religious essay

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

* There will be TWO short research papers (4-5 pages), one on each book.

* Papers increase in value (300 and 400 points)

* Please do not use Word Perfect; my computer does not have the software to read it. If you use a Mac, be sure to translate the file into PC.

* Homework assignments must be typed.

Your papers have three main jobs:

1. work on your writing

2. read and synthesize the texts

3. discuss what you think

* Experience has taught me that many, perhaps most, of the papers need more discussion. Many of them are mostly or completely summary of what's in the reading. I want to know what you think.

* Your papers should also stick to ONE topic. Don't cursorily [look it up] mention four or five. Pick one, think about, and share your reflection.

* Use quotations sparingly; they are to back up your points, not fill up empty space.

HOMEWORK & ESSAY SUGGESTIONS

1. Grammar and spelling mistakes. On homework, for these I take off only 1 point, 2 if it's really bad, but these problems will cost more when you write essays later in the quarter. Please study the corrections and

markings; if you don't understand something, see your beloved TA or me. The most common problems, which we'll go over in class, are

* lack and misuse of possessives

* comma splice

* sentence fragments

* fused sentences

* pronoun references (singular noun, plural pronoun)

* wordiness

* passives

2. ESL students. I recommend that you find time together to meet as a group to go over some of the common problems. Your beloved TA or I can join you. ESL students should especially see your TA if you're having difficulties.

3. 75% of the paper should show your thinking. Engage the material.

4. Try to develop ONE topic, not two or three. Doing two or three often keeps the paper at a superficial level. Dig deep! Don't join topics with "other," "another," "next." Make connections between paragraphs and topics.

5. You don't need "I believe," "I think," "I feel," etc. The reader knows you're writing.

6. Try to find analogies and comparisons, including from your experience ("I" is occasionally OK).

7. When discussing texts, use present tense; it doesn't matter when it was written: Shakespeare observes, Aslan argues, In Exodus God declares, Sura 12 develops....

8. Proofread! There are often way too many mistakes that grammar- and spell-check can catch.

* Papers not handed in on time will lose 20 points.

On all papers:

* Capitalize “God,” “Qur’ān,” “Muslim,” and “Islam.”

* “Islam” is the religion; “Muslims” are the followers of the religion; do not say “the

Islams” when you mean “the Muslims.”

* The pronoun for “Islam” cannot be “they”; it must be “it.”

* Introduce quotations.

* Have a title page.

* Number the pages.

* Use a header.

* Number the paragraphs.

* Boldface the paper thesis.

Points may be taken off for not following directions.

* You must use Turnitin.com.

* Majors must use a minimum of three outside sources.

* CAUTION: web-based research can result in plagiarism. Turnitin will show nearly all web-based quotations and paraphrases.

* You may use Wikipedia, but (1) cite it and (2) it doesn’t count as an outside source.

* Simple anti-plagiarism rule: If it ain’t your idea, give a source.

And there are some example :

1- Greed

2- Materialism

3- Wealth

4- Allah protecting

5- Tribalism

6- Reckoning

7- Opposition

You can choose one of them or any other subject but let me know before .

The book is : * Sells Michael Sells: Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations