Senior Essay
The senior essay is the capstone project of a Relgious Studies major. This paper is a 25-30 page essay on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the adviser upon receipt of a student's proposal by the end of the third quarter prior to expected graduation. The character and content of the essay, which is meant to allow the student to call into play knowledge and skills learned in the course of the major, may take several forms. For example, a student may return to a subject studied earlier but now pursued in more depth or from a new perspective, research a recent or new topic of interest in the field, or offer a carefully framed critical assessment of what has been learned in the major based on review of influential sources, theories, and methods of studying religion. The senior essay is read and graded by the student's adviser and one other member of the Religious Studies faculty.
Examples of previous essay titles are below:
God in Public School? Student Experience at a Christian Learning Center
We Choose the More Pleasant Thing! Comprehending Relgion and the Secular in the Films Life of Pi and Sausage Party
Confronting Gender Exclusion in the Catholic Church Through Iconography of the Virgin Mary
Three Accounts of Zhuangzi's Ideal Action
Evolving Perspectives on the Land of Israel in Bnei Akiva 1960
Mute Sign of Life: Rosenzweig and Heidegger on Mathematics and the Void
The Faces of God: A Source Critical Study of the Spies of Canaan Story
An Invisible Leader and Friend: Negotiating Expectations of the Dead Holy Man through Saint Martin and Medieval Tours