Religious Studies

In its Honors Program the Religious Studies program awards one level of Honors to student research projects. Note: prior to 2018 High Honors and Highest Honors were also awarded. 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

2024-2025

• Morgan Leora Bailey, "Saints of the Next Generation, Recognizing Today's Youth in Catholic Culture" (Honors) 
  Michael Daise + Faraz Sheikh, Leisa Meyer
• Benjamin Samuel Frogel,"Arbitrary Anchoring in Orthodox Jewish Philosophy: Problem and Solution" (Honors) 
  Randi Rashkover + Rahel Fischbach, Paul Davies
• Anne Ryan Gareis, "Ingredients for Enlightenment: Food and the Path of Liberation" (Honors) 
  Maggie Kirsh + Kevin Vose , Alicia Andrzejewski
• Chloe Marie Williams,"Religions Collide: Investigating Identity Expression on Tombs in Rome Between the Second and Fourth Centuries CE" (Honors) 
  Michael Daise + Andrew Tobolowsky, Mitchell Brown

2023-2024

• Colin Robert Horn, "Pillaging Antiquity: Structure, Narrative Intent, and Indo-European Parallels in Math uab Mathonwy" (Honors) 
  Mark McLaughlin + Andrew Tobolowsky, William Hutton
• Caroline Kelly Leibowitz, "Cauldrons to Commerce: Examining Consumerism and Historic Witch Trial Tourism's Impacts on Modern Witchcraft Practitioners" (Honors) 
  Annie Blazer + Kevin Vose, Leisa Meyer 
• Travis Hugh Slocumb IV, "God and True Being: Loving in Freedom" (Honors) 
  Alexander Angelov + Randi Rashkover, Aaron Griffith 

2022-2023

• Jonatha Saratoga Berg, "Power, Legitimacy, Authority: An Exploration of Both the Provisional Irish Republican Army's and the Sicilian Mafia's Associations with the Catholic Church" (Honors) 
  Mark McLaughlin + Annie Blazer, Sergio Ferrarese

2021-2022

• Austin Hillebrandt, "The Other Synoptics: An Analysis of the Fourth Evangelist’s and Paul of Tarsus’ Opinion on the Significance of Jesus’ Death, the Aftermath of the Resurrection, and the Nature of Jesus" (Honors)
  Alexander Angelov + Annie Blazer, Jackson Sasser
• Caroline Prout, "Constructing a Usable Past in Putin's Russia: St. Alexander Nevsky from Screen to Stone" (Honors)
  Alexander Prokhorov + Frederick Corney, Elena Prokhorova
• Mark Smith, "Communism and the Politics of Cultural Labeling: Patriotism and Piety in American Life" (Honors)
  Michael Daise + Alexander Angelov, Joseph Smith
• Russell Beisswanger, "Tradition Under Scripture: The Patristic Theology of Luther and Calvin" (Honors)
  Alexander Angelov + Randi Rashkover, Jennifer Lorden, Michael Daise

2020-2021

• James Barrie, ""Concerning the Immersion": Trends In and Attitudes Towards Mikvah Use Among Jewish Virginians," (Honors)
  Mary Fraser Kirsh + Annie Blazer, Randi Rashkover, Jay Watkins, III
• Potter McKinney, "To Fulfill What is Written: Reconsidering the Fulfillment-Formula Quotations of the Gospel of Matthew" (Honors)
  Michael Daise + Jeremy Pope, Alexander Angelov

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