Course Description

The course will provide a translucent entry into the complex reality called Catholicism. It will explicate the basics, which form the foundation of Catholic theology, against which everything else is either explained or judged. We will investigate the history, worship, moral action, views of the Church and ways of life present in Catholicism. Topics will range from a comprehension of the Triune God, to the observance of the Sacraments left by Christ, the significance and necessity of spirituality and present-day Catholic issues. Class sessions will provide regular opportunities for students to raise questions and to engage in discourse with the instructor and one another.

Final Paper Expectations

What is an abstract?

• One page discussion of topic, specific problem to be discussed, sources to be used, and any problems that confront you. You should be able to identify a single question that defines the general purpose of the work and serves as an organizing principle. The answer to that question is the paper’s thesis. A thesis is not a statement of purpose; it is a statement of conclusion. You should be able to articulate your thesis in one or two sentences. Typically, both the major question and the thesis are expressed in the introduction of the paper. The bulk of the paper then develops the argument to prove the thesis.

Final Paper, how long?

• 3,000-4,000 words.

Can I chose my own topic for the final paper?

• You are free to choose your own topic of interest but you must discuss it with me beforehand.

Are there Specific Rules and Expectations?

• Papers must be based on analysis of one or more primary sources. You must explain the context of the source you chose (who wrote it, when, why, what is point). Note that your aim must not be to describe your topic or source, but to explain it. In your initial paragraph you should state a thesis (i.e., the specific point you wish to make to the reader); in the rest of the paper you should show how this thesis/point is illustrated by your primary sources.
• You must proof read your papers before handing them in. Numerous mistakes in grammar or spelling will be interpreted as a lack of concern for the paper’s grade. Of course, no plagiarism or academic fraud will be tolerated.
  

  Final Paper Instructions

  The Final Paper is due on the last day of the course.

  Usual steps for a successful paper:
  1. Topic selection
  2. Annotated bibliography
  3. Topic and approach
  4. Submit final paper

  How to Write a Good Essay

  HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY:

   As a college student in this course, you will be asked to write an interpretive-argumentative  essay. This assignment enables you to think on paper about what you have read in homework and heard in lecture; it provides you with an opportunity to show the instructor that you have learned something. Therefore, to write an essay that you could have written before you took or knew about this course is absolutely the worst thing to do, an essay deserving a failing grade. You must connect the essay assignment to the content of the course. An interpretive essay is not a summary of your class notes, and such a summary shows no signs of having done the reading assignments for the course. You must incorporate specific citations and quotations into your writing to support all general statements made.

  You should see “research” and “writing” as two different stages, the research stage being a period of reading through the material and taking notes and making outlines. Avoid trying to write the final draft of the paper before you have done the research and have learned what you want to say about the topic.

  An interpretive essay, like an argumentative essay generally, is a specific kind of writing, different from poetry, drama, diaries, journals, or creative writing. It is prose that articulates a cogent argument supported by evidence and by replies to objections, in the form of multiple and specific examples. What distinguishes an essay from, say, a series of paragraphs is that an essay consists in inquiry and has a point. This point is called a thesis. One of the most annoying things to read is a paper that has no point. The first thing I ask of a submitted paper is “So What?” “What’s the point?” and “Why should I care?” If your paper cannot answer me these things in the first paragraph, you have no thesis.

  Before you begin to write, read the assignment and its requirements for submission carefully. Any paper that does not meet the requirements for submission is unacceptable and shall be returned to the student for re-writing. In such instances late penalties will apply.

  The architecture of a well-crafted essay conforms to the following blueprint:

  Introduction. Your introduction should be no longer than one-sixth of your paper. The introduction will articulate a problem and your proposed solution. Your most important challenge is to develop a coherent and concise thesis statement, one sentence in length. A thesis should not be a restatement of the assignment question. A thesis statement should be specific to your paper alone and not something transferable to any other student paper for this assignment. You have to decide what you want to argue. You cannot solve all the problems of the universe in one college paper. The trouble with most theses is that they are either too broad, abstract, general, or generic. Narrow your focus to a problem that can be solved in a few short pages. You will not have the final and definitive word; no writer ever does. You must place your (now) narrowed thesis statement in the last sentence of your introduction (first paragraph), where I as your reader will concentrate most of my (unfortunately, limited!) intellectual energy. I have found that the biggest trouble with introductions is that they are thin, insubstantial, usually raising no problem worth solving, suggesting no solution worth having.

   Body. The body of the paper should contain your evidence, drawn from the readings assigned thus far in the course (as determined from looking at the syllabus). There should be relatively little summary, background, context, etc., in the body (not the appropriate place, you should do these things in your introduction). All evidence should support your thesis. It is your responsibility as a writer to remove all evidence not relevant to your point. The sections of the body should be apparent. Each section (“paragraph”) should have words that characterize that section and distinguish it from other sections. The movement of the sections should be from the familiar to less familiar. At no point should the order be random or “stream of consciousness.” Ask yourself: Is the organization of the argument — chronological, qualitative, logical, geographical, etc. — appropriate? Does each section relate to the thesis? Take as your audience a college student who took this course, say, a year or so ago, someone who has some familiarity with the material but may need to be reminded about specific passages in the text you are interpreting. “Imagine that you are explaining the question and its related argumentation to such a person. This will lead you to spell everything out, fill in the details, and leave no gaps” (Jack W. Meiland, College Thinking: How to Get the Best out of College [New York: Mentor, 1981], p. 49).

  Conclusion. The conclusion should restate the thesis, without repeating it word for word. After this, one should provide a sentence or two expressing what the implications of the thesis might be. In other words, now that your inquiry has led to the creation of knowledge, what should we do with this knowledge? Finally, you should write a sentence or two expressing what you are uncertain of, what you think ought to be explored more, or what you have questions about. Ideally, I as your reader should leave your essay having learned something and with a desire to explore the question further. Elements of the classic essay:

  I. Original Title

  II. Introduction with thesis (also original)

  III. Body

  A. Example 1

  B. Example 2

  C. Example 3

  IV. Conclusion

  I shall grade the merit of an essay in three ways:

  1. The Ability to Write Good English.

  Good English composition and rhetoric (in writing, “rhetoric” is not a negative term; it means the skill to use the English language effectively to argue a point). Questions to consider: Are most sentences of appropriate length: shorter than a line and a half or two lines? Is the language abstract, impersonal, convoluted? Correct spelling, grammar, and syntax? Are verb tenses consistent? Thesis focused/well-defined or a need for clearer focus? Good internal logic or a need to check contradictions? Well structured/organized or a need to rethink organization? Good introduction/conclusion or a need to rework intro./conclusion? Clear/well written or a need to fix awkward language? Creative/lively style or a need to adjust tone or mood? Are the pages numbered? Put main ideas in main clauses, not dependent clauses. In formal prose, avoid one-sentence paragraphs or an entire page without a paragraph break, as well as verbal contractions, dangling modifiers, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, pronouns without antecedents. Every English sentence requires a finite, conjugated verb. (sloppy writing betrays sloppy thinking.)

  2. The ability to make the connection between the essay assignment and the readings in the course. The added ability to make connections among the various readings.

  Effective use of examples or a need to give more examples? Use of specific detail or a need to use more detail? Fine command of the topic (of the course as presented thus far in the syllabus) or fact/concept errors? Well-documented (specific page references) or a need to cite sources? Superb synthesis skills or a need to consult more sources (from the readings)? When you cite a source, you may use either footnotes or internal references. An example of quotation with an internal reference is: “One of Mark’s favorite methods of composition is to fit two stories together by putting one in the middle of the other” (Perkins, Reading the New Testament, p. 205). Do not quote the dictionary. The dictionary or Wikipedia are not scholarly sources.

  3. The Ability to do Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. 

  Is the thesis original? Surprising? Are the examples effective? Well-stated arguments or need for deeper analysis? Does the essay as a whole rise above mere recall of previously learned material (beyond telling how things happened as they did) to analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (to telling why things happened as they did). In the interpretation of a religious text, analysis means separating its passages according their respective literary themes and explaining the relationships among these themes; synthesis means combining two or more literary themes to form a new theme; and evaluation means making judgments on the value of the religious text for historical, academic inquiry. Ability to do analysis, synthesis, and evaluation in a specific and detailed way demonstrates original, creative thought and is the hallmark of an “A” paper. 

  The key to success is not to write the paper the night before it is due. To write well you need practice. Write a first draft. Wait a day. Re-read and edit the draft. Compose a second draft. Proofread. Then, write a final clean copy. Try composing your introduction last! Typically, only after a student has written a first draft has the student figured out what she or he wants to say.

  The three sources to be used are
  “Catholic Christianity” by Peter Kreeft
  “The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church” by  Jacques Dupuis 
  The Bible

  Make sure to include an annoted bibliography.