Senior Thesis

At Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, each student writes, orally delivers, and defends a thesis on a topic of his or her choosing that emerges from the curriculum. Each student adapts his or her paper in to a speech that is delivered publicly and defended to a panel of faculty members. A satisfactory performance on the writing and presentation of the thesis is required for graduation.

The Culmination of Years of Study

At Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, the senior thesis is the culmination of a student’s classical education and a rite of passage to a life of virtue and self-government. The student’s thesis may concentrate on books, events, or themes that draw upon any of the core courses and should serve as a capstone project, one which brings together the things a student has learned during his or her time at the school.

Students from the Class of 2018 successfully defended senior theses on the Free Markets and Free People, Loneliness and Isolation, Comparing the rise and fall of the Roman and Mongol Empires with recent patterns in America, etc. As a result, all of our seniors received Scholarship opportunities through organizations that attended!

Senior Thesis defenses happen each spring and are open to all members of the Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy community.