Write a paper on to dig deeply into a topic or gospel practice that is related to our course of study (Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel at BYU)
This assignment gives
you the opportunity to dig deeply into a topic or gospel practice that is
related to our course of study. It is worth 80 points. Submit your paper in Microsoft Word format. Seek the Lord’s guidance so your research and
writing will be more meaningful. Papers should be at least 4 full pages and not
more than 6 pages in length (Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing,
and default 1” margins). If you miss the paper deadline, you may turn it in
late with a 5-point/day penalty.
Thing to include on your cover page (not included in
4-6-page count)
· Your name and section
· Which option you chose from
those listed below
· A bulleted list of the
sources you studied in the research phase, categorized by type (e.g.
General Conference talk, scholarly article, etc.). You can use any format
you prefer (Chicago, MLA, APA, etc.) when listing sources.
· If you choose Option 2 “I
want to be better,” copy / paste and fill in the following blanks: “I
experimented on the Christlike attribute of _____(insert Christlike
attribute)____ for ___(insert #)__ days
Choose one of the two
options described below for writing your paper.
Option 1 ~ “I need
answers” assignment
The purpose of this option is to help you find
answers and evaluate your process of seeking truth when faced with serious or
troubling questions. This
should be an honest and objective search for truth rather than an exercise in prooftexting
(using isolated quotes to support your own conclusions). To do this option: (1) pick a serious question you or
someone you know has about the gospel, the scriptures, or the Church, (2) seek
out and study reliable sources of information that will help you find answers
or at least a direction for thinking about your question, and then (3) report
what you learned and what process you used as you sought truth.
Steps to
complete this option:
1.
Study
any three scripture chapters that are
related to your topic of study. At least one of these chapters should be from
the Bible [2 points per chapter = 6 points]
2.
Study a total of three different Church-related articles,
talks, or book chapters directly related to your topic in any of the following sources: [5 points for each source = 15
pts.]
o General Conference Talks (you can use
scriptures.byu.edu to help find relevant talks)
o Ensign or New Era Magazine articles
o churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/intro?lang=eng
o speeches.byu.edu
o Books written by Church leaders
3.
Seek
answers to your question from three articles you find in any of the following
sources:
[5 points per article studied = 15 pts. You will need to enter key words or
phrases in each site’s search engine to find relevant material]
o Rsc.byu.edu
o scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/
o bookofmormoncentral.org
o fairmormon.org/find-answers
4.
Report the results of your study by writing a 4-6-page paper. Your paper should be
well-thought out and well written. It should synthesize elements of what you
learned (no lengthy quotes) from all the steps in your research (#1-3 above).
Points will be subtracted for sloppy writing. Include the following in your
paper [up to 44 points]:
a. [0-3 pts.] What question or topic
did you research? What were your initial assumptions and conclusions about that
subject before doing any of this research?
b. [0-5 pts.] Give a brief
description of the processes you used to find helpful material in steps 1-3.
Briefly explain why you chose the specific articles you selected over others.
c.
[0-25 pts.] Give a detailed explanation of what you
learned from this research. How would you now answer your initial question?
Which of your previous assumptions were validated? Which were called into
question because of what you learned? How confident are you in the answers you
found? What parts of your question are still unclear or unanswered?
d. [0-5 pts.] What did you learn
about seeking truth using the various sources listed in parts 2 and 3? What did
you find most or least helpful with these sites?
e.
[0-6 pts.] How will this new knowledge help you in your
life moving forward? What new questions do you have now that you completed this
research?
Option 2 ~ “I want to be
better” assignment
The purpose
of this option is to help you “seek learning, even by study and also by faith”
(D&C 88:118). You will begin by identifying a Christlike attribute that you
want to implement more fully in your life. Next, you will determine the gospel
principles and doctrines that are most closely related to that attribute of the
gospel. Engage in a deep study of those topics and decide how you can put them
into practice on a daily basis for one week. At the end of that experience,
write a paper regarding what you learned through the process of both study and
application. Plan ahead to allow enough time to complete your research,
implement your application for one week, and then write your paper.
Steps to
complete this option:
1.
Study
any three scripture chapters that are related to your topic of study. At least
one of these chapters should be from the Bible [2 points per chapter = 6
points]
2.
Study a total of two different Church-related articles,
talks, or book chapters as listed in step 2 of Option 1 above. [5 points for
each source = 10 pts.]
3.
Study
two articles related to your question from any of the sources listed in step 3
of Option 1 above:
[5 points per article studied = 10 pts.]
4.
Integrate
what you learned from the first three steps above into a meaningful daily
practice for one full week [1 point per day = 7 points]
5.
Report the results of your study and application by
writing a 4-6-page paper. Your
paper should be well-thought out and well-written. It should include elements of
what you learned (no lengthy quotes) from all aspects of your research in steps
1-4 above. Points will be subtracted for sloppy writing. Include the following
in your paper [up to 47 points]:
a. [0-8 pts.] What Christlike
attribute was your focus? Which gospel topics did you research? How did you
find meaningful material in steps 1-3?
b. [0-4 pts.] What did you do every day for a
week to implement those teachings into your life?
c.
[0-15 pts.] Give a detailed explanation of the most
important truths you learned from your research phase.
d. [0-15 pts.] Give a detailed
explanation of what you learned about the Lord and about yourself from seeking
to implement this practice into your daily life.
e.
[0-5 pts.] How will the things you learned from this
process help you in your life moving forward?
