Medical Humanities - Health Studies Program

The Capstone Course

Official Description

M495 Independent Project/Seminar in Medical Humanities and Health Studies (3 cr.)

Each student pursuing a minor degree in Medical Humanities and Health Studies who has completed at least 9 credit hours toward the degree will take a seminar or be given the opportunity to develop a research or applied project related to the interests of the Medical Humanities and Health Studies Committee. This seminar or project will allow the student to apply the knowledge gained from the course work taken in the Medical Humanities and Health Studies Program, serving to tie together the humanistic and social scientific bases of health care in a directed endeavor of interest to the student.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I meet the capstone requirement?

Usually, there are not enough students in need of the capstone at one time to hold a seminar. Students will do the "independent project" option instead. The project must be done under the direction of a faculty member, often someone with whom the student has taken a course.

How do I choose a topic of study?

The independent project should focus on a health problem or issue and tie together or utilize some of the medical humanities perspectives the student will have studied in previous courses for the minor. The project may arise from a paper previously written for one of these courses. Another possibility may be to assist a faculty member with an existing research project related to medical humanities.

What is the expected workload?

Students will meet with a faculty member to design the project, which must be equivalent to work required for a 3-credit course. For example, if the capstone takes the form of a research paper, it should be the depth of a 25 page paper, and may include some reading and discussion meetings with the instructor. The research for the paper could also come from assisting the faculty member with research or clinical work. In either case, the main requirement is that the student's work be equivalent to the workload for a typical 3 credit hour course.

How do I get credit for the capstone course?

When enrolled in MH495, the faculty member supervising the project must report the grade to the Medical Humanities office, so the grade will be processed properly. Sometimes the faculty member's department will offer an individual study course number or capstone course for which the student can register instead of MH495, but this must be approved in advance.

How can I learn more about planning a minor in Medical Humanities - Health Studies?

E-mail MH-HS Lead Student Advisor, Judi Izuka-Campbell

Contact Information
Medical Humanities - Health Studies Program
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
425 University Boulevard, Cavanaugh Hall Room 406
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140
(317) 274-4740

Medical Humanities - Health Studies Program

IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI IU School of Medicine

The Capstone Course

Official Description

Frequently Asked Questions

IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI
IU School of Medicine