Students will write a Special Topic paper on abortion. They will use the researc
Students will write a Special Topic paper on abortion. They will use the research provided in Sakai (see the tab called “Special Topic 1 Resources”), which spans both “sides” of the debate and engages scriipture, tradition, reason, and experience. The total text of each paper should range between 2500-3000 words + bibliography (the bibliography does not count toward the word count). The paper should have two clearly delineated sections:
In the first section, students will thoroughly and academically articulate what the four sources for theology—the Bible, church tradition, reason, and experience—contribute to an understanding of their topic. This section of the paper, entitled “Sources for Theology,” should be organized around those four sub-headings, and may be up to 2000 words of their total word count. Students should actively engage divergent viewpoints within the four theological sources (e.g., if writing on gender roles in marriage, they should engage biblical texts that advocate for mutuality and biblical texts that advocate for hierarchy). In other words, do not over-simplify the data. These sections should be a synthesis of your research, not simply a summary of the resources in the bibliography.
In the second section, entitled “Thesis and Support,” students will argue for their own view on the topic with a clearly articulated thesis and supporting data. This section will engage data from section one, including justification for which theological sources most inform their view and why. Successful papers will also engage the strongest objections to their own view.
Papers should conclude with a properly-formatted bibliography (either APA or MLA) of the resources provided. Submit papers electronically via Sakai prior to the start of class on the due date.
