Culminating a Cultivating Capstone Course

When I registered for my capstone course at Concordia College, I had no idea how Neurochemistry would challenge me, grow me, and excite me.
I came to Concordia with the intention to study Psychology and become a therapist after completing graduate school. Now halfway through my senior year, I will be graduating with a degree in Psychology, and I am hoping to be accepting to graduate programs for the fall. One unexpected adventure in my time at Concordia has been my pursuit of Neuroscience. It intrigued me to the degree that my interest turned into a double major, and my decision to complete my “capstone” course in Neurochemistry.
Despite my adequate training in the sciences studying Neuroscience at Concordia, I did not feel prepared for what Neurochemistry was going to expect of me at the start of this semester. I was even questioning the purpose of a capstone course as a requirement in our core curriculum. Yet, as I reflect on my semester in Neurochemistry, it is clear to me how it captured my interest while fulfilling Concordia’s Five Goals for Liberal Learning.
Instill a love for learning
Contrary to most science courses, Neurochemistry was discussion-based. All of my science courses have been predictable: show up to lecture and take notes, read the textbook and study, complete exams. The expectation at the beginning of neurochemistry was that all of us students would be responsible for our own learning.
Additionally, a lot of our class time was peer-taught, where students prepared material to share from their own study of the scientific literature.
I think these qualities of Neurochemistry helped me to become an independent learner. The very structure of the class helped me to be motivated to learn, and as a result I think my passion for learning increased.
Develop foundational skills and transferable intellectual capacities
The foundational skills in chemistry were very valuable to me as a student with relatively little chemistry knowledge. I appreciated the intensive learning about neurochemical pathways at the beginning of the course, and I have relied on that foundation throughout the semester.
Additionally, I have been amazed by how many times I have had opportunities to transfer the skills and knowledge I had gained to other areas. Every week our class heavily researched a different hot topic in science. Some examples are Autism Spectrum Disorder, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Since we heavily researched an array of common diseases, I was able to add insight to casual conversations with friends and family on the various topics. In addition, many conditions we learned about in class I have been able to see as a student intern at a community mental health center. Having the neurochemical knowledge has helped me to better grasp some of the issues people in our society are currently going through. And I cannot wait to continue employing what I know from Neurochemistry to my career in the helping profession.
Develop an understanding of disciplinary, interdisciplinary and intercultural perspectives and their connections
I was pleased to be a part of a class that was composed of students from a variety of disciplines. I felt pretty insecure in the beginning, knowing that my science competencies were not as high as other students. However, I learned to be confident in the unique perspectives I could provide to class.
All of the issues we discussed in Neurochemistry could not be simply examined by a single discipline’s perspective. Amidst our study of neuroscientific literature, we also talked about sociology, psychology, business, economics, and more as we tried to analyze every issue.
I saw the beauty if interdisciplinary cohesion through a Community Action Project, where Neurochemistry students partnered with Social Work students to make a difference in the community through one of the topics we studied in class. My group investigated anxiety on college campuses, and developed an intervention on our own campus. We planned a faculty workshop on addressing student anxiety and presented our knowledge to about 40 Concordia faculty and staff.
I don’t think our workshop would have been successful if it was just Neurochemistry students or just Social Work students. It was the collaboration of disciplines and strengths that made us succeed.
Cultivate an examined cultural, ethical, physical and spiritual self-understanding
I was surprised at how often my ethical understanding was challenged in this class. Ethical dilemmas arose in discussion on every topic. Our conversations were very healthy for our individual educational growth, but it was challenging at times to disagree with each other.
I regularly asked myself many questions. Is it possible that growing in knowledge can actually become not beneficial? What should we do with the knowledge we accumulate? What does helping people actually look like?
I didn’t receive much clarity on answers to these questions, and I learned to recognize that my understanding of issues is informed by my personal culture, ethics, health, and spirituality, so I need to be considerate and aware of how those aspects inform other people’s perspectives.
Encourage responsible participation in the world
I am a strong believer that in order to responsibly practice in any profession, one must be thoroughly informed. This class was incredibly informative, and I am certain that it will help me to be a more responsible and effective professional.
The structure of the class gave us students opportunities to practice individual discovery, intellectual discussion, and community education. All of these experiences encouraged our thoughtful and ethical participation in our class, on our campus, and in our community.
The growth, challenge, and excitement that I experienced from engaging in Neurochemistry was a blessing to me, and I think it enhanced my education to a degree that I don’t think I will fully know until I am in the professional world. I am thankful to be at an institution that cares about cultivating well-rounded, informed and responsible individuals.