Every Religious Studies major at Saint Michael's completes a senior thesis as a summation of their studies in the department. The collection below includes the titles of theses submitted in recent years, and reveals a depth and breadth of academic investigation and achievement.
| Class of 2010 | |
| Chelsea Beauregard | Spirituality from the Margins: Julian of Norwich and Gustavo Gutierrez (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Kathleen Clemente | The Chinese House Church Movement (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Kathryn Daigle | A Theological Perspective of the Relationship between Church and State (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Jolie Frechette | Parallel Devotions in the third century: A Comparative Study of Origen and the Mishnah (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Hayden Livesay | The Traitor: The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Keya Patten | The Book of Revelation and Apocalyptic in the American Religious Experience (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Julie Relyea (’11) | "Tathagata-garbha” & “Anonymous Christianity”: Buddhist & Christian Theories of Human Nature that Universalize Salvation (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Matthew Sjoblom | The Rise of Catholic Conscientious Objection in late 20th century America (Advisor: Patterson) |
| David Spatcher | In Pursuit of the One: From Plotinus to Augustine (Advisor: Kenney) |
| Gregory Tatro | The Historical Jesus: Was His Message Apocalyptic: The Critical Question that Divides the Field (Advisor: Rhodes) |
Class of 2009 | |
| Stephanie Daudelin | The Dark Night of the Soul: A Textual Analysis of Thérèse of Lisieux and Mother Teresa (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Marissa Deegan |
Religion & the Body: A Comparative Analysis (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Maria Elmshauser | Moral Conflict and Ecclesial Authority in the Anglican Communion: A Case study of a Church in Crisis (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Anna Florent | A Simple Mysticism for the Great Reformer: The Theologia Germanica and Its Relationship to Martin Luther (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Celia Hooker (’10) | Transformative Education and Liberating Christian Communities: The Impact of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Hannah Shattuck-Pfeifer | The Antichrist in the Christian Imagination (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Derek Souza | Changing the Face of Buddhism: The Influence of Mappo Thought on the Kamakura Era in Japan (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Rachael Swift | Architecture of the Sacred: The Role of Architecture in Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism and Shinto (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Cody Tougas | Understanding the Apostasy: An Investigation Into the Theology of Sabbatai Sevi (Advisor: Trumbower) |
Class of 2008 | |
| Charles Carroll | A Critical Analysis of the Decline of Papal Authority after Innocent III (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Brigette Comeau (’09) | Mary’s Role in Salvation: A Historical Investigation from patristic to modern theology with an emphasis on the Eve-Mary parallel (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Jessica Currier (’09) | The Public Image and the Presentation of Christian Doctrine in the Megachurch Movement (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Jill Dalfonso | An Examination of Suffering and Attempts to find Redemption in this Life (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Ronald DeRosa | Individualism and Community in the American Spiritual Experience (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Alyisha Foley | Re-Imaging the Concept of Discipleship in Mulieris Dignitatem: Leaving Behind Mary’s Pregnant Glow & Christ’s Shining Armor (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Ellen Gauvin (’09) | Vajrayana, the Experience of Buddhist Philosophy (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Zachary Greenwood |
The Devil and the Commune: A Case-Study of Giotto (Advisor: Dameron) |
| Caitlin Haswell | The Reception of the Mystical Texts of Julian of Norwich: Past and Present (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Julie Kozikowski (’09) | The Paradox of Monasticism: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Merton (Advisor: Kenney) |
| Jennifer Kullas | An Investigation into John Hick’s Pluralistic Hypothesis (Advisor: Kenney) |
| Michael Stefanowicz (’09) | The Mystical Body of Christ: Evaluating Ecclesiology Before and After Vatican II (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Ashley Wheeler | Holy Scripture and Women in Public Life: The Christian and Muslim Experience (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Mallory Wood | Wisdom Founded on Faith: An Examination of Monica’s Purpose through the Cassiciacum dialogues and The Confessions (Advisor: Kenney) |
Class of 2007 | |
| Cailie Burns |
A Critical Analysis of John Hick on the Problem of Evil (Advisor: Kenney) |
| Casey Dorwart |
Pharaoh Akhenaten and the Motivation for his New Religion in Egypt (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Meghan Dumont |
Saints for America and American Saints: An Examination of Catholic Saints Promoted in the United States, 1870-1935 (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Alissa Ganje |
Spirituality from the Battlefield to the Golf Course: The Bhagavad Gita and Western Society’s Quest for Freedom and Authenticity (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Gatien Gaujac |
Apocalypticism Past and Present (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Kaitlin Guendelsberger |
The Survival of African Religion in Slave Christianity (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Jenna Lyman (’08) |
A Comparison of Religious Education in Public Elementary Schools: England, France, and the United States (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Nina Madore |
The Origins of Altruism (Advisor: Byrne) |
| Lindsay McAnulty |
Theogony Revealed: Evolution of Ancient Greek Religious Tradition as Reflected in Hesiod’s Poetry (Advisor: Kenney) |
| Corrie McCarty |
The Role of Abraham in Judaism and Islam (Advisor: Berube) |
Class of 2006 | |
| Eric Alaimo |
Just Crusade?: St. Bernard’s role in the development of the just war theory and spiritual reawakening through his preaching of the second Crusade (Advisor: McLaughlin) |
| Ella Burnham |
Apocalypse Everywhere: The portrayal of the End Times in the Left Behind series and its impact on believers and non-believers (Advisor: Berube) |
| Sabrina Kane |
A Tale of Two Curriculums: A Survey of the Changing Religious Education Curriculums in Parochial and Public Schools in America (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Arik Mortenson (’07) |
A Contemporary Pastoral Theology Considering Same-Sex Marriage and Homosexual Clergy (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Brian New |
Martyrdom in Contemporary Islam (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Joanna Pressimone |
The Roman Catholic Encounter with Film in the 20th Century: The Interplay of Lay Perspectives and Church Authority (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Kristin Ross |
Gnosticism and Proto-Orthodox Christianity: An Examination of Classic Gnostic Scripture and the Christian Philosophy of Origen (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Sarah Russo |
A Historical Survey of the Subordination of Women in the Christian Tradition and contemporary Catholic movements for promoting leadership roles for Women (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Stephen Theoharides |
Truth, Religion, and Reconciliation in South Africa: Apartheid, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Role of Religion (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Tala Williford |
An Historical Survey of the Changing Ritual Gestures associated with the Eucharistic Prayer (Advisor: Patterson) |
Class of 2005 | |
| Tim Brown |
Augustine and the Bible: Does Augustine’s interpretation of scripture mark a hermeneutical shift from allegory to history? (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Jamie Dansereau |
Catholic Teens in Vermont: A Study of their beliefs, values and struggle to find a place in the institutional Church (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Sarah Miller |
Miracles in the Age of Modernity: The Role of Marian Apparitions in response to Secularizing Societies in the 19th & 20th century (Advisor: Patterson) |
| Jessica Murray |
Bioethics and the Holocaust: Is it Ethical to use data taken from Nazi medical experiments? (Advisor: Mahoney) |
| Christopher Rovero |
From Donning Bonnets to Genuflecting in Stilettos: Study of the way Christian women sustain faith in their traditions utilizing categories of Carolyn Osiek (Advisor: Freitas) |
| Karyn Sporer |
Human Suffering: Religious and Non-religious Interpretations (Advisor: Byrne) |
Class of 2004 | |
| Jason Bartashius |
Christian and Buddhist Interaction through Feminine Archetypes: A comparative study of the Virgin Mary and Kwan-yin, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Compassion (Advisor: Kroger) |
| Phil Costello |
Jewish Christianity-Past and Present: A study of Jewish Christianity from its origins, demise in the 6th century, and modern revivals (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Mitch Godburn |
A Closer Look At Esther: A Comparative Study of the Hebrew & Greek Accounts of the Biblical Story of Esther (Advisor: Trumbower) |
| Kelly Tocci |
AIDS and Religion in Africa: An Investigation of Religion as a destructive force in Tanzania and Zambia (Advisor: Freitas) |
| Josh Vaillancourt |
The Justification of Religious Belief: An Investigation of the grounds needed to justify holding religious beliefs—with a consideration of Plantinga, Swinburne, Wittgenstein and Post-Liberal Theology (Advisor: Byrne) |