Introduction to Theology
Paper Guidelines

 

Several topics will be covered in this course including: the meaning of revelation, the authority of scripture, the nature of God, creation, the relationship between science and theology, the nature of Jesus, the nature of the Holy Spirit, the meaning of the Holy Trinity, God's providence, the problem of evil, "image of God," sin, the nature and purpose of the church, the meaning and extent of the sacraments, and eschatology.

 

Your final essay for this course is to select one of these topics (or a subtopic of one of these topics) and discuss the topic by drawing upon the ideas found in Migliore's Faith Seeking Understanding and other course readings, as well as upon views of other theologians (at least one besides Migliore). The typical structure of the paper will include an overview of the chosen topic, Migliore's views of the topic, at least one other theologian's view of the topic, and your view of the topic in light of Migliore and the other theologians.

Students must clear their topic with the professor by April 7. Each student must select a different topic, so the sooner the student clears the topic with the professor, the more likely it is that the student will get the topic she or he prefers.

Papers must be word-processed in a 12 pt. font (preferably Times New Roman) with 1 inch margins all around. Line spacing should be double-spaced. Page length should be somewhere between 1500-2000 words. (It is acceptable to have a longer paper.) Although papers are graded primarily on the basis of content, not following the instructions in these guidelines and/or poor writing can affect grading. Good writing is writing that is clear, coherent, and organized. See the general points about writing a paper at the bottom of this page.

Papers should be submitted as a Word document by e-mail by noon on April 28. During the last week of classes each student will present a summary of their paper before the rest of the class. (This summary counts for 3% of the 18% that the paper counts toward the final grade.

 

General Points Regarding Writing Papers:

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avoid using "man" and "mankind" when you really mean human or humankind

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avoid using contractions--the paper should be somewhat formal

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write your paper as if your reader was unfamiliar with the book

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when quoting a biblical text, e.g., "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," the only citation you need is that Book chapter:verse.  In the example above it would be Matthew 5:8.  You do not need to cite the actual Bible you got it from (e.g., HarperCollins Study Bible).  You should indicate, by abbreviation, which translation you are using, e.g., NRSV, NIV, KJV, etc.  The only time you need to cite the actual Bible you are using is when you are referring to material in the footnotes or introductions, i.e., all non-biblical material.  When citing the non-biblical material, you should follow standard citation format for an edited book.

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citations should always include page numbers if the source is paginated

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citations of web sites should be complete--for example, if you are referring to material found at http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/rph/rph130/index.html don't put http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/rph/ only

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Do not use quotations to make a point; use them to support a point you make, e.g., about the author's perspective

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It is not enough simply to list all the works consulted at the end of a paper.  All information and ideas which a student finds from the works consulted must be specifically cited at the point in the paper where that information is included.

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papers should always be double spaced

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each page of your paper should have a page number

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for my classes, you do not need to have a cover sheet (save a tree)

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be sure that your paper is signed and pledged

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in my classes, I prefer that you refer to yourself as "I" rather than as "the author of this paper" or "we"