Due to the learning objectives of this course, this course stresses primarily written communication. The student will be required to write a thesis statement, argumentative essay, or critical evaluation each day (beginning with Lesson 3; Lessons 1-2 require other written assignments). The thesis statements and essays will develop the student's skills in interpreting the biblical texts. By writing critical evaluations, the student will learn to make critical informed judgments about the interpretations of others.
For Lessons 1-5, the writing assignment is described on the Lesson page. Beginning with Lesson 6, each lesson will give an essay topic on which the student will write either a thesis statement, an argumentative essay, or a critical evaluation of another student's essay. The student will be randomly assigned three essays to write. These essays will be evaluated by other students, and the student in turn will evaluate three other students' essays. After each essay is evaluated and graded, the student will revise the essay and resubmit it for a grade. All students will write the final essay (Lesson 27). The student will write the abstract for every lesson in which either an essay or an evaluation is not required.
Thus, each student will write:
- Three essays
- Three critical evaluations of other students' essays
- Revisions of the three original essays
- Twenty daily written exercises or thesis statements
- A final essay
All thesis statements and essays are due in class on the day of the lesson. In other words, the essay for Lesson 4 is due on the day that Lesson 4 is discussed in class. The critical evaluations are due in class following the day on which they are received by the student. The revised essays are due in class following the day on which the original essays are returned to the student.
Daily written exercises and thesis statements will be accepted only at the beginning of each class, and the student must be present in class.
For information on each type of written assignment, see:
