Student Research

Many of our majors and minors undertake research projects under the supervision of Religious Studies faculty members. We encourage students to take advantage of the opportunities for summer study offered by the Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (FURSCA). Many of our students have written honors theses based on original research and presented at the College's Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium. Some have gone on to present their work at the Midwest American Academy of Religion Conference, held annually in Chicago.

Here are some examples of recent research undertaken by Religious Studies students:

FURSCA Projects

• “Responding to the Hermeneutics of Suspicion in Christian Theology” Erica Dudas
• “The Effects of Forceful Takeovers on Religion in India and Greece” Christina Wade
• “Religious Studies and the Pro-Ana Movement” Sarah Hewitt
• “Christian Apologetics and Kantian Moral Influences” and“Evangelicals and Environmentalism” Jon Reynolds
• “From Martyr to Dragon-Slayer: The Myth of St. George” Steven Maisel
  
  

Honors Theses

• The Hermeneutics of Suspicion: A Critical View Using Feminist and Black Theology Erica Dudas
• "Casting Down Imaginations": An Exegetical, Romans-Based Response to "Religious Pluralism" Luke Myc
• Early North Indian Buddhism: Epigraphy and Architecture in the Extant Record Matt Milligan
• God Loving Liberals: Why the Religious Left Gets Left Out Meredith Whitehouse
• The Constitution and the Connection: The Relationship Between Early American Methodist Polity and American Democracy Joel Pier-Fitzgerald
• Toward an Ethical Faith: Affirming the Importance of Critical Questioning Concerning Religion Dianne Marshall
  
  

Midwest AAR Presentations

• "The Annunciation of Hope for Justice on Earth: The Feminist Response of Rosemary Radford Ruether to Karl Marx's Critique of Religion and the Hermeneutics of Suspicion." Erica Dudas
• “The Pineapple Story: Exploring the Use of Narrative in New Tribes Mission” Marci Nelson
• “Buddhism and the Matrix Trilogy” and “Early North Indian Buddhism: Epigraphy and Architecture in the Extant Record” Matt Milligan