Overview of Options (choose one):
• Independent Research Project An independent research project of 10,000 words, which involves an exploration of a social-political issue or event of global/transboundary significance. This year-long Capstone project would be supervised by a member of faculty from Global Affairs.
• Policy Report A 9,000-word policy report (+ 1,000-word executive summary) written as intended for an external organisation to address a particular need/problem/question it is facing and that ties back to the foci of the Global Affairs major. This year-long Capstone project would be supervised by a member of faculty from Global Affairs.
• Capstone by Coursework Two advanced (4000-level) electives offered through the Global Affairs major, each incorporating a substantial research paper.
All three options satisfy the Capstone requirement for an Honours degree at Yale-NUS.
All options are eligible for the Global Affairs Capstone prize.
Options 1 and 2: Independent Research Project and Policy Report
Students passionate about a particular research topic that they cannot pursue through coursework, and students interested in pursuing graduate school, are encouraged to take the independent research project option. In Semester 1, students must work with their supervisor to properly scope their Capstone projects to be more manageable, and ensure that their research question can be answered at the undergraduate level and within the span of 7-8 months of parttime effort. Students interested in more applied work that has real-world implications, who may not be interested in academic work or may not have a particular research question of their own, are encouraged to take the policy report option.
In the first semester, all students attend a fortnightly Capstone seminar. Development of the capstone project is also supported by regular (at least fortnightly) meetings with capstone supervisors throughout Semester 1. Students pursuing the Policy Report option will be expected to meet with their client organisation at least once to be briefed on essential background information. Both Capstone options culminate in an oral presentation of the student’s research proposal and written submission of the proposal, inclusive of a literature review and proposed research design, at the end of Semester 1. It is recommended that students plan to collect at least some of their data during this semester as well.
The second semester of the Capstone focuses on the data analysis and writing process. Students are expected to work independently with their supervisors in this semester. In March of Semester 2, students will be required to make a presentation of their full project, including their findings. For students pursuing the policy report option, client organisations will be invited to attend their presentation and give feedback. In early April, students will be required to submit their final Capstone paper. Again, students pursuing the policy report option will have their client organisation invited to give feedback on the final report. However, all formal assessments will be conducted by the student’s supervisor, Capstone seminar instructor, and second reader.
All students are expected to attend the fortnightly Global Affairs Capstone Seminar in Semester 1 and to meet regularly with their Capstone supervisor at least fortnightly in Semester 1 and Semester 2. Prior to each meeting, students should provide a written summary of recent activities and progress to their supervisor.
The final product should include a title page, table of contents, abstract, introduction, literature review, research design/methodology, data, results of analysis, discussion of implications and limitations, conclusion, and references. Appendices (if needed) will be at the end of the document. The independent research capstone option must not exceed 10,000 words. This 10,000-word limit includes all references, footnotes and endnotes, but excludes the Capstone title page, tables, and any supplementary material in appendices. The policy report Capstone option must not exceed 9,000 words. The 9,000-word limit includes everything: title page, references, tables, footnotes, endnotes, and appendices. There must also be a 1,000-word executive summary accompanying the policy report.
Option 3: Capstone by Coursework
Students interested in deepening their knowledge of particular subject domains that are already covered through existing courses available in the major, or who are not interested in pursuing year-long, independent research or policy report on a topic, would be encouraged to take this third option to satisfy their Global Affairs Capstone requirement.
The Capstone by coursework option will involve two 5Unit semester-long advanced research courses, both normally taken in the senior year. No more than one such course may be taken in any given semester in order to avoid overload and permit the focused research expected for a capstone course. By default, all 4000-level courses offered in the Global Affairs major will count towards the Global Affairs Capstone by coursework. Under certain circumstances, and with permission, a 5Unit 4000-level course in a cognate major, an advanced-level course taken on a semester abroad program during the senior year, or an advanced-level course offered at NUS, may fulfill the requirement so long as it involves substantial research and writing of a final paper of 5,000 words. In addition, students will be expected to make a public presentation of their research in some format, whether within a class setting to fellow students and the instructor, or in a wider public setting.
