Capstones
PWR Senior Capstone Projects
The Professional Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) Capstone Project represents a culmination of seniors’ time in the PWR concentration of the English major. By synthesizing knowledge and practice of rhetorical, professional, and design strategies, seniors create and conduct their own research-based projects as part of their Senior Seminar in the spring of their graduating year. The Capstone is an integrated portion of the senior assessment process, and as such should demonstrate to PWR faculty and other audiences a knowledge of skills and strategies developed over the student’s PWR academic career. Students present their completed projects in an open-house-style Senior Showcase at the conclusion of the semester, during which they explain their process and deliverables to visiting students and faculty.
In addition to showcasing a culmination of PWR skills as a part of PWR senior assessment, the capstone projects also give students a platform to create additional items for their portfolios and resumes. Click below to see a gallery of past capstone projects.
Capstone Requirements
Your completed Capstone Project (including a poster and handout, described in the document below) is due to your Senior Seminar professor on the date that they set. This traditionally falls the week before the showcase, which is Elon’s Celebrate! week. General components of the project include:
- Proposal for a specific inquiry project with defined phases, planned research components, and possible deliverables
- Grading Rubric co-created with Senior Sem instructor
- Poster that serves as a visual summary and argument for capstone project shared in public Senior Showcase
- Handout that summarizes the project, describes its relation to PWR, and includes an in-depth personal statement declaring the student’s definition and understanding of Professional Writing and Rhetoric
- Project deliverables, typically in multiple genres ranging from proposals, web pages and content, visual data displays, written or video instructions, etc.
Sample Senior Capstone Projects and Posters
Branding of Sustainable Eateries
Jessica Trinidad '16
In the near future, as a result of a partnership with my uncle, I hope to participate in a business venture that would create a dining option integrating sustainability and environmental friendliness into my home city of Long Beach, New York. It is the intent of my capstone to research and pursue the most effective rhetorical methods in order to create a successful marketing strategy for the restaurant. The results of my capstone research include a brand and logo design, menu items and design, design of the rhetorical space of the restaurant, and a marketing report discussing how to best market the eatery to its intended audience.
Break (out)side
Kelley Dodge '16
While students spend four years at Elon University, many rarely venture off campus, likely because it is difficult to find things to do in surrounding areas. When students want to get outside, they often end up frequenting the same places. There is currently no resource that details outdoor activities near Elon. As a PWR student, I was in a unique situation to analyze the complex rhetorical situation, drawing on Grant-Davies’ model of exigence, rhetor, audience, and constraints. Responding to this real need, I created a website to serve as a resource for Elon students. It includes a list of places, description of activities, informative overviews, contact information, maps, and photographs.
And The Beat Lives On: preserving the impact and legacy of the beat generation
Mags Bryant '16
And The Beat Lives On exists to continue and house the conversation that revolves around the Beat Generation digitally. Based heavily in the rhetorical theory of Kenneth Burke, Starhawk, as well as Sonja Foss & Cindy Griffin, ATBLO is designed to facilitate a diverse and engaging exploration of one of the most influential and truly American literary movements to date. The purpose of this project is to revise the already existing website to enhance the rhetorical space and user experience based on usability testing and audience analysis.
A Woman By Design: A Visual Analysis of Posters From The Three Waves
Miranda Romano '16
This project examines how the rhetorical design (choices in text, image, layout, etc.) of posters from the three waves affects the perception of feminism by contemporary women. The main method is a comparative rhetorical visual analysis of print posters created for feminism and feminist events. Considering that feminism is often divided into distinct periods, or “waves”, the researcher compares select documents from the three waves of feminism to consider how women are being portrayed through the use of rhetorical design elements. After a visual analysis, the researcher codes four documents from each wave, and through this process presents a comparison of documents in the same wave and documents created in the other waves. The data collected through this research presents the application and possible effect of visual rhetorical design elements and their social implications.