1. What does it mean to be human?
Choose at least one of the options from the above sets of questions. Write an essay that answers these questions from your own perspective. The goal of this assignment is for you to use your own voice and enter into the theological conversations you have been introduced to this semester. This essay is not a summary of the course material. However, in order to do this assignment, you must reflect on the various theologies (e.g. Scripture, Johnson, Augustine, etc.) that we have discussed in class and use them as conversation partners in your own reflections. In order to answer these questions, you must use materials from this course. Choose at least two (2) different texts to engage. At least one of your texts must be Etty Hillesum, St. Augustine, or Kendrick Lamar. Be sure to cite the texts you are engaging. In addition to these course materials, you must use at least one (1) source that was not discussed in this course. This source is entirely up to you, but you must properly cite your source.
1. Thesis: A thesis statement should be specific (not general) and clearly describe the main point of the essay. A thesis statement is not a description of what you are going to do in the essay (i.e. a method statement). The thesis statement should be in your introductory paragraph. In other words, by the end of your first paragraph, I should know exactly what your essay will be arguing.
2. Structure: The essay should be unified. In other words, the entirety of your essay should be related to your thesis in a very clear manner. DO NOT skip around between topics.
3. Depth: Your essay should be focused. The essays you will write for this class are 1000 words in length. This does not give you enough time to treat a number of different topics. A good thesis will help you focus your essay and keep you from going off on tangents.
4. Grammar: Theology is about how we use words. The way you use your words matters. ALWAYS (1) proofread your own writing, (2) have a friend proofread your writing, and (3) utilize the writing center. Please refer to this website for help with sentence structure: http://esl.fis.edu/learners/advice/syntax.htm Pay close attention to the section entitled “Problematic Sentences.”
5. Citations: Be sure to cite when using quotes AND when paraphrasing. If you are relying on a summary you found online, cite it. If you are using an example you read somewhere else, cite it. If you don’t cite, you are plagiarizing (whether you know it or not). Use Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition. Use footnotes, not endnotes. Here is a video explaining how to easily create footnotes.
