IDIS 4004
Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone Seminar

If you have not already done so, please share the most up-to-date version of your capstone thesis proposal with me (which you created in IDIS 3004) by saving it to your shared folder. (If you took IDIS 3004 with Brad, then you already have a shared folder. If not, then Brad will create one for you.) Meet individually with Brad by Wednesday, July 15 by scheduling a meeting with me so that we can review your outline together and discuss your transition from the research/planning stage to the writing stage of your capstone thesis. This meeting is absolutely necessary for students that did not take IDIS 3004 with Dr. Bannon, but is optional for students who took 3004 with Brad this summer. Work individually on your thesis outline. Look over these sample capstone theses from some of my former students. (NOTE: You will only be able to access that folder if you are signed into your FSU account.) By the beginning of week 2, your outline should be complete and should be around 10-12 pages long and should be filled with direct quotations, notes, and summaries from AT LEAST 10 peer-reviewed sources, all of which should be properly cited in your bibliography following whichever style guide (MLA, APA, etc.) you have selected.

Write the first draft of your capstone thesis. As always, save the draft in your shared folder. Everyone is different, so follow your own process—but I encourage you to try to write the entire first draft in one or two days, if possible. If your notes and quotations are well organized and if your outline is around 10-12 pages, then writing the first full draft should hopefully go quickly and smoothly. If you need help, feel free to schedule a meeting with me anytime (but meeting with me is not required this week). Your first draft does NOT need to include the “conclusions” section. Again, every person is different, but I’ve found that it is usually best to write the conclusions section after you have started revising the first draft. Aim for 14 pages in addition to the cover page, abstract page, table of contents page, and bibliography. I recommend leaving the abstract page and table of contents pages blank for now. The conclusions section can also be left blank. But DO include a properly formatted bibliography (which you should have already created in IDIS 3004 but may need to update if you’ve added sources). Don’t stress over wording and phrasing, etc.—just try to get all of the sections written and focus on content. The first draft of your capstone thesis is due by midnight on Sunday, July 26. If you need an extra day or two, contact Brad.

Here is the capstone thesis formatting template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P5r3W7JcWWTWcq2nI3YKMywKH-SMnW2nPP6aMxdz8a8/edit?usp=sharing

Every student MUST meet with Brad individually this week. Please schedule your meeting now so that we can both plan accordingly. This meeting will probably last about one hour, so please plan for that and please be at a computer when we meet so that we can go through your draft together. My main focus will be on content, but I will usually have a list of things that you will need to address during your revisions, and we will begin to discuss your conclusions section. AFTER we meet, you should begin revising your draft and start working on your conclusions section.

Please continue steadily working on your revisions and especially on your conclusions section. Remember that your capstone thesis is not like other college essays you’ve written - it is the “capstone” on your degree program, so it should be the very best writing that you can do, which (for anyone!) requires numerous drafts and careful revisions. Now is the time to focus on phrasing and wording and vocabulary (in addition to grammar and paragraph structure and flow and style and formatting, etc.). Revise, revise, revise! It is not necessary to meet with Brad this week, but please know that I am always ready, willing, and able to help you, so please feel free to schedule an optional meeting with me anytime.

The last thing you should write is the abstract. In many ways, the abstract is the most important part of your capstone thesis because most people who encounter your capstone thesis will read the abstract and THEN decide whether to read the rest or not. It is usually the hardest part to write and it really needs to be written last. The abstract should be between 200 and 250 words and should fit on one page (double spaced, of course). It is a one-page summary of your entire thesis, from intro to conclusion. Generally speaking, it should not contain any quotes (though there are rare exceptions to this). It is perfectly fine (and common!!) for the abstract to include sentences that are included elsewhere in your thesis. I find that it is usually best to write a first draft that is a bit too long (300-400 words) and then edit it down. Give it your best shot and we can work on it together when we meet. For the Table of Contents, it is best to use the “styles” function and “insert Table of Contents” function (which is in both Word and Google Docs). If you don’t know how to do this, don’t sweat it: I am happy to walk you through it! If you have any problems adding the correct page numbers or formatting things, feel free to schedule a meeting with me, as always! I am happy to help.

Before you submit the final draft of your capstone thesis, make sure that it has all of the required elements, including the Title Page, Abstract page (page ii), Table of Contents (page iii), Body with subheadings (pages 1-16+) and properly formatted citations, and a properly formatting Bibliography following whichever style guide you chose.

Everyone must meet with Brad this week. This meeting is worth 30% of your grade for the semester. In most cases, this will be a low-stress, enjoyable discussion about the fantastic capstone thesis you have written!! I started requiring this “defense” for several reasons: (1) unfortunately, I’ve had a handful of previous students who submitted a capstone thesis that they did not, in fact, write (either because a family member or an Artificial Intelligence algorithm or even a hired professional wrote it for them). So, this meeting helps me ensure that you have written your thesis yourself. (2) Another reason I require this meeting is because you are college seniors who are about to graduate and it is critically important that you are able to speak intelligently about the thesis you have written. In job interviews or grad school interviews, etc., you are VERY likely to be asked the question “What is InterDisciplinary Studies?” In my opinion, you should always answer this question by discussing your capstone thesis. This final meeting with Brad should give you some practice answering that question. (3) This is a meeting where you and I can both reflect on your capstone writing experience (from research idea to final draft). If you have spent months researching, writing, and revising your capstone thesis, then the “defense” will simply be the cherry on top. Every student must meet individually with Brad AFTER you’ve submitted your final draft on Blackboard and NO LATER THAN Sunday, August 23, 2026.