400

This course will provide the opportunity for pre-professional students to gain credit toward a theology major or minor with an emphasis in ministry. The course will be taken alongside a student's internship, practicum, or clinical as defined by their primary major, adding to that course reflection questions pertaining to theological understandings of vocation and calling.

Internship Experiences recognize that learning can take place outside the classroom. Carroll College allows its students to participate in opportunities that relate to their area of study. This opportunity must relate directly a student's program of study in order to qualify for an internship. Close cooperation among Carroll and the participating organizations ensures an experience that contributes significantly to the student's overall growth and professional development. Juniors and seniors in any major area may participate with the approval of faculty internship advisor and/or department chair, Career Services, and a site supervisor. Students will receive academic credit and may or may not receive monetary compensation for an internship. A student may apply a maximum of 12 semester hours to degree requirements; academic departments will determine the number of credits that may count toward the major (most majors accept 6 hours total). Enrollment in the course must be during the same semester in which the experience takes place. Interested students should contact their academic advisor and Career Services prior to the start of an experience.

This course will be offered as a cohort course in conjunction with the Ministerial Internship (TH 425). It will foster both theological reflection on the nature of ministry and practical reflection on issues involved with ministry. In helping to develop this reflection, the structure of the course will consist of spending one day of the course per week dedicated to each type of reflective thinking. More specifically, the theological reflection will draw upon the pertinent, assigned texts, and the practical will use either the students' direct experiences within their internships or the reflection videos produced in internship curriculum. While the course will be taught from a Catholic perspective, all persons of good will are invited to participate, share, and grow in this course.

Independent study is open to junior and senior students only. At the time of application, a student must have earned a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. A student may register for no more than three (3) semester hours of independent study in any one term. In all cases, registration for independent study must be approved by the appropriate department chairperson and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

A discussion of selected theological themes or important theologians, with contributions by students and faculty. While required of all theology majors and minors in their junior or senior year, it will also be open to other upper-level students who are non-majors upon the consent of the instructor.

Theology majors must develop and present for the Department of Theology a theology honor's thesis or a departmental research paper /project. The student will work with a professor in developing and fulfilling this requirement. The paper or project should provide evidence of scholarship in biblical studies, moral theology, church history, doctrine/systematics, or in another field of study as appropriate and approved by the department chair.

The senior thesis is designed to encourage creative thinking and to stimulate individual research. A student may undertake a thesis in an area in which s/he has the necessary background. Ordinarily a thesis topic is chosen in the student's major or minor. It is also possible to choose an interdisciplinary topic. Interested students should decide upon a thesis topic as early as possible in the junior year so that adequate attention may be given to the project. In order to be eligible to apply to write a thesis, a student must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 based upon all courses attempted at Carroll College. The thesis committee consists of a director and two readers. The thesis director is a full-time Carroll College faculty member from the student's major discipline or approved by the department chair of the student's major. At least one reader must be from outside the student's major. The thesis director and the appropriate department chair must approve all readers. The thesis committee should assist and mentor the student during the entire project. For any projects involving human participants, each student and his or her director must follow the guidelines published by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Students must submit a copy of their IRB approval letter with their thesis application. As part of the IRB approval process, each student and his or her director must also complete training by the National Cancer Institute Protection of Human Participants. The thesis is typically to be completed for three (3) credits in the discipline that best matches the content of the thesis. Departments with a designated thesis research/writing course may award credits differently with approval of the Curriculum Committee. If the thesis credits exceed the full-time tuition credit limit for students, the charge for additional credits will be waived. Applications and further information are available in the Registrar's Office.