The Divine Love of Radha and Krishna

A‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌s a major requirement of HRS 196E, each student will write a research paper of at least 10 pages, not counting the Bibliography or Works Cited page, requiring substantial research and analysis. The research paper, along with review of another’s draft, is worth 50% of the course grade. Students are free to choose from the wide spectrum of possible topics relevant for our course. Both primary and secondary textual sources are to be considered (at least 6 sources). Incorporation of assigned course readings is permitted, but will not be credited toward the rubric score for the Research category. Any topic relevant to envisioning the divine as studied through the disciplinary perspectives of humanities or religious studies is fine, so long as the topic is appropriate for the right sort of research: • At least some work with primary sources is essential for producing an effective research paper. Depending on the topic and especially if there is disciplinary focus on the humanities, primary sources could include “texts” beyond the written (i.e., artwork, music, etc.). • Likely there will prove to be an abundance of secondary source material available. Part of the challenge is to be selecti‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌ve. Another factor to consider when choosing the topic, and in order to produce a paper that is adequately “purposeful” and “analytical,” is thesis development: • The paper should be constructed around a thesis—a central idea or claim. This need not be either profound or seminal; but it should provide focus and enhance interest for the reader (and for the writer). Choosing the right thesis typically requires some amount of work with the material. • Typically, development of one’s thesis comes later, after significant research: Interest > research > questions > research > thesis > (research) defense of thesis. • A clear thesis statement belongs in the first or second paragraph (usually in the last sentence). And so, you’ll want to choose a topic that presents an opportunity to make an argument—which is another way of saying that the paper will be constructed around a thesis. You’ll want to be able to gather evidence and supporting ideas through your research in order to support the argument. The final factor to consider is scope, such that the topic is neither too narrow nor too broad. Fine-tuning of the topic’s scope can be accomplished following th‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌e initial statement of topic idea(s).

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