Research and Scholarly Capstone – RLGN 490

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course is designed to allow students in an undergraduate program within the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity to utilize culminated skills and insights acquired during their course of study. The importance of personal, spiritual formation will be explored. Emphasis is placed upon research and writing skills within the context of biblical theology as well as in the production of presentations that will contribute to the ministry contexts of each student. This helps ensure that key ideas from undergraduate School of Divinity programs are mastered and that opportunities are presented for the student to put these concepts into practice.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The goal of this capstone course is to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate competency with regard to what they have learned in this degree program. Assessments will evaluate both spiritual and academic development as well as provide opportunities to put into practice what has been learned. 

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will create a 300-350-word thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must demonstrate course-related knowledge and critically interact with relevant sources. In addition, the student is required to submit one reply of 100-200 words to the threads of his or her classmates. (CLO: B)

Reflective Reading Assignments (3)

The student will engage the textbook, With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God, as a means of facilitating personal reflection and application of principles as they relate to one's view of God. The student will provide a minimum one-paragraph (4-6 sentence) response to each assigned question. (CLO: C)

Research Paper Assignments (5)

Research Paper: Bibliography Assignment

The student will submit a complete bibliography consisting of at least 10 academic, research-related sources. Of these sources, 3 must be reference works. The remaining sources must be a combination of books, published articles, and journal articles that are directly related to the paper thesis. General Internet articles are not permitted. The bibliography must be in current Turabian format. (CLO: A, B, D)

Research Paper: Foundational Elements Assignment

The student will submit a simple proposal that will serve as a guide and provide a framework for the research process. The assignment will identify the research topic, provide an opening introduction to the paper, articulate a clear thesis statement, and share a tentative outline of points. (CLO: A, B, D)

Research Paper Assignment

The Research Paper must be written and formatted as a finished product. The body of the paper must be 10-12 pages in length, include at least 10 acceptable sources, and be formatted according to current Turabian specifications. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)

Research Paper: PowerPoint Presentation Assignment

Utilizing the PowerPoint platform, the student will create a presentation composed of 10-20 slides that could potentially be used as a visual during a presentation of the research. Slide design features should be utilized in order to create a polished, professional, and compelling presentation. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

Research Paper: Corrections Assignment

The student will take all professor feedback from the Research Paper into consideration and submit a corrected revision that fully incorporates all recommended changes. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

Key Concepts Assignment

After reading the assigned chapters from The Key to Everything textbook, the student will choose to complete one of three templates. Each template option contains the same requirements but takes a different form. In each case, the student must identify three key quotes from the textbook and then write a substantive paragraph (4-6 sentences) explaining why each of those is significant. The first quote must be related to research; the second quote must be related to character; and the third quote must be related to the student’s future hopes and dreams. (CLO: C)