HISTORY OF RELIGION WRITING ASSIGNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
Through various rituals, festivals, and commemorations, religions have attempted to shape and define time by creating their own calendars. On May 31, 2020, Christians celebrated Pentecost (originally a Jewish festival–the Feast of Weeks), traditionally seen as the birthday of the Christian church. A key primary source for this birthday and the early years of the church is the Acts of the Apostles. Read the Book of Acts and then write a 10 page paper that addresses the following:
1. How does the source depict the organization/structure and message of the early church?
2. How does the source depict the relationships of early Christians:
a. b. c. d.
3. Can a a.
b. c.
within the Christian community itself? with the Jews?
with the Greeks?
with the Romans?
reader of this (Christian) document draw any general conclusions about: how Christians viewed themselves?
how Christians viewed non-Christians?
the reliability of Acts as a historical source?
These questions allow for a range of different responses depending upon a particular students point of view. However, it is essential for all students, regardless of their conclusions, to include the following in the paper:
1. Details/specifics from the source.
2. Parenthetical, in-text citations to document those details. Each citation should
include the shortened name of the source (Acts), the chapter number, and the number of the verse/s e.g. The author of Acts addresses the book to Theophilus and refers to a previous book [the Gospel of Luke] that he wrote about Jesus life and teachings (Acts 1: 1-2). [Note: Unlike most titles, the names of Biblical books are not italicized.]
The following maps (from searchingthescriptures.net) may be helpful in understanding the events related in Acts (there are many sites online with similar maps; these have explanatory notes on the maps themselves):
1. The Kingdom of Herod Agrippa I
2. The Kingdom of Agrippa II
3. Pentecost and the Jewish Diaspora
4. Expansion of the early Church in Palestine
5. Pauls Conversion and Early Ministry
6. Pauls Journeys
7. The First Missionary Journey of Paul
8. The Second Missionary Journey of Paul
9. The Third Missionary Journey of Paul
10. Pauls Arrest and Imprisonment
11. Pauls Voyage to Rome
Also, an online Bible dictionary such as the following at the Biblegateway.com site may be helpful in understanding the proper names of both people and places in the source material: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/eastons-bible-dictionary/toc.
The assignment is designed to be an examination/interpretation of a primary source document. Additional sources beyond Acts itself are not required. However, it is certainly acceptable for students to use additional sources as long as they provide citations to acknowledge the use of the words and/or ideas of those sources. Failure to acknowledge other sources is plagiarism and will result in a 0 for the paper. Plagiarism will not be tolerated; students who plagiarize will be given a 0 for the paper. To avoid plagiarism, all materials presented in the paper must be documented through in-text citations or footnotes or endnotes. This applies to both material which is quoted and material which is written in the students own words. Quoted materials should have proper punctuation, i.e. quotation marks for short quotations and block quotation (indented and single-spaced) for longer quotations (5+ lines). When a student puts the information in his/her own words, the student cannot simply change one or two words. The student must significantly rewrite the source material.
Also, please remember that this is a scholarly, not a religious or devotional, activity. So, please try to approach your reading and analysis of the primary source material with as much balance and objectivity as possible.
The other basic requirements of the assignment include the following:
a. The paper should be typed and double-spaced.
b. The paper will be worth 100 points.
c. Use a 12 or 14 font size.
d. Students are encouraged to see the English tutor in the Success Center for help with
basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation problems.
e. The grade for a late paper will be reduced by 50 points.
f. The final paper should include the following:
-Title page
-Outline with a thesis statement (i.e. a statement of the main idea/opinion
presented in the paper based upon the analysis of the sources)
– Body of paper (10 pages) with parenthetical, in- text citations
– Bibliography /Works Cited if other sources are used
WRITING ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES _______________________________________________________________________________________
1. The final paper should include the following:
a. A title page with the title of the paper centered in the middle; the student’s name, course
name and number, and instructor’s name centered at the bottom.
b. An outline with a thesis statement (a statement of the key point/s you want to make in the
paper).
c. The body of the paper with parenthetical citations to document material referenced in the
paper.
d. If any other sources are used in addition to the assigned primary source, a bibliography
(“Works Cited”) page in which sources are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last
name or,in the absence of an author’s name, by title.
e. Save a copy of the paper.
f. Submit a copy of the paper through the Writing Assignment Submission Link on Blackboard. Papers will not be accepted unless they are submitted on Blackboard.
2. Direct quotation of relevant portions of research material is encouraged. However, please remember to keep such quotations limited to approximately 10% of the total length of the paper. Students who have an excessive amount of direct quotations and who, therefore, have not really done much writing of their own, will be penalized on the paper grade. Also, please remember to use proper punctuation to indicate a direct quotation.
3. When students use the words (i.e. direct quotations) and/or the ideas (which you have expressed in your own words) of authors, they must document those words and/or ideas through parenthetical citations. In addition, they must include a bibliography (“Works Cited”) in which sources are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name or, in the absence of an author’s name, by title.
4. The use of an author’s material without proper acknowledgement is PLAGIARISM. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. PLAGIARISM IS CHEATING AND STEALING AND WILL RESULT IN A “0” FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.
5. In writing your paper, avoid the following common errors:
a. comma splices
b. run-on sentences
c. sentence fragments
d. wordiness
e. awkward phrasing
f. use of slang or informal expressions
g. failure to indent the first line of a paragraph
h. failure to divide writing into separate paragraphs
i. margins that are too wide
j. a font size that is too large (or too small)
6. Students are encouraged to see the English tutor in the Success Center for help with basic grammar, spelling, punctuation, and documentation problems.
7. Also, consult the following websites for examples of parenthetical citations, outlines, and thesis statements:
Sample MLA Style Paper: https://style.mla.org/files/2016/11/DeSouza_paper_final.pdf
Sample MLA Style Paper 2: https://style.mla.org/files/2017/03/Samantha-Paper_FINAL.pdf
Outline with thesis statement example:
https://www.coastal.edu/writingcenter/wcdocs/mlaoutline.pdf
Outline with thesis statement example 2: https://www.austincc.edu/tmthomas/sample%20outline%201.htm
Outline and thesis guidelines: http://www.butte.edu/services/library/learning/research- paper/thesis.html
Final Paper Contents Checklist
o Title Page
o Outline including ……
o Thesis statement
o Body of Paper
o Parenthetical Citations to document sources in the body
o Bibliography (a.k.a. Works Cited) if citing information beyond the assigned primary source
