Introduction

The capstone project is the final requirement for the Narrative Studies major. It is a cumulative research project that draws upon the classes you have completed for your major.

The core of the project is a critical essay of at least 20 double-spaced pages on a research question of your choice. Your project may incorporate significant creative work as well, which could take the form of a free-standing narrative in a format you have already done classwork in (e.g. short story, play, screenplay) or the form of a more blended “creative-critical” essay. Each capstone project is unique because it follows your unique blend of interests and narrative skills.

Refer to the Capstone Requirements Info Sheet (PDF) for details.

Presentations

All ENGL-492 students present their capstone projects at the end of the semester. Guests, including other faculty, classmates, and students’ families and friends, are all invited to attend.

Past Projects

  • Denise Abille
    “Kusina: A Memoir”

    Aanya Agarwal 
    “Memory in Hiding: Palimpsestuous Unfolding of Language and Memory”

    Solange Aguero 
    “Queerness in Armenia(n): Making Space within a Nation Family”

    Andrea Arcia 
    “Before I Had a Name: A Memoir of Trauma”

    CeCe Benyam
    “From Berlin to Bandung”

    Camryn Brewer
    “Porch Stories and Streetlights: On the Spatial Structures of Black Storytelling Traditions”

    Alex Cardona
    “The Mailroom: Corporate Workplace Theatre in the 21st Century”

    Alice Dong
    “Dangai Web-Based TV Series in China Today: Suppression, Female Perspective, Cultural Circulation in East Asia”

    Morgan Fierro
    “Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Anthology”

    Sophia Hammerle
    “No Tree in Particular: A Field Guide to Delight”

    Stella Horns
    “Reinterpreting Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    Adeline Jackson
    “The Magic Lantern, a Los Angeles Odyssey”

    Sol Lagos
    “City of Angels: Unrequitedly Loving Los Angeles within the Sensuous Poetics of Wanda Coleman”

    Noah Lunn
    “Burnout Sucks!: Series Bible”

    Jana Mae 
    “The Queen of Filipino Fabrics: Piña textile as a form of nationalism in the Philippines”

    Allen Manoukian
    “1950s Cinema: America and France”

    Janelle Nwakuche
    “I Hate Your Space: A Story About Love”

    Frank Perazzini
    “Out of Bounds: Deconstructing Hegemonic Masculinity Within Southern Family Structures”

    Kayla Quevedo
    “Romance Novels: Why They’re Loved Despite the Stigma”

    Krystana Raczka
    “I’m Just a Girl: Confessions of a Romantasy Hater”

    Adam Soukup
    “Authors of the Anthropocene: Climate Change Narratives and You”

    Keaton Tracy
    “Moonjacket, a New Play: Dreams in Space, and a Space for Queer Comfort”

    Juno Wolfe
    “Romantasy Fantasies – Gender, Sexuality and Popular Feminism in the work of Sarah J. Maas”

  • Haley Valdez
    “If nothing else, I leave you this: Love Letters on Gender Performance, Queerness, and Not Knowing”

    Isabella Escalona
    “Unsent – The Letter Project: A Field Guide to Being Human”

    Jillian Gorman
    “Through the Cracks: Environmental Scars in the City of Angels”

    Kai Pompey
    “Match of Rivals: How the parties of the American Government brew conflict”

    Alex Kwon
    “Removed: Human Alienation in the Age of Digital Communication”

    Honor Campbell
    “The Unreliable Narrator: An unreliable theory”

    Joshua Garberg
    “The Healing Art of Time and Memories in Graphic Memoirs”

    Victor Peralta
    “Chicané Film”

    Alan Enriquez
    “On the Verge of Fame: A Narrative in Fashion”

    Isabelle Barroga
    “‘Drive To Survive:’ The Survival of F1 Through Narrative”

    Courtney Hayata
    “In Defense of the Unoriginal: Adapting Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Era”

    Jack Kleiner
    “Rewinding the Narrative: Blockbuster’s Fall and the Narrativization of History”

    Jackson Jeffers
    “Sound on Paper: An Exploration of Music in Prose”

    Khalil Siddeeq
    “An Exploration of Accurately Depicting Trauma in Popular Media”

    Erin Beam
    “Marlee and Me: d/Deaf Representation in the Entertainment Industry”

    MJ Kennebeck
    “My Past As Reader, My Future As A Writer”

    Akin Gruner Domic
    “Narratives of Nature: A Personal and Environmental Exploration”

    Olivia Kuhn
    “My Little Corner of Stars Hollow: My Life Through Gilmore Girls

    Pardis Eslamieh
    “Real and Imaginary Contemplations On Lana Del Rey”

    Daniela Magana
    “Me, Now: Animal Crossing, Realism, and the Self”

    Alexander Pratt
    “Adapting to Adapting Life”

Contact Us

USC Department of English

Taper Hall of Humanities 404
3501 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354
213-740-2808

english@dornsife.usc.edu

Hours of Operation

Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Hours may be adjusted for university holidays.

Department Leadership

Department Chair
Dana Johnson
danajohn@usc.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies
Bea Sanford Russell
sanfordb@usc.edu

Director of Graduate Studies
Ashley Cohen
ashleylc@usc.edu