Instruction
Core 2101 Paper 1 Assignment
In the first paper assignment, please choose one text from among the readings you have been assigned in class. You will then select one short passage of text, about a paragraph in length, to analyze. The focus of this paper is to explain the significance of this passage. Your paper must be at least 1000 words in length. This is a minimum, but please do not write substantially more than this. You must properly cite at least one scholarly reference according to MLA or Chicago style. Whichever style you use, you must cite the text properly when you make reference to it AND include a works cited or bibliography. When you cite the textbook, you may do so more informally, using the author name and page number, for example: (Hildegard, p. 225), and you do not have to include the textbook in your works cited or bibliography. Please submit this paper as a Word document (.docx) on the course website, under the “Paper Assignments and Final Exam” tab.
Structure:
Please include a heading with your name and the date. You are welcome to come up with a title specific to your topic, but a generic title such as “Christianity and Culture in Dialogue Paper 1” is sufficient. Just under the title, skip a line or two and then immediately type out the full paragraph or section you will analyze for the paper. This will not count towards your 1000-word minimum word count. Include a proper citation for this.
In an introductory paragraph, explain where the passage falls in the context of the larger work, and why it is key to understanding the larger work. Include a thesis in this paragraph or immediately after it, such as “This excerpt, the genealogy from the beginning of the gospel of Matthew, serves as an interpretive key to the rest of the gospel by asserting not only Jesus’s status as the Jewish messiah, but also his relation to prophets, trouble-makers, and teachers from the Hebrew scriptures.”
Follow your introductory paragraph with paragraphs that support your thesis and analyze phrases and sentences from your excerpt.
Include at least one scholarly source from outside the assigned course readings, and use proper citation practices for it. This could be from a peer-reviewed academic journal or scholarly book. If you need help with this, consult the reference librarians.
Finish with a very short conclusion of about 3 sentences that returns to your argument.