Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies

Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies provides students and faculty with an invaluable guide to conducting research projects across all areas in the study of religion. With an emphasis on student-faculty collaboration, this concise book addresses the key areas, methods, and practical issues to inform the practice of original undergraduate research across a wide range of subdisciplines. In fourteen short chapters, the authors lay out the stages of the research process and different research methodologies; discuss approaches, examples, and ethical issues particular to religious studies; and address the unique value and challenges of collaborative research with undergraduate students, including case studies of student-faculty collaboration. Designed to be utilized by students and faculty as both a textbook and reference, this book offers an essential resource for all those engaging in or leading undergraduate research across religious studies.

Chad Spigel is Professor of Religious Studies at Trinity University in San Antonio and was Director of the Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts and Humanities from 2017-2020. He has been a Councilor in the Arts and Humanities division of the Council for Undergraduate Research since 2017. Rubén Dupertuis is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Trinity University in San Antonio and was Director of the Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities from 2013-2016. He was a Councilor in the Arts and Humanities division of the Council for Undergraduate Research from 2015 through 2021. Jenny Olin Shanahan is Director of Undergraduate Research at Bridgewater State University, with leadership positions in the Council for Undergraduate Research. Gregory Young is Professor of Music at Montana State University and has ongoing posts in conferences in undergraduate research in curriculum development.

- Chapter 1: Overview - Chapter 2: Religious Studies: The Intersection of Humanities and Social Science - Chapter 3: Literature Reviews - Chapter 4: Choosing Topics and Appropriate Research Questions - Chapter 5: Working with Human Subjects - Chapter 6: Collecting and Analyzing Data - Chapter 7: Working in Archives - Chapter 8: Working in Archives - Chapter 9: Textual Study - Chapter 10: Religious Studies and the Language Hurdle - Chapter 11: Material Culture - Chapter 12: Citing Sources and Bibliographies - Chapter 13: Online Sources (by Gloria Gatchel) - Chapter 14: Dissemination of Results - Appendix #1 - Appendix #2 Index