LAR 112: Capstone Project The Western Heritages (LAR) sequence
culminates in the capstone project. The capstone project
encourages students both to reflect upon their experiences with
Western culture, Christianity, and liberal education, and to
continue their engagement with the philosophers, educators, and
artists who shape the conversation of humanity. Like the 4th
Hour Portfolio in LAR 111, the capstone project is largely an
independent one. Students should defer to the specific
guidelines set by their individual instructors. The capstone
project asks students write their own critical autobiographies.
A critical autobiography is one that uses the events of a
writer’s life as a springboard into an exploration of the larger
culture and the forces associated with it. One of the most
acknowledged practitioners of the form is Victor Villanueva,
whose description of critical autobiography follows: There must
be room for elements of autobiography, not as confession and
errant self-indulgence, not as the measure o