The Capstone Research Requirement
All Health and Societies majors and Science, Technology and Society majors must complete a research project during spring of junior year or fall of senior year. The Capstone research requirement is central to the design of both the STSC and HSOC programs. Planning and pursuing a serious original research project is the most rewarding and demanding academic task most undergraduates undertake, and it represents the culmination of the coursework in their major. To successfully complete the Capstone research project requires serious thought and careful planning.
How to fulfill the Capstone research requirement:
1) The requirement may be fulfilled in any of the following ways
(a) Completion of a 400-level HSOC or STSC seminar (this means any course designated as an HSOC or STSC course, including courses cross-listed from other departments at the 400-level). All of these courses include a substantial research component.
- OR -
(b) Completion of HSOC/STSC 420 (limited enrollment, by application only, first priority goes to students writing senior theses). Students pursuing thesis projects generally enroll in HSOC/STSC 420 in the spring semester of their junior year and for HSOC/STSC 498 (independent senior thesis research and writing) in the fall of their senior year.
- OR -
(c) Research undertaken as part of an outside internship or job under the supervision or sponsorship of a Penn faculty member. Students will register for HSOC or STSC 499 (independent study). Proposals must be approved in advance of the internship or research job and not after the fact. The final product for this Capstone option may take one of various forms, including:
- A research paper, in the model of a scholarly article or honors thesis
- A review essay or literature review
- A grant proposal
2) The Capstone research requirement must be fulfilled in either the spring term of junior year or the fall term of senior year. Students who plan to write a senior thesis (a requirement for the honors degree) are expected to enroll in HSOC/STSC 420 in the spring semester of their junior year.
3) The course in which the capstone research requirement is fulfilled may not “double count” toward any other part of the major (in-department requirements or concentration requirements). For example, if a student fulfills the capstone research requirement through HSOC 430 (“Disease and Society”) that course may not count toward any other part of the major.
Please note: 400-level capstone courses are open for all students. They are not exclusively for capstone students. Students may take a 400-level course even if they are fulfilling their Capstone Research Requirement in another 400-level course, or if they are taking 420 and 498 to fulfill the capstone and write an honors thesis.
