Senior Thesis (elective)

Course Description: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10). At the close of high school, how can one show that wisdom was found, that insight was gained? This course is designed as a capstone to the student’s overall academic work. This is achieved through a final persuasive project about the good, the true, and the beautiful, a triad that reflects a biblical worldview of rhetoric and displays wisdom to God’s glory. The instructor will guide the students to sharpen their thinking and presentation skills through the process of developing a thesis topic, carrying out academic research, writing a large paper, and delivering a speech. Course Objectives At the end of this course, the student will be able to: Name and identify the six parts of discourse Identify and illustrate the six types of introductions and conclusions Name, define, and illustrate Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion Compose a Bibliography and annotated bibliography Accurately format using the Turabian citation methods Write a 4000-word thesis project (rubric provided by the teacher) Deliver a speech based on their thesis project Credits: 1 (Elective); Honors Prerequisite: Must be in 12th grade Mtg. Days: 2 days each week Required Materials: Any modern English translation (not a paraphrase) of the Bible. Adler, Mortimer J. and Charles Van Doren. How to Read a Book. A Touchstone Book, 2014. ISBN: 9780671212094 Topping, Ryan N.S. The Elements of Rhetoric: How to Write and Speak Clearly and Persuasively: A Guide for Students, Teachers, Politicians & Preachers. Angelico Press, 2016. ISBN: 9781621381969 Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. 9th Edition. The University of Chicago Press, 2018. ISBN: 9780226430577 PDF documents provided by the instructor. This COURSE AVAILABILITY SPREADSHEET 2026-2027 shows who teaches this course and at what time. It also shows all available seats (it is only available from early January through August).