ESSAYS

The short midterm essay on an assigned topic (to be announced) encourages you to study one topic carefully and in its context, as you refine your ability to write clearly and argue persuasively. It will be designed to relate the  readings of the course to their religious contexts. All students are encouraged to write a thesis paragraph ahead of time and to discuss that with the course instructor. Many students have found that this improves the quality of their writing.

The longer research paper is an opportunity to engage more deeply with a particular topic of your choice. It should ideally use both primary source material and appropriate secondary and theoretical studies to focus more closely on a particular subject. Please discuss with the instructor possible research topics and bibliography. Oral presentations summarizing research papers will be made in class toward the end of a semester.

*Graduate students taking the course will typically write a longer research paper, or do some other additional activity related to the course.

Purpose. This assignment encourages you to keep on top of the reading, enlivens class discussions (since more students will have read the assignment), and offers a forum to record your personal responses to the readings, thereby personalizing the course and, at the same time, sharpening your skills in thinking critically and writing fluidly.
 
Mechanics. Journal entries should be typed. They should be approximately 300 words each, or 1-2 typed double-spaced pages. Please write them on three-hole paper or type them and use a hole punch. Please include your name, and the date and number of each essay (e.g., "Journal number 2, January 20, 2008"), and save a copy on your computer.
When I return them to you (in a week or so), please collect them all. On the last day of class you will turn in the whole journal in a folder or binder.
The journal entries are due at the start of class on the day that the reading is assigned (the exception is meeting no. 1, which can be turned in the following Tuesday in class). These cannot be turned in late. There is no way to make up for lost work in this project.


Content. Each entry should quote or summarize one passage in one (or more) assigned text for that one day. It should record your honest reflections on the reading, and it should engage the ideas of the text in some direct and thoughtful way. It should connect the text to something outside itself, whether one of the background readings, topic discussed in class, or a contemporary event from the news. Frequently I will give you a specific assignment of a topic or question based on the reading.

Grading. These entries will be graded as either acceptable (check) or unacceptable (minus). A check means that you handed it in on time and followed the instructions fully. I do not grade the journals for thesis or grammar, as I do other written work.
You control how well you do on this part of your grade, since it is determined by how many acceptable journal entries you submit (ones with a check, that is).
There are 14 class sessions in which you might turn in a journal entry (i.e., days with assigned reading); this includes the first day of class, to which you may bring a journal entry on the assigned reading.  If you regularly turn in journals early in the semester, you will leave yourself more flexibility later on.

Here is the scale:

A=12 entries
B=10 entries
C=8 entries
D=6 entries
F=4 or fewer entries.