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The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
© Copyright 2008
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
© Copyright 2008
Dr. John Stackhouse (Professor of Theology and Culture at Regent College), my ever illumining source of hopelessness and educational discouragement says ‘yes, you should’. Stackhouse proposes that a PhD review committee probably won’t care that you’ve written a thesis, but it provides an excellent litmus test to see if you are ‘cut out’ for PhD work.
However, I’m still not convinced. I understand Stackhouse’s arguments for writing the thesis, and they make complete sense- but they do not address the fact that my particular program only allows for 2 years of classes- that’s 16 max. Of those 16, I am required to take 4 classes out of my particular area of interest (Biblical Studies and Cultural Studies), so that leaves me with 12 classes to develop my interests. Now, factor in the fact I will be loosing 2 classes to writing a thesis and the entirety of my MTS exploration to my area of interest (History and Interpretation of Christianity) is limited to 8 classes- 3 of which will probably be delegated to history and systematic survey courses… you get the idea.
While Dr. Stackhouse’s advice is based on sound reasoning and rather cogent, I’m just not sure that it translates well to my situation. I have an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies and Youth Ministry, I feel that I can do either of those well- but I admittedly am very behind in my understanding of the History of Christian Thought (both historically and philosophically), taking 2 more classes gives me approximately 70 more hours (3 hrs. per week, per class x 13 weeks) ‘face time’ with an incredibly learned faculty and at least as much time reading/ interacting with primary sources.
So what are some other options?
A commenter on Dr. Stackhouse’s blog suggests encouraging students to write academic articles (20- 35 pages) and submit them to scholarly journals for a similar experience. I tend to think that’s an excellent place to start. But I’m going to keep my eye on the comments on Dr. Stackhouse’s blog, just to see how things play out.
I would love to hear your thoughts in the meantime.
Earl
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Interesting dilemma. Is it possible simply to take a couple of extra, “unnecessary” classes, instead of cutting them out just because you write a thesis? I know on the down-side of things, that means more money and time–two things none of us have oozing out of our ears.
But, if that doesn’t work, I think the commenter who said students should write academic articles is on to something. You probably have papers to write in every class, so use them as a chance to write mini-theses. That’s what I’ve tried to do in my classes. Instead of rehashing the same old B.S. just to write a paper, I try to research something for each paper that may not change the face of scholarship, but at least seeks to answer a question that hasn’t been asked (or that am I unaware of its being asked).
So if you can’t afford the $$$ or time to take extra classes (which would be totally understandable), then I would try for the option of researching and writing small, new ideas for each class. Then, you can save your NPP Reformation History idea for your dissertation.
[...] are anywhere near death. Ugaritic exams simply cut into one’s blogging time. Regardless, Earl has a question on writing a Master’s Thesis. His thinking was generated by Dr. Stackhouse’s recent [...]
my situation is somewhat different from yours and i am writing a masters thesis (just got the proposal approved… woo hoo!).
the theology department at my school is quite small which means i have to take whatever classes are offered. in that sense, writing a thesis is my best shot at specialization.
my degree also requires a “capstone” experience. i either have to take comprehensive exams or write a thesis. as writing is a strong suit for me (as it is for you), i am taking the thesis option.
here’s something i would add to the writing-articles suggestion… i have tried to speak toward my main concerns in every paper i write (at least tangentially). this has given my the opportunity to approach the problem from several different angles and to unify my work. i’m reaping the benefits as i prepare to write the thesis; i have a lot of research already completed.
also, conferences are a great experience. take advantage of attending any that are local or in your area of focus.