In addition to the M.Div. degree, granted after three years of graduate study, students at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, PA can complete their requirements for the M.A. degree in Theology in their fourth and final year by writing a thesis paper. Several years ago, in an effort to ensure that the candidates were performing an acceptable level of research before beginning writing, academic administrators enjoined the librarian to supervise them during the fall semester of that fourth year, when their course-load is lighter. The students now earn three credits for the research they do. Thus, without the framework of regular class meetings, the librarian had to: 1) advise each student individually on the best sources and research techniques suited to his subject; 2) determine how much supervision each student needed, based on ability and initiative; and 3) coordinate his work with that of the thesis advisors. In this listen-and-learn session, the librarian will relate the trial-and-error course he took over the years to bring this enterprise to its current form, and share some of the methods that he uses to keep on top of all the students throughout their research journey.
