Monmouth College Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

Senior Project Guidelines for students in Religious Studies

Last updated 08/29/2001

The senior thesis in Religious Studies should be a substantive, critical, and original piece of work that draws upon extensive research on the topic of a student’s choosing, in conversation with the adviser(s).  Given the inherently interdisciplinary nature of the field of Religious Studies, it is natural for a senior thesis to have one (or more) orientations: historical, sociological, theoretical, theological, textual analysis, creative, etc.  Some general guidelines to keep in mind:

 

  1. The project should demonstrate familiarity with primary and secondary sources relevant to the topic, with appropriate citation (MLA style) and bibliography. In some cases, it may be appropriate to prepare an annotated bibliography.

 

  1. The project should show precise and organized writing. Spelling, grammar, and clarity will be evaluated as well as the structure and organization of the thesis.

  1. The process of writing the project includes the timely submission of multiple drafts over the course of the term. The specific timing and number of drafts will be arranged by the adviser and student. Substantive revision based on feedback is expected to take place between drafts.

 

  1. The process of writing will require regular meetings, preferably on a weekly basis, with the faculty adviser during the course of the entire term. The student should come prepared with an oral summary of what she or he has accomplished in the previous week, as well as a plan for the following week. This is an appropriate time to raise questions and concerns, and to get ideas for further reading and writing directions.

 

  1. Prior to the writing of the first draft, the student should turn in a written prospectus (1-2 pages) giving a brief summary of the project and general outline of the argument.

 

  1. The length of the final product will be determined by the nature of the project; as a guideline, the thesis should be approximately thirty pages in length.

 

  1. The project will be presented at the end of the term to a public audience, and this presentation will include a question-and-answer session with the adviser(s) and audience.

 SAMPLE TIMELINE (15 week term)

Weeks 1-3

Preliminary research

Generation of topic and thesis statement
Weeks 4-6 Research, writing of prospectus
Weeks 7-11        Writing of first draft
Weeks 12-15  Revisions/Presentation