Guided Capstone

Every student at Covenant creates a polished body of scholarly and/or creative work, referred to as the Capstone. The Capstone is the culmination of a rigorous and guided program of reflection, skills-training, and research designed to develop students' capacities for both disciplinary competence and faith-learning integration. The Capstone constitutes a demonstration of faithful learning and prime evidence of student readiness to move into successive arenas of work or further schooling.

During the first two years, classes in Covenant's Core Curriculum and foundational studies in major fields develop in students biblical and theological foundations along with key skills in writing, communication, and critical analysis. With significant guidance from faculty, the final two years are spent digging deeper into major content areas, honing discipline-specific research methods, refining discipline-specific communication skills, deepening theological insight and application, and, ultimately, developing and completing a Capstone project.

The Capstone project itself can take a number of different forms, including but not limited to laboratory research, recital performances, artistic exhibits, and oral or written presentations. In some fields, the Capstone project will be encompassed in a single product. In others, a portfolio of products will be appropriate. In either case, the Capstone will demonstrate both disciplinary expertise and integration of the major field with Christian faith. Specifically, the Capstone is designed to:

1. Ground students in biblical perspectives and equip them to apply these perspectives to the content, methods, and significance of the chosen capstone project, both implicitly and explicitly
2. Cultivate curiosity about the world in all its diversity by developing central concepts and structures necessary for faithful learning and living
3. Develop students who write with skill and clarity
4. Develop students who communicate orally with skill and clarity