The goal of the senior thesis is to give the student an integrative capstone experience of their major in religion.  The thesis provides an occasion for a creative overview and synthesis of one’s work across the major, and it lets a student exercise her or his independent research and writing skills in an area of religious studies.  Through regular meetings with a faculty adviser as well as less frequent meetings with the department and majors as a whole, theses facilitate conversation in and among student majors and the faculty about the research topic and its place within religious studies. 

The central tasks in the thesis project are
(1) The development of a clearly defined topic.  The thesis topic must be related to prior course work in the department, and it must take into account available resources, including faculty expertise and bibliographic possibilities.
(2) Formulating a significant point (or thesis statement) in regard to that topic.  The point must be of significance to the university community at large and students of religious studies in particular. You must take this audience into account in considerations relating to style, substance, and mode of argument.
(3) Discussing this point in an essay of 25 pages (maximum).  The discussion must display an awareness of the essay's intended audience and of the context in which it is being written.  This entails consideration of some of the problems within and approaches to the study of religion encountered in Religion 210.
Toward the realization of these goals the following work will be submitted for evaluation: 
·        At the end of the Fall term: an Annotated Bibliography  and a thesis Prospectus. 
·        Near the end of Winter term: completed thesis
·        During Spring Term: an oral defense of the thesis in the presence of the faculty and all student majors; attendance at the defense of your student colleagues in the major is required.
      Students who wish to receive Honors on their theses are expected to write a longer paper (40-50 pages) and pass a set of comprehensive examinations in the spring term.  Excepting the length, the paper itself should conform to these same expectations.  Details of the examination process can be found on the Rel. 493 webpage.

Read  General Procedures

Religion 431 (1 credit) -- Senior Thesis Preparation (Fall Term)
     Syllabus

Religion 473 (3) -- Senior Thesis Seminar (Winter Term)
     Syllabus

Religion 493 (3-3) -- Honors Thesis (Fall and Winter Terms)
     Special requirements