Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "COM 480-1"
COURSE NAME: "Senior Capstone Project"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2025

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Donatella Della Ratta
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: W8:30 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: COM 311 and COM 470, with the exception of the University of Milan Dual Degree students
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This senior capstone course culminates the coursework performed in the Communications and Media Studies program. With a major research assignment in the form of a written paper, video essay, or creative project, the course is intended to assess the student’s development and understanding of the Department’s learning outcomes. Capstone projects combine evidence-based research on a major media topic, critical analysis, literature review, ethical considerations, and express technical competency. Students are expected to demonstrate awareness and understanding of major schools of thought in media and cultural studies, and to perform critical media analysis.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Attendance and Participation	Meaningful participation to class activities and discussions. for attendance see requirements. No cellphones and laptops during class time.	10%
Final Research project	Detailed guidelines will be provided	40%
Autobiography	Detailed guidelines will be provided	5%
Literature review	Detailed guidelines will be provided	10%
Research design worksheet	Detailed guidelines will be provided	10%
Midterm assessment	Detailed guidelines will be provided	25%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance to class is mandatory.

Please note that more than 2 absences will automatically result in lowering your participation grade by one letter grade for each absence.
Anything above 6 absences will result in failing the course.

If you have a serious health problem which causes you to miss more classes than allowed here, please contact the Dean's Office.

Lateness: If unexcused, students more than 10 minutes late are marked as absent. Late arrival (less than 10 minutes) is marked as such, and 3 late arrivals are counted as one absence.

Class procedure: Use of cell phones and laptops affects your participation grade and is strictly forbidden during class. Please make sure that your cell phone is turned off (and not just muted) when class starts. Kindly note that any infringement of such policy shall automatically result in a F grade in participation.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Please refer to the Moodle page for information about schedule and class materials