Honors Capstone Seminars
Honors Capstone Seminars (HNRS 4461) are for graduating seniors only. As part of the Honors requirements, students are required to enroll in one capstone seminar during their senior year.
The goal of the Honors Capstone Seminar is for students to bring what they have learned in their time at Cal Poly to critically evaluate a topic from an interdisciplinary perspective. Seminar topics will vary depending on faculty expertise. All seminars will provide the following opportunities for students:
- Opportunity for students to approach a topic from varying disciplines or perspectives
- Opportunity to engage in productive group discussion
- Opportunity to work in interdisciplinary teams
- Opportunity to present their teamwork (e.g. group presentations, student-led discussions)
Fall 2026
Far from being “just a game,” sport is a central cultural institution that shapes ideas about identity, authority, and belonging. Who gets to be involved in the world of sports? How do these decisions get made? This seminar examines how sports media construct, police, and circulate ideas about gender, authority, and legitimacy. From broadcast commentary and highlight reels to social media discourse and locker room controversies, students will analyze how women athletes, coaches, journalists, and fans are framed within historically male-dominated spaces. The course explores issues of representation, backlash, commercialization, race, sexuality, and digital self-branding, asking how media both challenge and reinforce systems of power. Students will analyze broadcast commentary, viral media moments, advertising campaigns, and digital platforms to understand how women in sport are portrayed and evaluated.
Spring 2027
(Details will be posted soon)
