Author: Kassie Maxeiner ’14 (Bronxville, N.Y.), religion major
Basics: I am looking at how Al-Jumuah, a Muslim American magazine, grapples with questions like How do you define a religious authority figure? How do you maintain traditional forms of religious authority—like an ulama, an Islamic scholar—but adapt them to modern needs?
Inspiration: I took a class with religion professor Noah Solomon during my sophomore year, and my comps grew out of a paper I wrote for him. I realized then that I enjoy working with primary sources.
Challenges: The most difficult part is determining what I’m trying to say. I have multiple arguments, so I have to figure out how to put them together in a coherent way.
Rewards: The aha moments: when you’re writing frantically and you find a new angle and you’re like, “Oh! That totally works!” Or when you’re able to connect disparate books and articles in your research in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Advice: Don’t be afraid to talk with your advisers, because they really want to help. Do a little bit of work every day or every other day. You may think you’ll work on comps during winter break, but you probably won’t.
Takeaway: When I was a kid, I thought it would be cool to be an expert on something, so it’s been fun to explore these areas and have the time to dig so deeply.
—Izii Carter ’16 (Newton, Mass.)