by admin | Dec 1, 2022 | Religious studies
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 continues to be both celebrated and controversial for its critique of Western civilization. For many, it stands as a warning against the surrender of personal liberty and critical thought. Its fans believe that elements of the narrative can already be found in many layers of our culture. For others, the novel is an unwarranted dark and pessimistic forecast. Its detractors dismiss the book as mere science fiction entertainment that has no bearing on reality.
Prompt: Write a 5-6 page research analysis essay that examines the themes/motifs and/or symbolism found in Fahrenheit 451 and take a stand on whether these themes and/or symbols are relevant (or not) in twenty-first-century society. Remember, THEME is the central or underlying meaning of a literary work, and SYMBOL is any object, image, character, or action that suggests meaning beyond the everyday literal level.
Guidelines-Introduction
Your essay should be balanced between information identifying themes and/or symbols in the novel and information proving the relevance or irrelevance of those themes and/or symbols in the twenty-first century and it must begin with an introduction that introduces the subject, a theme (or themes) of the novel, and the novel’s current relevance.
It should identify the symbols and/or themes in the story and discuss how they support and establish the central or underlying meaning of the novel.
It should work to explain how the symbols help to communicate the story’s deeper meaning by citing specific moments in the text in which the relationship between theme(s) and symbol(s) in fiction are made clear.
It must begin with an introduction that introduces the relationship between themes and/or symbols in the novel and to the central or underlying (main point) of the novel.
The last sentence or last two sentences of the introduction must be the thesis or claim of the essay, which should clearly state whether Fahrenheit 451 is relevant today or not and it should articulate the central theme(s) of the story.
Guidelines-Body Paragraphs
In addition, you must have supporting body paragraphs that develop your essay. Each body paragraph must begin with a clear topic sentence that specifically states the topic and focus of the paragraph.
A good supporting paragraph must contain seven to thirteen sentences, so you will need to cite evidence from the novel and credible outside sources. Credible outside sources will be found through the RSU Stratton Taylor Library database. Once you introduce a source and provide a quote or paraphrase from said source, you will then need to bring in your commentary regarding the evidence you just cited.
Guidelines-Commentary
Writing commentary means giving your opinion, interpretation, insight, analysis, explication, evaluation, or reflection about a quote, paraphrase, summary, or concrete detail used in your essay. Commentary should be two to three sentences of your own words regarding the relevance of the evidence to the topic sentence and/or thesis statement.
Guidelines-Support Evidence
For your support evidence, you should use recent magazine or newspaper articles or books of non-fiction, such as the essays and articles found in The Norton Reader or on the RSU Library database, as sources to support your claims.
Fahrenheit 451 can serve as ONE of your sources but you must have THREE other sources too. Note: that is a total of FOUR sources. Use the electronic databases at RSU’s Stratton Taylor Library or The Norton Reader for your sources as much as possible.
If you use an internet source, you will need to verify that the source is credible, which means you must email the potential source to me, so I can give you a thumbs up or thumbs down.
You MUST also incorporate specific examples from the novel into your writing to support your claim. Examples, much like quotations and other forms of evidence, should be followed by your commentary.
Guidelines-Attributions and Citations
Provide clear attributions and complete and accurate citations for all outside sources (including the novel) used in your essay. The majority of the sources you use should be incorporated into your writing in the form of summary and paraphrasing. No more than 10 percent of your essay can include quotations.
Guidelines-Conclusion
End your essay with a concluding paragraph that brings the essay to an effective close. The end of an essay should convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, and its implications for our society. Note, that the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off.
To close the discussion without closing it off, you might do one or more of the following:
-Conclude with a quotation from or reference to a primary or secondary source, one that amplifies your main point or puts it in a different perspective. A quotation from, say, the novel or poem you’re writing about can add texture and specificity to your discussion; a critic or scholar can help confirm or complicate your final point
-Conclude by setting your discussion into a different, perhaps larger, context. For example, you might reiterate the connection between the world of Fahrenheit 451 and society today.
-Conclude by considering the implications of your argument (or analysis or discussion). What does your argument imply, involve, or suggest about humanity, society, technology, etc.?
Some advice on how not to end an essay:
-Don’t simply summarize your essay. A summary of your argument may be useful, especially if your essay is long–more than ten pages or so. But shorter essays tend not to require a restatement of your main ideas.
-Avoid phrases like “in conclusion,” “to conclude,” “in summary,” and “to sum up.” These phrases can be useful–even welcome–in oral presentations. But readers can see, by the tell-tale compression of the pages, when an essay is about to end. You’ll irritate your audience if you belabor the obvious.
And Finally, a Few Important Notes
This is a formal academic essay so please include the following
-Length: 5-6 (double-spaced) pages, plus a Works Cited page.
-Use at least 3 outside critical sources.
-Note, that the novel should not be counted as an outside critical source, but essays/articles from the Stratton Taylor (RSU) Library Research Databases and The Norton Reader can be counted.
-Because you are using research in this paper, your essay will need to include in-text citations, as well as a properly formatted Works Cited page
-Remember, this page does not count towards your page length).
-Use MLA format; margins, heading, pagination (etc.) should be in MLA format.
This is a formal academic essay so please avoid the following errors
-Contractions (can’t, won’t, shouldn’t, etc.)
-First-person point of view (I, us, we, our, my, etc.)
-Second-person point of view (you, yours, yourself, etc.)
-Clichéd expressions
-Generalizations
by admin | Dec 1, 2022 | Religious studies
Note that the main questions contain several sub-questions. You don’t have to answer all of the sub-questions; they’re just meant as a way to spark some ideas. Note also that you need to engage with Laudato si’ Download Laudato si’to draw out Francis’ perspective and your own. For this paper, the focus needs to be on your interaction with Laudato si’ rather than “Can Planet Earth Feed 10 Billion People?”.
How does Pope Francis imagine freedom? Do you share his sense that this issue relates to climate change?
In what ways do things like a belief in the dignity of the human person or the common good play into his conception?
How does his conception work against what he calls the “technocratic paradigm”? Do you see instances of this “technocratic paradigm” in the societies that surround us?
This is a theology class and it is important to note the theological aspects of his message.
Your reflection should be about two pages long, double-spaced. It does not need to provide quotes but does need to have carefully read, and thought deeply about, Laudato si’. If you do want to include a quote, don’t worry about the citation format; you can just note where it comes up in our version of the document.
by admin | Nov 29, 2022 | Religious studies
Directions
Choose just one of the two options below to complete this assignment.
Option A
Identify any historical purpose(s) behind the writing of Mark’s and Matthew’s Gospels. Include a reference to any historical factor mentioned in the recommended sources that may have triggered the writing of both Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels as well as references to statements within both of the Gospels themselves. Class lesson material can be used in addition to the recommended sources. Include at least one historical factor and at least one reference to each Gospel studied. Restrict your resources to those below as well as any information within the course modules as well as your text Portraits of Jesus. Be sure to distinguish between paraphrase and direct quotes. Type a 350-750 word paper using MLA formatting. Submit the completed assignment to the appropriate Assignment box by .
Resources for this paper relative to Mark’s Gospel:
See the ebook via SLU library: The Gospels of Jesus by Stanton (2002), pp. 48-53.
Resources for this paper relative to Matthew’s Gospel:
See the ebook via SLU library: The Gospels of Jesus by Stanton (2002), pp. 74-78.
See the ebook via SLU library: New Testament History and Literature by Martin (2012), pp. 93-107.
Resources for this paper relative to Mark’s Gospel:
See the ebook via SLU library: The Gospels by Barton and Muddiman (2010), Ch. 3.
Resources for this paper relative to Mark’s Gospel:
See the eBook via SLU library: The Gospel to The Romans: The Setting and Rhetoric of Mark’s Gospel Leiden: Brill, (2003), Ch. 5
Resources for this paper relative to Matthew’s Gospel:
See the eBook via SLU library: The Gospel of Matthew and Christian Judaism by T&T Clarke by Sim, David (1998), p. 113 and following
Option B
Explain how and why Matthew may have edited Mark’s Gospel. Use the following two sets of passages to support your claim.
According to course materials (Bible, textbook, digital materials linked below, etc.):
1. How and why would Matthew have edited Mark 6:45-52 contrasted with Matthew 14:25-27,32-33?
2. How and why would Matthew have edited Mark 9:2-10 contrasted with Matthew 17:1-13?
Be sure to distinguish between paraphrase and direct quotes. Type a 350-750 word paper using MLA formatting. Submit the completed assignment to the appropriate Assignment box by no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Resources for this paper:
See the ebook via SLU library: New Testament History and Literature by Martin (2012), pp. 106-108.
See the ebook via SLU library: The Gospels by Barton and Muddiman (2010), p. 56.
Grading Rubric
Accurate use of English including careful documentation (including ability to paraphrase and use quotations) and good organizational plan. 40 pts
Adequate research. 20 pts
Accurate and complete reflection of material read for assignment. 40 pts
by admin | Nov 28, 2022 | Religious studies
What did the cross achieve? This deceptively simple question has beguiled theologians for millennia. On the one hand, sometimes the answer to this question has resulted in a misguided notion that there is a singular interpretation that dominates all others. On the other hand, there is at times a rejection of any model as sufficiently explanatory, effectively muting the preaching of the cross.
In an attempt to answer this question, write a 4-page position paper on how best to understand the work of Christ on the cross. To be sure, any analysis of the cross will necessarily acknowledge aspects of the whole complex of Christ’s soteriological work (his life, death, resurrection, ascension, session, etc.), yet remain focused on the cross in particular. Reference to classic “theories of atonement” is encouraged, and demonstrate your position using evidence drawn from the Scriptures, the tradition of the church, and primary sources from various schools of thought on the atonement.
Include 5 primary sources and the Bible (NIV version)
by admin | Nov 28, 2022 | Religious studies
Maybe you have an initial thought on one of those prompts, but I don’t recommend that you start by trying to write directly in response to them. It’s almost always better to see what you really think of the big picture and then notice how that view comments on the prompt. So for the prewrite, I have generated a list of items designed to spur some inspiration. I’m calling these “inspiration spurs.” For the prewrite, in about two, double-spaced pages, write about any ONE (or at most two) of the following “inspiration spurs”:
A realistic social world that I think is worth striving for includes… This compares with what we’ve read by…
People do bad things or go along with them when…This compares with what we’ve read by…
In this class, the material (or materials) that I found myself thinking the most about were… because…
If I had to recommend one material from this course to other students, it would be … The reason I think they should encounter it is…
A Jesuit education is different from other forms of education that involve justice work because …
When I practiced the Examen, one aspect that emerged as particularly important for me was…
In the discussion boards for this course, one conversation that I was part of that kept me thinking was… because…
I recommend that you spend a good five minutes in silence without any materials or screens in front of you. Just turn the ideas over in your head and ask yourself what you think and why.
Once you have written two or so pages, look over what you what you’ve said, especially at the end. Does anything you’ve said pop or stand out to you? Look especially at the end of your “paper.” I often find that we need to write for two pages to make contact with what we’re actually trying to say. It’s very possible that the last line of this “paper” is the core of your final draft. If something you’ve said does strike you, feel free to put it in highlight or bold.
If your prewrite was done on paper, just take a picture of it and submit the jpgs as the assignment.
In the pre-writing, you will not be graded on style, mechanics, etc. You simply need to write in an unstructured way for a couple of pages, examine what you’ve said, and then upload it.
by admin | Nov 26, 2022 | Religious studies
You are to develop a creative Travel Show Slide Presentation playing the role of a Human Aid Worker who is seeking the involvement and soliciting additional voluntary workers to accompany you on a humanitarian mission to a certain locale throughout the world where your team will study one of the major World Religions AND will be actively engaged in a humanitarian relief effort with the local residents as a way to experience the religion first-hand.
Your Travel Show Slide Presentation should include the following components:
The clear identification of (1) one of the World Religions we are studying in this course.
A purpose statement and objective for studying this religion and your humanitarian relief effort.
The identification and application of the most effective academic perspective of religious studies for your team presented in your Week #1 course materials.
Provide a brief descriiption of the major religious beliefs of your selected religion.
The clear identification of a specific location in the world – not a generalization like – India.
The significant role geography plays within this region and the impact on religion and the people.
Research this religion in an actual area of the world in need of humanitarian relief efforts. Possible areas of assistance for your topic may be found in (United Nations Website), (Access specific Christian Missions for examples, or Non-Profit Organizations.). You will need to design your humanitarian mission to include the following:
The reason humanitarian aid is needed in this area of the world
The type of humanitarian aid is needed and will be provided
The types of service projects your team will be engaged for distributing this aid
The anticipated results of your humanitarian relief effort
The benefits your team members will gain by participating in this effort
You will want to generate excitement for the service and religious study opportunities for persuading people to partner with you as member of your Mission Team.
You will want to maximize the advanced functions of your software to communicate your message with such things like:
Voice-Overs
Continuous Loop Presentations
Zero-Touch or Zero-Click Advancements
Or other multi-media software presentations
This is to be a research presentation, and you will need to use in-text citations directly on your slides to identify your resources and avoid plagiarism using your favorite academically approved citation format and resource page.
Your presentation will need to demonstrate strong research skills and incorporate a variety of different types of resources to support your objectives.
Your presentation can be in the form of any of the following formats. Please ensure that your presentation is accessible for your instructor by either uploading or linking to your project. Here are some free, online format suggestions:
Prezi.com
Infographic (visit “10 Free Tools for Creating Infographics” to gather ideas)
Storybook software like Storybird
A website like Google Sites
PowerPoint
You will need to upload your Travel Show Slide Presentation in one of the acceptable formats (above) for presentation and final grading by your instructor. The Grading Rubric for this presentation can be found in your Assignment File for your review.
