Religion 410
Religion 410
Senior Research Seminar
J. W. Aageson
General Course Description and Expectations:
The research seminar in religion is conceived of as a capstone course for religion majors and minors. It should allow participants to build upon previous study in the field of religion. Specifically, the seminar provides participants with the opportunity to formulate questions/topics for investigation and then to design and carry out research projects in the field of religious studies. The nature of the course as a seminar means, further, that participants have the responsibility and benefit of conversation with others who are investigating related topics or questions. Thus, the seminar is designed to further the development of the practice of scholarly investigation and conversation.
Students in the seminar will be expected to:
- Contribute to informed collaborative investigation of the topic
- Produce a 25 page research paper that represents original work related to this topic
- Provide feedback assessing the shape and content of the religion department major
2006 Seminar Topics:
This year’s senior seminar for religion majors will focus on the Aegean Basin and the religious phenomena associated with that region in the early centuries of Christianity as well as the religious trajectories that emerge from that part of the ancient world. Many of the religious phenomena associated with the ancient Aegean basin have given rise to theological, ecclesiastical, and intellectual issues that have developed and persisted into later periods of the church. Some have affected modern Christianity as well as the wider world. We might think of the following people or features of the ancient Aegean:
Revelation and Apocalypticism Bishops, Elders, Deacons
Apostle Paul Woman in the early church: Thecla
Christianity’s encounter with the Greek culture Early Christian Martyrs
Jesus in the Greek world Gentile Christianity
Montanism Diaspora Judaism
Marcionism and Gnosticism Formation of the NT canon
Ignatius of Antioch Church and State
Archaeology The urban church
Healing and Early Christianity Cultural and religious diversity
Your research project, in consultation with the instructor, is to be drawn from these and other related types of issues derived from them.
The major requirement of the seminar is a paper that is the product of sustained, thorough and disciplined investigation of a specific topic related to the general topic of the seminar. The success of such an investigation depends upon the careful articulation of the project proposal, the clear statement of a thesis, the judicious selection and use of primary and secondary sources, and the revision of work as the investigation proceeds. Good research, good scholarship and good writing require time and an orderly procedure. Deadlines for the submission of proposals, bibliographies, thesis statements and outlines are designed to facilitate good planning and clear thought and to provide opportunity for feedback from students and the instructor.
Instruction will be provided on how to access primary and secondary sources on the topic suitable to the scholarly study of religion. The research-writing process will be part of the weekly class discussion. The research paper will be expected to conform to the formatting and documentation used in the field of religious studies (consult Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996).
Basic Groundrules:· Anticipation: Writing flows from conversation. That conversation not only occurs within the mind of the writer, but in dialogue with other students and with the instructor. You are encouraged to share your ideas with other students in the seminar and to solicit feedback from one other. You are also invited to consult with the instructor as you proceed through the writing process. Plan ahead, though, don’t wait until the hour before class to attempt to get clarity on a written assignment due that evening.
· Attendance: Weekly attendance for the whole class period or private appointment is a given. More than one absence will result in the lowering of the total course grade for each absence.
· Timeliness: Proposals, drafts and final versions of the paper are to be submitted at the time indicated on the syllabus. Late submissions will be lowered one grade per day beginning right after the due date and time established in the syllabus.
· Academic Integrity: Students are to be trustworthy and honest in completing course assignments. Violations of academic integrity include cheating, plagiarism, falsifying information, and facilitating someone else’s violation. These violations are defined in Academic Integrity at Concordia College, pp. 11-13.
Students who are detected violating academic integrity will receive a zero for the assignment. No make-up is possible. The violation will be reported to the Academic Dean’s Office and the offender placed on probationary status for one year. Neither carelessness nor ignorance of the rules guarding against plagiarism is excusable. Two on-line sources for guidance and practice in properly citing the work of others are the Jacobson Writing Center at Smith College (http://www.smith.edu/jacobsoncenter/writinghandout12.html) and the section on “Citing Sources” in the “Guide for Writing Research Papers based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation” prepared by the Humanities Department and the Arthur C. Banks, Jr., Library, Capital Community College, Hartford, Connecticut (http://cctc.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml#).
Assessment Criteria25% Participation: Each student is expected to contribute to the collaborative consideration of the theme. Participation is based on
(1)evidence of knowledge of and reflection upon the material
(2) contributions to class discussion (e.g., insights, questions, additional information, alternative proposals) that assist in the group’s collective consideration of the subject
(3) constructive comments on the paper drafts prepared by other seminar participants.
(4)oral descriptions on September 12, 19, and October 3 will be counted as part of the participation grade
15% Research: The final paper for the seminar is dependent upon informed reflection and timely progress on an individual research topic.[1] Careful shaping of a topic, development of a thesis, and clear articulation of that thesis are crucial early steps. From these steps a preliminary outline can be developed and source material can be searched.
Project preparation: The short papers on September 19, 26, October and 10
will be graded under this category. In addition, on October 3 submit a 3-4 page progress report on your research, including an annotated bibliography (containing at least 8 items--a combination of books and articles) that you will be using in your paper, a thesis statement (one declarative sentence), and a topical outline of the argument you intend to make, indicating how the items on your initial bibliography fit into that argument. Include a paragraph or two indicating how your research will progress from this point (e.g., other books or articles that you still need to read). In class on September 26, you will prepare for this assignment by presenting 5-7 minutes description of your emerging project and the questions that you are asking about the project.
60% Writing:
20% First full draft and discussion: Papers will be discussed during class on , November 7, 14, and 28. A draft of your paper that is readable and complete enough to make sense to others needs to be turned in by 3:00 the Thursday before your paper is up for discussion. A copy for each student in the seminar will be available by 10:30 on Friday morning. Students are responsible for picking up their copy of the papers after 11:00 on Friday or on Monday before 4:30 p.m.
Each paper will be scheduled for 20-30 minutes of discussion. Each author should be prepared to make some concise remarks about their research and the direction of the paper. Based on their advanced reading of the paper each class member should be prepared to engage in conversation about the paper, offering suggestions for improvement and commending strengths.
Plans for Revision: These should be presented to the instructor on November 14, 21, or December 1.40% Final Version: The final version of your paper is due by 4:30 on December 1 (groups 1 & 2) or 5 (group 3). Submit a printed copy to the Religion Department Office. Submit an electronic copy with your name removed to the dropbox on the angel web-site.
The paper will be graded on:
· the quality and appropriate use of research
· the clarity and originality of the thesis
· the strength of the argument (i.e., use of evidence and construction of argument)
· the clarity of writing
· conformity to the standards of formatting and documentation
Contribution to Religion Department Assessment:
College accreditation procedures require departments to assess the effectiveness of their major. This is not an assessment of the research seminar itself, except as a component of the major program, and it is not an evaluation of individual instructors. It is a reflection on the program. From this feedback the department wishes to hone an even better program. For this purpose, participants in the senior seminar can expect
(1) to be asked to provide feedback on a questionnaire about your overall experience in the department
(2) to be invited to a conversation with department faculty about your experience in the department
(3) that your paper may be read by other members of the department. This will be a blind reading, that is, department members will have copies of your papers without your names on them. Their perspective will be that of the department and their questions will be about how well the department has done teaching you to engage the questions and issues proper to religious studies and to express your arguments and views in a clear and informed manner.
Religion Honors:
Excellence in the research project for this course along with a departmental and overall GPA consistent with honors are major considerations in awarding Religion Honors. Papers submitted for this course may receive a blind reading by other department faculty to aid in the determination of truly excellent work.
JWA: Current projects:
Final editing of my book, Paul, the Pastorals and the Early Church
Library of Pauline Studies Hendrickson Press
Invited presentation to the ELCA Convocation of Teaching Theologians in August
2006: “Justification by Faith and the Biblical Scholars Craft”
Forthcoming as an article in a book by Kirkhouse Press
Forthcoming article: “The Pastoral Epistles and The Acts of Paul: A Multiplex Approach
to Authority in Paul’s Legacy,” Lexington Theological Quarterly Review
I am currently co-editing a book on The Future of the Lutheran Tradition in a Global
Context Augsburg/Fortress Press forthcoming 2007
I have recently complete three book reviews:
The Conversion of the Imagination: Paul as Interpreter of Israel’s Scripture by
Richard B. Hays for Trinity Seminary Review (forthcoming).
Romans in Full Circle: A History of Interpretation by Mark Reasoner
For Dialog (forthcoming)
Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies by Craig Evans For the Catholic
Biblical Quarterly (forthcoming)
I hope in the near future to get a project off the ground on Philippi and the Epistle to the Philippians.
Seminar Outline:
Week 1—September 5
Introduction to the seminar, procedures, and research topics
1. Interpretation
2. History
3. Comparison
4. Construction
Week 2---September 12Planning your projects
Read: The Craft of Research, pp. 3-16, 40-74
Write: 1-2 page paper
a. Describe the religion courses you have taken
b. Describe your interests in the study of religion
5-7 minute oral descriptions of your intellectual biography
Week 3---September 19
Planning research topics
Write a 1 page statement (no more) for a proposed topic
a. area of interest
b. questions to be addressed
c. critical problems to be addressed
5-7 minute oral descriptions
Week 4---September 26
Sources and bibliography
Read: The Craft of Research, pp. 75-105
Write a preliminary annotated bibliography
a. cite sources (at least 8)
b. give brief descriptions of the content and argument of each source
Week 5---October 3Making your argument
Read: The Craft of Research, pp. 114-181
Submit a 3-4 page progress report on your research, including an annotated bibliography (containing at least 14 items--a combination of books and articles) that you will be using in your paper, a thesis statement (one declarative sentence), and a topical outline of the argument you intend to make, indicating how the items on your initial bibliography fit into that argument.
5-7 minute oral descriptions
Week 6---October 10
Introductions and conclusions
Read: The Craft of Research, pp. 222-240
Write a draft of an introductory paragraph
Week 7---October 16 or 17
Private meetings
Bring updated progress reports with you
Week 8---October 24No class (work on projects). I will be available for conferences
From 7-10 pm that evening
Week 9---October 31
The Aegean Basin revisited: questions, problems, and prospects for the
study of early Christianity
J. W. Aageson will lead the discussion
Week 10---November 7
Preliminary drafts due (group one)
Oral presentations and discussions (the arguments, the problems and the
prospects for the project)
Week 11---November 14
Preliminary drafts due (group two)
Oral presentations and discussions (the arguments, the problems, and
prospects for the project)
Week 12---November 21Week 13---November 28
Preliminary drafts due (group three)
Oral presentations and discussions (the arguments, the problems, and
prospects for the project)
Final Papers Due (groups one and two)
Week 14---December 5What have we learned about Religion? Christianity? Other religions?
What have we learned about the interpretive, historical, comparative, and
constructive categories?
Final Paper Due (group three)
Week 15---December 13
Sessions with Religion Department faculty
[1] Though only 15% of the grade is assigned to the “research” portion of the course, these assignments are foundational to success on the “writing” portion of the course.
JAMES W. AAGESON
