Develop greater theological and academic strength through their independent, self-directed activity in completing their REP

Religious Education Project

 

All students must successfully complete a Religious Education project in order to graduate from the MRE program.  The Religious Education project consists of two basic elements:

1. Research paper or project/activity
2. Spring Term Colloquium

Projects are due by the completion of the Spring Term of the year in which you graduate.  In the Spring Term, students will register for the Spring RE Colloquium and will present their project as it progresses towards completion. This paper/project represents the culmination of your entire work at UTS. In addition, due to the amount of work and effort put into this project, it should also be of value to the student and their colleagues after they graduate and begin or return to their chosen forms of ministry.

Outcomes of the Religious Education Project  (REP)

 

As a result of the REP, the students will be able to. . .

1. Integrate the diverse courses taken throughout their Seminary experience in the process of becoming effective religious educators.
2. Gain expertise in one area of special interest in greater depth within the field of Religious Education to support their educational ministries.
3. Gain a deeper appreciation of the larger field of Religious Education and its application to larger issues.
4. Develop greater theological and academic strength through their independent, self-directed activity in completing their REP.
5. Enhance communication skills through the oral presentation of their REP in the Colloquium.
6. Gain a greater appreciation of the relevance of the field to their particular faith community and the field of ministry through exposure to the variety of Papers/Projects presented in the Colloquium.

Guidelines for the REP

Guidelines for the Paper or Project/Activity

 

1. For those graduating in May 2018: Students will submit to Dr. Winings by January 15, 2018:

• A draft three to five page prospectus or proposal describing their intended project or paper in terms of the theme, format and preliminary resources to be used for the Project

2. Continue working on the Proposal draft until it is formally approved by Dr. Winings. You are encouraged to communicate with Dr. Winings regularly during the winter break and may submit proposal drafts at any time. The earlier your Proposal is approved, the earlier you can begin researching your topic. This gives you maximum time to research and write your REP.
3. All Proposals must be finally approved by February 28, 2018.
4. You are allowed to change your Project theme, topic, or format up to March 10^th.  However, no changes will be permitted after that point. This is to ensure that you have the necessary time to research and write your REP paper/project – especially if English is not your primary language.
5. You will present your REP work-in-progress during the Spring Term Colloquium. During the first meeting of the Colloquium, you will circulate your Proposal. In each of the following sessions, you will circulate your updated Outline to the full class.
6. You are required to be full participants in the Spring Term Colloquium.

Evaluation

Grades will be assessed based on the following scale:

1. Religious Education Project:      60%
2. Presentation of Project and active Participation in the Spring Term Colloquium:                         40%

Students will receive a total of 3 credits for the Project and Spring Term Colloquium combined.

Proposal Format

Please read this section carefully as it outlines the form that your Proposal/Prospectus should take. I am not as concerned with length of the Proposal/Prospectus as I am with the content. Each proposal should be between three to five pages and consist of the following three (3) parts:

1. Part I: Description of the Topic, Issue or Problem

This section of the proposal describes the topic, issue or problem that the student has chosen for the REP. In addition, the proposal should offer why this topic is of interest to the student. The proposal will also briefly offer how this topic has been addressed previously by others in the field. This provides background and context of the topic, issue or problem. Finally, the student will offer how they intend to contribute to the issue or resolve the issue under discussion. This will naturally lead to Part II. Part I should be approximately 1 to 2 pages in length.

1. Part II: Outline of the Paper/Project from Introduction to Conclusion

This section is in Outline Form and indicates from the Introduction to the Conclusion how the student will address their topic or issue. Students should include major points, sub-points in this outline. This section will enable the RE Advisor to see if all the elements of the REP have been addressed and to consider the logical flow of the student’s paper or project. If done correctly, this amounts to 50% of the future work, as this outline will be able to guide the student’s research and writing of the paper/project. Part II should be approximately 1 page in length.

III.             Part III: Preliminary Bibliography

This is the shortest section and includes a preliminary bibliography that the student is considering using at this point in time. It is suggested that the student list at least 4-5 resources/books they are planning to use. Ultimately, this bibliography will grow as the student completes their research. A finished Paper/Project should have a healthy Bibliography of at least 24 resources cited.

Please keep in mind that the overall REP must contribute to the field of Religious Education in some way; either to the content, philosophy, practice, teaching, etc. of Religious Education. Your degree is in Religious Education, therefore, your final graduating thesis or project should contribute to that field in some form. For example, you may be interested in Leadership but a paper on Leadership would not be appropriate for the REP. However, a Manual, Handbook, or Educational Program to Prepare Leaders would be an educational tool or resource and would be appropriate for the REP.  In other words, think like a religious educator when you do your Proposal/Prospectus.

In addition, you should integrate at least 1 to 2 other fields of study in your papers/projects such as Theology, Psychology, Church History, etc.

The final paper should be approximately 30 pages in length, following appropriate paper/thesis writing guidelines with proper citations and bibliographies. If it is a Project such as a Handbook or Curriculum, the student and I will come to terms with the length of the Project. Papers/Projects that do not cite resources used – or resort to copying or plagiarism – will either receive an F and the student asked to rewrite their REP or the student could face expulsion.