Coursework Guidelines - The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies

Learner based education requires the student to think deeply about a problem he or she wants to solve within the parameters of the course content. The process is simple, yet profound:

identify a problem to solve;
interact with the content of the course with the problem in mind;
work toward a solution of the problem using the material of the course as a guide.

One particularly unique feature of IWS courses is that they ask students to reflect on worship through biblical, historical, theological, missiological, and cultural disciplines.

Grading

IWS works with the following grading scale categories. As course instructors/supervisors/mentors of students, we grade your course projects with these four categories in mind.

(A) Superior

(A-) Excellent

(B+) Very good

(B) Average, good, or satisfactory

(B-) Passing, acceptable

(C+) Below acceptable standards for a master's or doctoral degree

(C, C-) Deficient work in degree program

Very deficient, unacceptable work

Also, in evaluating your course project, we consider two particular areas: content and elements of style. Pay close attention to both.

Content of the Project

Elements of Style of the Project

Are you doing research on the appropriate graduate level?
Depth of research and scholarship;use and documentation of sources; critical analysis applied; assumptions questioned

Are you intellectually engaged with the subject matter and its complexity at hand?
Insights expressed; questions raised; familiarity with different views; adequate integration of materials.

Are you conveying passion, interest, and do you "own" your position or point of views?
Transparency of self; creativity applied; demonstration of ownership of the project.

Are you demonstrating writing skills on a masters or doctoral level?Are you expressing your thoughts as coherently and as clearly as possible? Is your writing engaging, focused and lucid?)
Grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and paragraph structure; flow of thought and argument; clarity of expression; articulation of focus, theme, and claims; use of guidelines by Turabian 7th Edition.

Project Evaluation Form

*Doctoral students who receive grades below B- may be eligible for graduation with an advanced diploma in Worship Studies. A student who achieves an acceptable standard for doctoral work following an earlier deficiency may be eligible for a doctoral degree. As a general policy, any student who for personal or academic reasons does not complete the thesis may be eligible for an advanced diploma in Worship Studies by satisfactorily completing the four basic non-thesis doctoral courses.