May 2020 Religious Studies Senior Profiles
Honoring our Seniors!
Christian Baker
Christian Baker
Major/Minor: Religious Studies major, Text and Tradition minor
Senior Honors Thesis: Gods or Gangs: How the Federal Bureau of Investigation Comprehends the Religiousness of the Five Percenters from 1965 through 1967
Thesis Advisor: Prof. Lerone A. Martin
Awards: A&S Honors Cum Laude with Thesis; Huston Smith Award for Academic Excellence in Religious Studies; John B. Ervin Scholar; James E. McLeod Scholar; Merle Kling Honors Fellow; Goldman Fellow; Ralph Bunche Academic Award; Dear Future Community Challenge Grant
Member of Theta Alpha Kappa – Religious Studies Honor Society
Area of Interest in Religion: The intersection of religion and politics
Hometown: Bloomington, IL
Future Plans: In the fall, I will be attending Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
Hobbies: Playing piano/violin, reading, creative writing, and chess
Favorite Religious Studies Class: Biblical Law and the Origins of Western Justice with Prof. Pamela Barmash
Message to future Religious Studies students:
Religious Studies offers essential tools for undergoing the challenging work of rigorous self-reflection. Explore the complexity of religions and religion during your time in Religious Studies coursework, seeing how these discoveries impact your personal convictions and beliefs.
Lizzie Franclemont
Lizzie Franclemont
Majors: American Culture Studies and Religious Studies
Awards: Distinction in Religious Studies
Member of Theta Alpha Kappa – Religious Studies Honor Society
Area of Interest in Religion: I’m interested in the First Amendment and the impact of Westernized Christianity and the US government on marginalized groups.
Hometown: Zion, IL
Future Plans: My next step is to attend Hillsong College in Sydney, Australia for an Advanced Diploma of Ministry (2023). Long term I hope to complete a graduate program for American Studies or Religious Studies.
Hobbies: Yoga, reading, drawing/painting
Favorite Religious Studies classes: It’s a tie between The FBI and Religion with Prof. Lerone Martin or Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christianity with Dr. Lance Jenott.
Message to future Religious Studies students:
The best advice I can give is to take classes that interest you even if it’s in an area you’re unfamiliar with or outside of what you intended to study. I never imagined myself majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences; I switched academic divisions after my first year and I took so many Religious Studies classes that it became a second major.
Also, make the most of your opportunities to learn from professors, peers, and guests that come to campus. I learned that conversations during office hours or with peers following class may seem insignificant at the time, but in reflection, they are some of my favorite memories at WashU.
Gwyneth Henke
Gwyneth Henke
Majors/Minors: Major in Religious Studies, Minor in Writing
Senior Honors Thesis: “I Am Sorry For This Language”: Thomas Merton, Contemplation, and the Writing Life
Thesis Advisor: Prof. Anna F. Bialek
Awards: A&S Honors Summa Cum Laude with Thesis; Houston Smith Award for Academic Excellence in Religious Studies
Member of Theta Alpha Kappa – Religious Studies Honor Society
Area of Interest in Religion: Monasticism, material religion, conversion accounts, and modern religious belief and expression, especially in Christianity and Islam
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Future Plans: Improving my embroidery skills, learning to grow bonsai trees, and beginning work as the office manager for the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis
Favorite Religious Studies classes: Ancient Philosophy with Prof. Eric Brown, Theories and Methods in Religious Studies with Dr. Elena Kravchenko
Grace Depperschmidt
Grace Depperschmidt
Major/Minor: History and Religious Studies major, Linguistics minor
Awards: Theta Alpha Kappa Outstanding Achievement Award
Member of Theta Alpha Kappa – Religious Studies Honor Society
Area of Interest in Religion: Medieval material religion, early Christendom
Hometown: Springfield, MO
Future Plans: I plan on going into archival work.
Hobbies: Drawing, tabletop games, antiquing
Favorite Religious Studies classes: Religion and the Origins of Capitalism with Professor Mark Valeri;
Childhood, Culture, and Religion in Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean World with Prof. Wendy Love Anderson