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91²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ
91²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ

Religion–Political Science

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Interdisciplinary Religion-Political Science major, a student will have demonstrated the ability to engage with a broad range of topics in Religion and Political Science, the ability to complete a sustained research project in the field, and the ability to present their work in writing and in discussion. Majors will be able to:

  1. Engage serious scholarly materials in religion and political science conceptually, theoretically, and methodologically:
    • Identify the problem an article addresses
    • Identify the contribution an article seeks to make
    • Identify the kinds of methodologies an article employs
    • Identify the discourse within religious studies or political science to which an article responding
  2. Execute and defend a significant independent research project that links political science and religion:
    • Formulate an interesting research question and articulate its importance
    • Develop and pursue a methodology appropriate to a research question
    • Develop and engage an appropriate bibliography and literature review
    • Collect relevant data in the case of empirical work
    • Recognize the limitations of the project’s argument
    • Contribute to the larger field
    • Independently investigate the topic with the support of an advisor
    • Respond appropriately to feedback 
  3. Analyze religious subject matter with appropriate respect for the material and the scholar’s place in relation to it
  4. Communicate work done
    • Write a clear and coherent document that is substantially longer than a traditional term paper or project and formatted in a style appropriate to the approach
    • Orally present, discuss and defend work done

The primary assessment tool for learning in the major at 91²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ and the level of student achievement in the major area is the senior thesis. The junior qualifying examination, which will be devised for each student by the religion-political science interdisciplinary committee, and which assesses a student's readiness for thesis, provides a second assessment tool.