1. A stone which caps or crowns:
a. the top-stone. Also fig.
1685 tr. B. Gracián y Morales Courtiers Oracle 150 Here is the fair
occasion..to put the cap-stone upon his other perfections.
2. An alternative to a traditional thesis; a project which integrates theory with praxis, allowing the student to create materials which reflect how her degree has prepared her to become a more insightful reader, writer, and educator.
2013 Georgetown English Department Website The capstone course will guide students through the development of an academic portfolio based on previous coursework, a portfolio that best captures each student's intellectual or professional concentration.
2. The Search
So is a capstone simply a crowning achievement? Or, like the Georgetown definition seems to suggest, is it something much more complex? With my interest piqued, I did a quick image search of "capstone" to see if a picture might shed light on my confusion. I found the following:
Capstone, n.
/ˈkæpstəʊn/
Some musings in which I briefly give the definition of a capstone and argue that it should be called something else entirely.
1. The Definition
Intrigued to find out what a capstone actually was, I turned to the Oxford English Dictionary, arbitrater of all definitional disputes:
If you're only interested in the basic definition of a capstone, feel free to return to my project now. Or, keep reading to find out why I think "capstone" doesn't mean what we think it means.
"Setting the Capstone of the Washington Monument"
If nothing else, this picture convinced me that there is a better word than "capstone" for my project. I love this image for its absurdity--after all of the work that went into building the Washington Monument, the final stone is just so...small. It seems ornamental and unnecessary, not integral to the construction of the monument (although it does complete the lines nicely).
3. The Alternative
Sticking with the architectural metaphor, I would suggest that "keystone" is a better word for a project that reflects on previous work, integrates and synthesizes it into new forms, and looks towards future opportunities. Here are two more pictures to illustrate my point:
The keystone is the crucial piece to completing any arch--it bears the weight and allows the arch to stand on its own. The keystone is not ornamental--it is fundamental to the successful completion of the arch or bridge.
The keystone in this image allows the bridge to span the valley.
Without being maudlin, I love the second picture because it provides a beautiful visual metaphor. Like the keystone in the bridge, the keystone project allows students to confidently span the gulf between their past and future experiences.
4. Conclusion
While I will continue to use "capstone" to describe my project throughout this website, I hope my argument for "keystone" will give you a framework to understand my approach to this project. I know that this project has been a "keystone" as it helped me draw critical connections between my work in the MA program at Georgetown and my future career goals as a teacher.
