable mentor.
Capstone proposals should be submitted by email to the relevant Capstone Coordinator (Creative or Academic) See the Academic Calendar for application deadlines. Students are encouraged to submit general ideas and draft proposals to the appropriate coordinators in advance of the deadlines to ensure that infeasible proposals can be revised by the deadline. An acceptable proposal should be approved and the supervisor should be allocated by the end of that semester; if proposals are not viable as submitted by the deadline, students may revise and resubmit in up to two subsequent semesters. The Capstone should be completed by the end of the designated semester, and will be graded by the advisor and one additional reader.
2022-23 Coordinators:
- Sparrow F. Alden, Creative Capstone
- Sara Brown, Academic Capstone
Upon approval of your application, you’ll be able to register for your capstone semester in Goldberry.
Requirements
LITZ 6380 Graduate Diploma Capstone Project (Creative)
- Creative prose: 10000-15000 words. A shorter prose work would often include a more complex concept or conceit, such as expansive worldbuilding, an invented language, or extensive historical research, but the possibilities are endless.
- Creative poetry: approximately 2000-4000 words of poetry.
All creative Capstone projects must be accompanied by a preface, introduction, and/or cover letter that provides scholarly or publisher-appropriate context for the writing, including its place in contemporary literature or its suitability for a particular audience, and may include additional scholarly materials as appropriate to the specific project. The scholarly apparatus (preface, introduction, notes, etc.) should typically be 1500-2000 words in total; exceptions should be specifically discussed with the advisor and articulated in writing at time of submission.
A Creative Capstone Project semester will include:
- a beginning organizational meeting with preceptor to plan out a map of the project
- providing educational material for the project preceptor
- weekly progress reports
- monthly meetings
- creation of a supporting document
- a plan for dissemination or next steps
LITZ 6381 Graduate Diploma Capstone Project (Academic)
- 5000-10000 words, not including the abstract and works cited page.
A student may elect to complete a new project or may adapt a previous (class) essay into an extended scholarly piece (substantial revisions would be expected). Since the Capstone is intended to be a single-semester project, care should be taken to ensure that the project is manageable; consultation with the Capstone Coordinator is recommended.
More information can be found on the Graduate Diploma page.
