When economics and international relations senior Jonah Nelson saw “20-page paper” on the syllabus, he was anything but excited — until the professor introduced an unconventional twist.
When I first saw “20-page capstone paper” on the syllabus for my comparative politics capstone course, I can’t say I was excited. The assignment felt far beyond anything I’d written before. But Darin Self, political science professor at Brigham Young University, takes a unique approach to the study of political ontologies that sparks genuine enthusiasm for writing, grappling with difficult political concepts, and receiving mentorship.
Turning Obligation Into Curiosity
For me, the course reshaped how research felt, turning obligation into curiosity. In Self’s course, students select a work of fiction — be it a book, TV show, or movie — and analyze each of the political concepts introduced in class through their choice. From this, students also derive a research question and take their author’s implicit theories and test their validity in the real world in a capstone research paper. In each class, students share evidence of concepts, including coalitions, institutions, and political agency from their works of fiction. I saw firsthand how this concept allows the classroom to quickly become collaborative as we had practical discussions about political theory in dystopian works such as The Hunger Games, The Giver, and Ender’s Game.
Using fiction cured my apprehension. My reluctance was converted into excitement and understanding, as I was able to leverage contexts that I was already familiar with. However, this was not the end of my story. I struggled to clearly articulate a theory that would drive my research, and I had a hard time feeling confident with my own ideas. When I needed guidance, Self was available in regular one-on-one meetings throughout the semester, office hours, and for in-class mentorship. One day, I sat with him in his office talking through viable ideas and clearing up some misconceptions about the concept of political agency. I learned that political agency can be used to explain situations where individuals make choices that cannot be rationally explained and I used that concept as a building block of my theory.
Building Piece by Piece
Even with guidance, the project didn’t come together in a single moment. It took consistently pushing myself out of my comfort zone. For example, learning to apply a “most similar” analysis expanded my research skills. In my paper, I chose to analyze the influence of agency of leaders and colonial outcomes in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I needed to find real-world comparisons. When I suggested using the example of King Leopold in my paper, as he sought colonization like a leader in Avatar, Self said that it was an appropriate case, but urged me to find some other monarch that had similar constraints but acted substantially differently due to personal characteristics. This feedback didn’t immediately clear up my confusion, but I continued amidst uncertainty until I found another comparable example: Otto von Bismarck. He was in a similar position of power in foreign policy as King Leopold, but Bismarck opposed colonialism. Once I found the comparison, everything clicked as I could see how two similar situations with one difference could create a convincing argument.
I know firsthand that the prospect of a capstone paper can feel overwhelming. On the topic, Self emphasized, “I understand that a capstone paper is intimidating, but it is the center of the class. We build it piece by piece, and I work with each student to improve the paper as we go. Rather than focusing on the size of the paper and thinking that it's too difficult, think about breaking down a paper into several smaller writing assignments that are far easier to do.”
This approach and mentorship truly did take the class from intimidating to manageable. This change has inspired me to work on publishing some of my research as I continue to pursue additional research opportunities. I know that the analytical skills I’vecultivated will pay dividends in everything from writing in-depth reports to evaluating complex problems in my future career. Before this experience, I would’ve assumed that I didn’t have the skills to perform this level of research. What I’ve learned is that large projects come together one step at a time, my professors will help me succeed, and that when I select a topic I care about, research becomes an opportunity to build something meaningful.
