Senior Thesis (elective)

Senior Thesis (elective)

$725.00

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:

  1. Name and identify the six parts of discourse

  2. Identify and illustrate the six types of introductions and conclusions

  3. Name, define, and illustrate Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion

  4. Compose a Bibliography and annotated bibliography

  5. Accurately format using the Turabian citation methods

  6. Write a 4000-word thesis project (rubric provided by the teacher)

  7. Deliver a speech based on their thesis project

 

Credits: 1 (Elective); Honors

Prerequisite: Must be in 12th grade

Mtg. Days: (two days each week)

  • Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:00-6:50am PST

          or...

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00-11:50am PST

 

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.


Recommended (not required)

Aristotle. Rhetoric. Dover Publications, Inc., 2004. ISBN: 9780486437934

Bennett, Bo. Logically Fallacious: The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies. Archieboy Holdings, LLC., 2015. ISBN: 9781456621513

Blaisdell, Bob. Greek and Roman Oratory. Dover Publications, Inc. 2014. ISBN: 9780486496221

Bullinger, E.W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible: Explained and Illustrated. Baker Book House, 2007. ISBN: 9780801005596

Farnsworth, Ward. Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric. David R. Godine, Publisher, 2010. ISBN: 9781567825524

Quinn, Arthur. Figures of Speech: 60 Ways to Turn a Phrase. A Peregrine Smith Book, 1982. ISBN: 0879051213

 

 

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