BIS 499 CAPSTONE
University of Washington Bothell Highlights
Each essay uses examples from my coursework to illustrate how I have tackled and conquered the school of Interdisciplinary Arts and Science's (IAS) learning objectives which are listed under each title. The essays are available to be downloaded for viewing.
WRITING AND COMMUNICATION
IAS students develop their writing and communication abilities by advancing an awareness of the interconnected relationships between purpose, audience, author and context. They learn to communicate their purposes effectively to diverse audiences through writing, presentations, and other media, and to use a range of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, to develop ideas and support claims in ways that best serve their needs. As part of this process, they develop the ability to indicate clearly and self-reflexively the ways their specific acts of communication relate to the work of others.
COLLABORATION AND SHARED LEARNING
IAS students develop their collaboration and shared leadership abilities by learning to work with others to identify dimensions of a project, generate and refine ideas, follow through on the consequences of collective decisions, and pursue specific tasks without losing a sense of the whole. As part of this process, they learn to assess and draw on group members' diverse histories, strengths, and potential contributions. They develop skills in listening, mediating conflict, playing different roles, and reflecting on the outcomes of collaborative work. Students learn different ways of managing groups, communicating effectively and respectfully across differences, and reflecting critically and creatively on collaboration processes.
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING
IAS students develop their critical and creative thinking abilities by learning how to identify assumptions, and to work out how those assumptions inform results. They assess multiple perspectives, with an eye to understanding why and how they differ, and developing the capacity to engage in controversy productively. Students learn to identify central questions or concerns informing other work, and to develop their own work with an awareness of their own social positions and clear animating questions. Students develop a range of skills in interpretation, analysis, argumentation, application, synthesis, evaluation, and reflection.
DIVERSITY AND EQUITY
IAS students develop their ability to live and work within and across diverse communities composed of multiple intersecting identities. Learning from the lived experiences, creative expressions and intellectual perspectives of historically-marginalized groups, students recognize and name historical and cultural relationships between power, knowledge, and difference. They develop the confidence and skills needed to transform unequal relations of power ethically and self-reflexively in order to foster greater equity.
INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND INQUIRY
IAS students develop their ability to assess and conduct interdisciplinary research by engaging with and across multiple areas of knowledge and kinds of inquiry. They learn to think critically and creatively as they develop research questions, pursue them with appropriate sources and methods, and present results in a form suited to their purpose and intended audience. In this process, they learn to position their own work in relation to other research literatures and methods of inquiry, and in relation to relevant debates and diverse social contexts.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Katie Ward Annotated Bibliography:
Ward, K. (2020, December). BIS 300 Pilot Paper White Feminism. Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k0fB4n9Tig6v--ao-jzzG949TSXzsV0s/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
Writing that attempts to analyze some mainstream second-wave feminism texts, to understand how "white feminism" lacks the ability to acknowledge any other story than that of the upper-middle class, educated, cishet white Woman.
This was the first thing that I wrote as a student at UWB that wasn’t a small assignment. It shows how much I have grown as a researcher, as a writer, a student, and a person during my time as a Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies major. Comparing this to the writing that I have in my GWSS courses now, I can see how much I have learned, and how much better I am at understanding what I am learning. This is my growth from a Business major at community college, to a GWSS major at UWB.
Ward, K. (2021, August). BISSTA The Family in U.S. Society; Family Disability Rights: How U.S. Policies and Services Do Not Support the Disabled. Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gt5iyS_CtpiR1LTxKhBq_ktmxpc11sxP/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
Analyses the way that people with disabilities within the United States are denied access to having a family. The denial of children to disabled parents, lack of support provided, and denied the ability to have loving sexually romantic relationships with their spouse.
I was able to find an important topic that wasn’t covered in this class and bring light to it. I was comfortable saying that something was a missed opportunity. It was also one of the major assignments that led me to an independent research project about integrating disability studies into coursework.
Ward, K. (2021, August). Oh! Silly white Women: I was a monument to the patriarchy. Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GE6E_kp1LBk7nzZQC9TB4PWYassgowGV/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
Work completed during the Summer Institute of the Arts and Humanities (SIAH) at the University of Washington. An autoethnographic work describing the experience of once being a living monument actively working to uphold the patriarchal systems and oppressing Women, including oneself.
This was my first attempt at research and an opportunity that I selfishly used to analyze my own role as a cis white person within the United States. I aimed to use myself as a point of research to analyze my own internalized misogyny and how much personal growth I have experienced, and how much I will always have to actively take on. It was incredibly difficult to be this vulnerable, but also very freeing. It was the writing sample I shared in my grad school applications as well.
Ward, K. (2021, December). BIS 464 Topics in Advanced Cinema Studies; Queer and Trans Films; Final Paper Mysterious Skin. Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1il2OhqqMJGu8Hj60_OSzJAikFcXDKdvs/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
Film analysis of the 2004 Gregg Araki film based on the book of the same title. Ties together several themes used in the cinematography choices and connects them to the story of the characters. Grapples with intense topics including, sexual assault, drug use, sex work, HIV/AIDS, and pedophilia.
By far my favorite piece that I have ever written, and from a class that will have been forever looking at film differently. Mysterious Skin is a beautiful movie that was also incredibly difficult to write about. The topic of pedophilia is generally told from the abuser’s perspective, but this film follows two boys that were victims, and how they each remember and live with the aftermath of their assault.
Ward, K. (2021, December). BISGWS Approaches to Feminist Inquiry; Dismantling. Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1US1lURgeWXDcNn0ihkGsFlYQxlDTDD8g/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
Responses to a variety of quotes while combining multiple different writing styles. Includes analysis of the quotes and of the writer, through the use of journaling, poetry, and posing questions to the reader. This is accompanied by a memo.
Experimenting with writing styles that are not specifically academic has been a challenge and this piece was an effort to not only combine different writing styles, but to also not incorporate the dryness that I find in many academic works.
Ward, K. (2021, June). BIS 360 Pollinator Diversity and Conservation; Final Presentation . Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yJHtxT8nr3OUKayB6Uj6UNN6XfbX2UsV/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
A Google Slide presentation that shows the issues that occur in commercial farming methods, within the United States, and the negative impact on the native pollinator populations. Detailing solutions that aim to increase native bee habitats, farmer education, and government involvement to increase bee and other pollinators populations.
Learning about pollinators specifically in the Pacific Northwest was an incredible experience. I was able to put together a presentation with ideas to increase native bee populations around commercial farming. While the presentation is simple it was effective in explaining the needed changes and issues.
Ward, K. (2021, June). BIS 387 Women and American Literature Final Project. Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kX81P83OH1fDUEKoibPhtlOafqaL_uqb/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
A poem describing the experience of a young Woman as she begins to cultivate a relationship with feminism instead of the patriarchy as one who perpetuated the patriarchal systems. Accompanied by an artist's statement describing the experience of becoming a feminist in slightly more detail.
This poem was another example of me moving away from the standard academic essay writing, and began my thoughts around decolonizing academia, if that is even possible. It also created the spark of the idea that led to me previously mentioned work “Oh! Silly white Women:
I was a monument to the patriarchy”
Ward, K. (2021, March). BISGWS 301 Critical gender and Sexuality Studies; Final Grade Portfolio. Bothell; [Unpublished] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VZK9z_awAXRT1r_0VHHorxzZnRycoVBh/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113211158557558152975&rtpof=true&sd=true.
A response to five specific questions provided by the classes Professor Dr. Neil Simpkins, in an effort to show the level of comprehension of the topics covered in class. Additionally, a section for self-grading, to state the grade expected to earn, and why that should be the grade that is received.
A class experience that shifted my learning directly from processing data for a specific grade, to processing data to truly understand and expand, question, and critique it. Being able to display how much a student has personally grown, instead of measuring how close they are to an arbitrary expectation, is a much better grading system than historically used within academia. It also made me realize that there are many ways to push back against the systems of power. Intellectual activism is important and necessary.
Ward, K., Belmont, J., Ellinwood, R., Ellie Henry, Jenness, M., LaBelle, N., Locke, S., Quinn, T., Schnebele, E., & Wallace, J. (2021, May). 2021 LAFPIE Award. Bothell; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x7PVEWMUiiUonjddb72jE12TmD3GVoUx/view?usp=sharing.
The 2021 Leslie Ashbaugh Feminist Praxis in Education (LAFPUE) Award. Awarded to a group of students for work in one of the University of Washingtons BIS 490 Special Topics courses, this one focuses specifically on sexual assault and relationship violence (SARV). Specifically, around offering feedback to internal and external stakeholders around SARV prevention work being done on the campus.
This class was one of the most difficult experiences I have ever been in, but it opened my eyes greatly to the experiences that occur on college campuses across the country. I feel more prepared when thinking about safety on campuses, and the experience has impacted how I perform work as a student, and as a member of student government.