Religious Studies

In its Honors Program the Religious Studies program awards Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors to student research projects. The projects listed below have been defended successfully, and a copy of the thesis deposited in Swem Library.

Key:

Student, "Thesis" (Honors level)
Committee Chair + Other Committee Members

2019-2020

Christopher Ahrens, "A By-Letter Comparison of the Andalusian and Maghrebi Calligraphic Scripts" (Honors)
Patton Burchett + Faraz Sheikh, Stephen Sheehi
Jessica Wakelin, "Fighting for Religious Freedom; Muhammad Ali and His Battle Against the U.S. Supreme Court" (Honors)
Annie Blazer + Faraz Sheikh, Philip Daileader

2018-19

Kathryn Eckler, "Christianity During Times of Crisis: The European Refugee Movement"
Michael Daise + Alexander Angelov, Mary Fraser Kirsh, Jennifer Gully
Thomas Rubino, "The Theological Thesis: Theology's Role in Western Epistemology"
Alexander Angelov + Kevin Vose, Jessica Stephens

2017-18

Brittany Acors, "Children of the Bible: American Protestantism, "A Formula of Agreement," and the Twentieth-Century Ecumenical Movement" (Highest Honors)
Alexander Angelov + Marc Raphael, Christopher Grasso

2016-17

Meghan Downey, "Complicating Care: Relationship Building in New Student Orientation" (High Honors)
Annie Blazer + Patton Burchett, Sarah Menefee
Abigail MacMillan, "How Some Islamic Monarchies Use Religious Ideology to Maintain Domestic Control and Exert Regional Influence: a comparative study of Morocco and Saudi Arabia" (Honors)
Paul Stein, "Is Q Necessary? A Source, Text, and Redaction Critical Approach to the Synoptic Problem" (High Honors)
Michael Daise + Alexander Angelov, Barbette Spaeth

2015-16

No Honors students this year

2014-15

Somayah Allibhai-Mawani, "Discovering What Lies Below: the Exploration of William & Mary’s Crypt Under the Chapel" (High Honors)
Mark McLaughlin + Annie Blazer, Carl Lounsbury and Elizabeth Mead

2013-14

Andrew Anderson, "Democratic Activism and Partitioned Space in Online Muslim Communities" (High Honors)
Tamara Sonn + Jonathan Glasser, John Eisele
Lindsey Neimo, "Faith-Based Foundations of Social Justice: Where Learning and Life Converge" (High Honors)
Marc Lee Raphael + Anne Blazer, Inga Carboni
Zachary Woodward, "Discordia in Concordia: The Two-Step Development of the Post-Gratian Gloss and the Emergence of a New Era in Canon Law" (Highest Honors)
John S. Morreall + Philip H. Daileader, Nicholas S. Popper

2011-12

Catherine Robey, "Madness, Reason, and Truth: An Examination of Two Philosophical Debates" (Honors)
Jacob Goodson + Christopher Adkins, Ravi Gupta, Michael Luchs

2009-10

Jessica Lowe, "Sacramental Exclusivity: Exploring the Bohemian Reformation and the comtemporary Episcopal Church through Thomas Luckmann's The Invisible Religion" (High Honors)
Michael Daise + Maureen Fitzgerald, Kathleen Jenkins
Jeremy McMahan, "From a Land in the West: An Examination of the Possibility of Persian Influence on the Tibetan Bon Religion" (Honors)
Kevin Vose + Chrystie Swiney, Melissa Kerin

2008-09

Virginia Irby, " 'For Yours is the Kingdom of God': A historical analysis of liberation theology in the last two decades and its significance within the Christian tradition" (High Honors)
John Morreall + Julie Galambush, Tracy Arwari

2007-08

Corinna Hann, "'Get back to where you once belonged': The Beatles, Post-Colonialism, and Religion" (High Honors)
Maureen Fitzgerald + Kevin Vose, Tom Payne
David McClendon, "Plugging into Worship: How Contemporary Christian Music Is Impacting Church Musicians" (Highest Honors)
Maureen Fitzgerald + Michael Daise, Kathleen Jenkins
Natasha Mikles, "I'm Not a Monk, but I'm a Bodhisattva: Green Gulch Farm and the Explosion of Zen Buddhism in America" (High Honors)
Kevin Vose + John Morreall, Kathleen Jenkins
Coury Shadyac, "Jihad: A Contemporary Perspective with Historical Foundations" (Honors)
Tamara Sonn + John Morreall, Abdul-Karim Rafeq
Katherine Willson, "Breaking the Silence: South African Muslim Reponses to HIV/AIDS and a Theology of Compassion" (Highest Honors)
Tamara Sonn + John Morreall, Jonathan Glasser, Brad Weiss

2006-07

Nadim Bawalsa, "Palestinian Christians: Emigration, the Occupation, and Political Islam" (Highest Honors)
Tamara Sonn + Michael Daise, Abdul-Karim Rafeq
Kerry Casey, "Typology in the Letter to the Hebrews and Melito of Sardis' On Pascha" (Highest Honors)
Michael Daise + Tamara Sonn, Naama Zahava-Ely
Joanna Greer, "'For Christ's Sake': The Re-Invention of Paul's Fool in Thirteenth-Century Latin Christianity" (Highest Honors)
Alison Beach + John Morreal, Jennifer Taylor
Christopher Heaney, "What to Make of a Fair: The Minjar Mela of Chamba, India" (High Honors)
Kevin Vose + Suzanne Bessinger, Chitrakehka Zutshi

2005-06

Megan Vail, "Music of the Gods: The Intersection of Music and Religion in the Indian Tradition" (Honors)
Richard Mann + Kevin Vose, Anne Rasmussen

2004-05

Patrick Comstock
Hans Tiefel + John Morreall, Alan Fuchs
Megan Castellan
Tamara Sonn + Marc Raphael, Abdul-Karim Rafeq
Christopher Gegenheimer
John Morreall + Alison Beach, Brad Weiss
Katherine Ketcham
Tamara Sonn + Marc Raphael, Christy Warren
Justin McIntosh
Marc Raphael + John Morreall, Ron Schechter
David Smith
Maureen Fitzgerald + Marc Raphael, Charles McGovern