Department of Religion
Senior Integrative Exercise (Comps) 2007-2008

The Senior Integrative Exercise (Comps) consists primarily of an extended essay in which you explore some topic in the field of Religion.

The two goals of the comps process are (a) that you demonstrate competence in some aspect of the academic study of religion, and (b) that you integrate skills and knowledge that you have gleaned from courses you have taken in the course of your studies. It is especially important that you draw on work you have done in courses for your major, but your comps project may also integrate work you have done in off-campus study programs, a concentration (if you have one), or other fields. This process of integration often draws from the three-course sequence that is at the core of your major, though this is not an absolute requirement.

As you are aware, Religious Studies is a multifaceted field that draws on ideas and methods of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. Scholars of religion regularly utilize theories and perspectives from history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, theology, literary studies, and hermeneutics, among others. We have no expectation, of course, that your paper will reflect familiarity with all or even most of the methods employed by scholars of religion. We do expect, however, that your comps will integrate some aspect of the study of religious phenomena that you have done within the Department (and, as appropriate, outside the Department) over the past couple of years.

As you design a comps project that you will pursue throughout your senior year, it is important to keep several things clearly in mind.

1. Choose your topic carefully. Build on your strengths by utilizing a base of knowledge you have already acquired. This is not the time to launch into an entirely new area of study. Make sure that the questions you choose to pursue are compelling enough to sustain your interest throughout the process.
2. Seek guidance early and often. No matter how you choose to focus your comps paper, it is essential that you get guidance throughout the project. Consulting with faculty members about your proposal will be required at several junctures throughout the comps process: prior to submitting your proposal in the fall, prior to submitting your first paper in the winter, and while you are revising your first paper before submitting the final version in the spring.
3. Keep in mind that this paper will not contain everything you have learned about religion. Neither will it necessarily be the most significant or meaningful educational experience of your Carleton career just because it is "comps." By the same token, you are wise to approach this project as an opportunity to demonstrate (to yourself, to faculty, to your fellow students) what you have learned about some aspect of religion and how to study it.
4. As with most educational opportunities, you will get roughly as much out of the comps process as you put into it. We urge you to be deliberate and conscientious about each phase of the work. A year-long project of this sort cannot be done successfully by "cramming" the week before it is due. Trying to do so will only be frustrating for you; it also deprives you of the learning that can and should occur as you work on comps.

Whatever topic you choose for your comps project, it should demonstrate that you have acquired certain intellectual skills and that you can apply these to some aspect of religious life and/or thought. Key skills include: reading carefully, asking critical questions, thinking analytically, formulating cogent arguments, and writing clearly and gracefully. You will be expected to utilize these skills as you research some dimension of religion, whether that be religious ideas, symbols, practices, communities, figures or movements. Given the breadth and diversity of Religious Studies, there is no way we can map all the possible sorts of research projects that could qualify for comps. The following categories of paper topics are suggestive of directions you might consider, together with titles of comps projects from recent years that exemplify these possibilities.

A. Comparing particular religious phenomena across two religious traditions (or within the same tradition in different periods), or comparing ideas discussed by two religious thinkers or scholars:

• "Live Like This: The Activist Spirituality of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Thich Nhat Hanh"
• "Talking about God: The Role of Myth in the Thought and Work of C. S. Lewis and Joseph Campbell"
• "The Amish and the Hasidim: A Comparison of Women's Roles in Two Religious Communities"
• "A Tibetan Buddhist Saint and a Chinese Buddhist Poet: The Relationship to Nature in the Works of Milarepa and Wang Wei"
• "Blessed Beings: The Veneration of Muslim Saints in India and Morocco"
• "Resistance Theologies in the Lutheran Tradition: Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer"

B. In-depth studies of a particular religious figure, idea, or movement:

• "The Legacy of the Mountain: Exploring the Phenomenon of Thomas Merton's Autobiography"
• "A Marginalized Voice from the Establishment: Carter Heyward's Relational Theology"
• "Towards an Understanding of the Shaker Experience of the Sacred"
• "Hindu Puja and the Relationship between the Human and the Divine"
• "The Ultimate Realization: The Nirvana of Nagarjuna"
• "Breaking Up is a Good Thing to Do: Religious Adaptation and Quaker Women's Leadership in the Schismatic Period"

C. Applications of a particular theory of religion or method to one or more individuals or traditions:

• "The Living Dreamtime: Eliade and Australian Aboriginal Relationship to the Sacred"
• "Methods for the Scientific Study of Religion: Jung and Turner and the Toolbox Approach"
• "The Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality: Islamic Fundamentalism, Bruce Lawrence, and the Modern World"
• "Jung Revisited: An Exploration Into the Compatibility of Jungianism and Feminism"

D. Exploring the intersection between religious ideas or movements and other phenomena (science, politics, sports, ecology, fiction, etc.):

• "Living in Rebellion? Dostoyevsky, Camus and Moltmann Respond to Ivan Karamazov's 'Rebellion'"
• "Eco-Judaism from the Inside Out: Approaches to Integrating Judaism and Environmental Ethics"
• "Imagination as Creative Transformation: The Movement Toward Faith in the Works of Children's Authors, George MacDonald and Virginia Hamilton"
• "Catholic Social Reform and Catholic Radicalism in the 20th Century United States: A Legacy of Pre-Constantinian Christianity"
• "The Soka Gakkai and Falwell's Fundamentalism: Fusions of Religion and Politics"

Comps papers should be 7,500 to 9,000 words, inclusive of footnotes, but exclusive of bibliography. Use a 12 pt. font and double spacing. A proposal outlining your comps will be due around the middle of Fall term. Once your proposal is approved and two readers assigned, you will have until the middle of Winter term to complete your initial comps paper. It will then be read by your two readers and returned to you with their comments before the end of Winter term. Early in the Spring term you will submit a revised version of your comps paper; later in the term, you will participate in the oral presentation of your research. Comps essays may be judged as having been completed with distinction.

Comps will be considered for distinction based on the following criteria:

1. Methodologically sophisticated and self-conscious
2. Thoroughly researched, with clear mastery of material
3. Subtle and nuanced in argument
4. Exceptionally well written, in polished and graceful prose
5. Highly integrative, effectively synthesizing work in the major
6. Creative: intellectually adventurous or risky
7. Polished, effective oral presentation
8. Has met all deadlines and been conscientious about fulfilling all requirements of the process

A student whose work merits this rating and who also has a GPA in the major of 3.5 will graduate with "Distinction in the Major," and will be so listed on the commencement program.

Department of Religion
Schedule for Comps 2007-2008

Wed., Oct. 10: Two copies of proposals due at noon on comps shelf near faculty mail shelves in Religion Department lounge.

NOTE: It is important to the long-term success of your comps that you respect deadlines, beginning with this one. Departmental acceptance of your proposal is a prerequisite for registration for Religion 399, the Senior Research Seminar, during winter term.

Fri., Oct. 19: Proposals returned with comments and assignment of primary and secondary readers.

Mon., Oct. 29: Rewrites (two copies) due for any proposals requiring rewriting.

Fri., Nov. 2: Rewrites returned with comments and reader assignments.

NOTE: You must confer with both of your readers on the direction of the project before the beginning of winter break. We encourage you to do this as soon as you know who your readers will be.

Wed., Feb. 6: Comps essays due at 5 p.m. Submit the original and one good copy, either a photocopy or a second computer printout. We anticipate returning these papers with comments by Thursday, Feb. 21. For each two days that the comps is late, the date of return will be put back by one week, up to a maximum of three weeks. Thus, a paper submitted one or two days late will be returned February 29, a paper three or four days late March 7, and a paper five or six days late March 14. A paper submitted a week or more late will not be returned until the beginning of spring term.

NOTE: Comps must be complete and formally correct (spelling, citations, etc.) in order to receive comments from readers. Papers judged seriously deficient in form will be returned for improvement without substantive criticism shortly after being received. They must be resubmitted by February 13 at the latest, and then will be read for content, and returned with comments after February 29.

Wed. Apr. 2: Revised comps essays due at 5 p.m. Include two copies of the revised comps and both readers' copies of the first version. We aim to complete all evaluations by April 18. Decisions regarding distinction will be made and announced after the completion of all oral presentations in the spring.

Orals: All students will present the findings of their comps orally at sessions during the spring term, and participate in sessions at which other seniors present their work. The times and format will be announced well in advance. Upon satisfactory completion of the revision of the essay and of the oral presentation and participation requirements, students will receive credit for the Integrative Exercise (Religion 400).

Deadlines are important at all stages of the process in order for students and faculty alike to plan their work and do it justice. The penalties for lateness are designed to promote promptness and to communicate to all students the need to be realistic in planning work. Comps not completed according to this schedule will be considered for graduation in 2009.

Department of Religion
Comps Proposal 2007-2008

Submit a typed proposal outlining the topic you have chosen for your comps paper, the critical questions you will explore, the sources available to you and the approach you intend take to your topic. In evaluating your proposal, the Department will be concerned especially to determine:

a. whether you have adequate preparation (through courses, independent reading, etc.) to take on your topic,

b. whether you have a clear sense of direction, which means that you have defined a set of fairly specific questions that you intend to explore,

c. whether you can point to the wider significance of this project, the ways it will contribute to some scholarly conversation about religion in general or the specific aspect of religion that is the focal point of your paper, and

d. whether you have explored the sources, both primary and secondary, enough to have a solid grasp of the existing literature relevant to this research project.

This proposal phase of your comps research is extremely important. Research and write your proposal carefully. Any proposal that fails to meet any of the criteria listed above will be returned and will need to be revised and resubmitted.

It is advisable to discuss your ideas and any problems that you are encountering with appropriate members of the Department.

Required reading:

A short section (approximately 30 pages) from Wayne Booth, et. al., The Craft of Research, 2nd ed. has been placed on e-reserves in connection with Religion 399: Senior Research Seminar. This is a required text for the senior seminar, but this particular section will be especially useful to you as you prepare your comps proposals. Read it carefully before you begin to think about your topic.

Length:

Proposals should be 5-6 pages long, double-spaced, not including the appendix. The latter should be printed separately at the end. Use a 12 pt. font. See the attached Chicago Style sheet.

Deadline:

Proposals (two copies) are due on the comps shelf at noon on Wednesday, October 10. Proposals submitted late will be returned late.

Format:

In writing your proposal, please use the following format and identify each section accordingly.

1. Working title and description (minumum 3 pages). This essay is the "heart" of your proposal and should take up at least half of your proposal. Along with your working title, state

a) the question, or questions, you wish to address in your essay,

b) the major evidence or data that you will study to help you answer these questions, c) the particular perspectives, theories or methods you will employ in pursuing this research agenda, and d) the significance of this project to scholars studying this material. To fulfill this last criterion, you will need to demonstrate that you are familiar with the "state of the question" among scholars who have written on your topic, and so the significance of your research project.

2. Integrative nature of the project (1 page). A brief paragraph explaining the ways in which this project draws upon your previous work and interests in the Religion major. This may include discussion of your three-course sequence, courses taken in other departments or off-campus, and/or previous papers that might be seen as preparatory. If the project will involve exploring areas new to you, you must justify this.

3. Challenges and potential pitfalls (1 page). There are obstacles to be overcome in the course of every research project. What do you foresee as significant intellectual and practical problems that you will need to face as you proceed? Do you have the necessary background to formulate good, probing questions of your material? If the primary sources for the topic are not in English, are there a sufficient number of sources available in languages which you know? Is there sufficient scholarly groundwork on the topic for you to engage the material productively? Have you chosen a topic in which you have a strong, personal stake, with the result that you will find it difficult to maintain scholarly, critical distance? Have you defined your topic so broadly that you will not be able to explore it adequately within the confines of this paper? Also, if books and other materials needed for this project will have to be obtained through inter-library loan or will necessitate travel to other locations, please indicate this.

4. Appendix (1-2 additional pages)

A. Courses taken in the Religion Department. Give the number and title for all courses, including those for which you are currently registered, and specify your three-course sequence. Also list any relevant courses taken outside the department, or on off-campus programs.

B. Annotated bibliography. List approximately 10 books and/or other sources that you anticipate will contribute substantively to your project. Provide a brief one or two sentence annotation for those items you have studied already, explaining how they will be useful for your project.

Copies of previous comps essays (accompanied by an index) are on file in the Religion Department lobby. You may find these stimulating as you attempt to formulate a topic. Also, some sample proposals will be available for you to examine. Kindly read these items in the Lounge and replace them when you have finished.

Final words of advice:

Begin to work on your proposal early.

Consult with faculty (both inside and outside of the Religion Department, as appropriate) for help as you choose a topic, formulate your research questions, and gather resources.

Consult with faculty (both inside and outside of the Religion Department, as appropriate) for help as you choose a topic, formulate your research questions, and gather resources.

Choose a topic about which you are enthusiastic, since this project will need to sustain your interest for most of the academic year.

Be as specific as you can be at this stage in your research about your topic. A proposal that is very general and unfocused will be returned for further refinement.

Most of all: Prepare this proposal carefully. This is not the sort of thing that you can "throw together" in the last few days before it is due. This should be a thorough, thoughtful, well-crafted explanation of what you plan to study, how, and why. The Department wants to assure your successful completion of the comps requirement and your proposal will indicate you have developed the sort of substantive, well-designed research plan that is necessary to launching your comps research.