Senior Thesis Update

Back in October, I started a series of posts about my senior thesis. My topic relates to how classical Christian schools should treat science education. It stems from something I have often noticed in classical Christian education, namely the lack of a focus or emphasis on science classes. This comes from both the teachers and the students in a school, as teachers do not always attempt to make science seem as exciting as other classes, and students often treat science classes as an afterthought.  

Again, we see the opposite problem in much of public education. Science is overemphasized, often at the cost of history and the humanities. STEM education is the norm. There is a focus only on getting more students interested in science, whether or not the curriculum used is actually good.  

My Position 

Neither of these takes on science education allow science to flourish fully. This leads to my main question which is, “How should science education be treated in classical Christian schools?”  

I hope in my paper to argue that science should return to the days of natural philosophy when it was a marriage between scientific facts and the liberal arts. My thesis statement has gone through some revision and is currently, “Science education in classical Christian schools should be reconciled with classical pedagogy because these two studies rely on each other to create students who are well-rounded.”  

My three main points are: 

1. Classical education provides the integration that is crucial to fully understanding science. 

2. Science education is necessary in order for classical education to create well-rounded students. 

3. The study of science teaches students to care for and appreciate God’s creation, which should be a goal of classical education. 

Recap 

The first semester of Senior Thesis was heavily research based. Other than reading and researching, our main assignments were to formulate a thesis, argument, and partitio (argument outline). At the end of the semester, we also had to write a 5-page antithesis essay and give a 3–5-minute speech based on that essay.  

I also was assigned a faculty advisor, which is a teacher at Wilson Hill who is familiar with my topic and can help me develop my arguments. She also helps me stay organized and on track, as well as gives feedback on my drafts and ideas. 

I’ve been working on… 

This semester, we jumped right into writing. We started off with the narratio (part of the introduction that gives the context, history, positions, definitions, etc. for the topic). The next week, we wrote the confirmatio (the main argument). A few weeks ago, I worked on my refutatio (presentation and refutation of counterarguments).  

Last week, we finished off the introduction sections with the exordium (attention-grabber/introduction to the main question). We are also focused on the synthesis of the essay by putting all the written parts into one document, including a cover page, abstract, bibliography, and footnotes. 

This week, we worked on the peroratio (conclusion), which will finish out the first draft of our theses! I cannot believe that after 19 weeks of reading, researching, planning, organizing, and writing, I have almost finished my first draft! 

I also recently reached out to my guest reader, who is someone who is familiar with my topic but is not affiliated with the school. My guest reader will read my paper, come to my defense, and ask questions about my position.  

What comes next? 

After the first draft, the bulk of senior thesis work will come from practicing presentations and revising my thesis. In April, our defenses begin, lasting all month and likely into early May. During the defense, we will present a 15-minute version of our thesis. After our presentation, our guest reader, faculty advisor, and teacher will ask us questions about our thesis as part of a panel. At the very end, the audience has a few minutes to participate in a Q&A session. Finally, we condense the thesis into a blog post and the class will end. I have already learned so much and made such good friends in this class. I am so excited for the rest of the semester!