Topics on Matthew

Topics on The Qur'an

Your papers should be about four to six pages on one of the topics I have suggested. 

Your papers should reflect a close reading and analysis of the relevant texts. Defend your conclusions by precise and specific reference to the text.   No secondary reading is necessary or desirable in writing these papers.

Your papers will be graded on both the logic and presentation of your argument. You are expected to be aware of, and understand, the interpretation(s) of the texts presented in class. But you should also feel free to criticize these interpretations and present your own views. I am not concerned with what conclusion you reach. Rather, what is important is that you present a good defense of this conclusion. Your argument should be plausible and should be supported by the texts. Possible objections to your interpretation the text should be raised and answered.

You should present your arguments in a coherent manner and your paper should be well organized. State your thesis in a brief introduction the paper. Defend your thesis in the body of the paper by making a series of interconnected arguments that build to your conclusion. Summarize your thesis in a brief conclusion to your paper.

Each of your arguments should be made as rigorously and precisely as possible. Your sentences should be both grammatical and easily understandable. Use standard spelling.

You may quote from a text in order to defend your argument. But your quotations should be short and to the point. In most cases, you should paraphrase a text so as to show me that you understand in your own terms. You may use any standard system of making reference to the texts. The simplest method is to give page and or paragraph numbers in parentheses. You should refer to Plato with Stephanus numbers.

Your paper must be your own work, written for this class. The penalty for plagiarism is, at a minimum, failure of the course. If you have any question about whether you are plagiarizing the work of another author, please see me to discuss it.