Let Bygones Be Bygones, but Not with Capstones

What Is a Capstone Project?

Capstone projects are the best friend and the worst enemy of the Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) students at AUBG. According to the AUBG catalog, a capstone project is work a JMC student can do in order to demonstrate a fundamental understanding of all the courses they have taken during their studies. Such a project may include any work within the framework of JMC — photography, design, podcasts, publishing magazines, social media campaigns, and any other idea along these lines. But as everything else in life, there are a lot of must-s.

What Are the Requirements for Executing a Capstone Project?

Students who want to pursue a capstone project must have at least 3.25 GPA in the major. They must have already taken all the required JMC courses, and at least four electives from the major. The project must be completed during the student’s final semester. There must be a faculty advisor supervising the project. The student must submit a proposal. They must pitch it in front of a jury during add/drop week. If the project is approved, they must schedule regular meetings with their advisor. In the end, during finals week, they must defend it in front of a panel.

Do-s and Don’t-s

Okay, now imagine you have the GPA. You have taken the required courses. You have your trusted advisor. How do you chose your topic? How do you execute it? What might go wrong? What is the hardest part? Creating a capstone project is not just checking tasks off a to-do list. It incorporates many aspects, lots of hard work, creativity, time-management skills, and what not. Luckily, three capstone veterans and two professors are here to help you with advice on the do-s and don’t-s of executing your project successfully.

DO Choose a Topic Close to You

The first step of doing a capstone is actually knowing what journalistic field you want to pursue. Brainstorming a topic could be a really hard task, especially when you can do it about anything JMC-related. Fatme Tsiko, who graduated AUBG in 2019, chose a topic that is close to her, and that would help people experiencing the same issues as her. If she could use one word to describe it, it is passion. Choose something you are passionate about, and the whole process would be easier.

Fatme Tsiko created Night Shadows, an audio-visual campaign on sleep paralysis that aims to shed light on the condition through simulating both visual and auditory senses. The project can be found here. Image illustrated by Fatme.

DON’T Tackle the Impossible

People like to be challenged, but a capstone project is not a one-time challenge. It is a long-term commitment, so plan accordingly. The word both Jodi Hilton and Jason Murphy, JMC professors on the Capstone panel, used is feasible. You might have an extraordinary idea on how to end wars or stop climate change, but if you can’t achieve it in a semester, it is not going to be approved as a capstone. Choose something that could be done in the span of four months and commit to it.

DO Something Worthwhile

A capstone can excuse you from a state exam and can get you Honorary Disciplines in the JMC major. But is this why you are doing it? Make an impact with it. Luka Gotsiridze, who is in his last semester of studies at AUBG, shares that this is the last project he is doing at AUBG, so the goal is for it to trump all the works he has done over the course of his academic life. Another plus is that the bigger the impact, the more likely it is for your project to be approved.

Luka Gotsiridze made The Heresy of Innocence, an audio documentary reenactment about a woman, who was executed for witchcraft and practicing black magic in 17th century Germany. A promo of the project can be found here. Visual courtesy of Luka.

DON’T Rush It

It is no secret that seniors at AUBG are often overwhelmed. Taking the toughest courses, engaging in extracurricular activities, applying to schools, looking for a job — all can be very exhausting. But none of that should result in rushing the capstone project. Prof. Hilton has seen many ideas that could have been great, but were not planned thoroughly, so they did not make it. Prof. Murphy pins specificity as one of the most important qualities of a capstone proposal. Take your time, map out your project, and be elaborate when proposing it. That will take you one step closer to making it possible.

DO Make It Unique

This project is your idea. You are the boss of it. So don’t do something that has already been done. All three students and two professors mentioned uniqueness as a key aspect of a capstone project. When assessing the capstones, Prof. Murphy asks himself the question, ‘How is this different?’ Fatme strongly believes that what makes a capstone great is it being authentic. Don’t just repeat something that already exists. Challenge yourself and make it unique.

DON’T Lose Your Excitement

You have a project you are passionate about. You pitch it, and the jury loves it. You work with your advisor closely throughout the semester. But gradually, as you are executing your project, your excitement drops. Desislava Stoeva, who realized her capstone project in 2019, reveals that for her, the details were the hardest part. As time went on, the logistical aspects like the weight of the paper and the type of the binding were things that discouraged her. But her advice is not to give up. These details are all a part of the process you yourself are creating, so keep striving.

Desislava Stoeva wrote, illustrated and designed the book 1:1.348 Polaroid Stories, which combines different stories all connected to those little meaningful photos. Photo courtesy of Desislava.

Desi Manova is a Journalism and Mass Communication student at the American University in Bulgaria. Although she spent time researching Capstone projects, she does not have a topic for her own.