You will write a three page theological critique of one of the following essays from God Is Not: God is Not American by Michael J. Baxter ,or God is Not a Capitalist by Michael Budde. You can find digitized copies of these readings in the Week 9 module.
Explanation: Writing a critical essay involves assessing, evaluating, and offering a critique of a theological author, position, topic, or issue. The essay is not substantially different from a critical essay written in another discipline. It typically follows the format of an academic review or critique that a scholar might write in any field. In this case, of course, you are critiquing a theological position.
Remember, a critique is a well-reasoned refutation of an author or position that demonstrates the academic virtues of critical reading, analysis, and thoughtful evaluation. You are not attacking a position simply because youve decided (a priori) that you disagree with the author. Disagreeing with a position based on your predilections does not provide a strong foundation for writing a theological critique.
Also, for this particular assignment, do not fixate on the title of each essay. In other words, writing a critique does not mean that you are trying to prove that God is American (which God obviously is not) or that God is a capitalist. Rather, consider the following criteria derived from Chapter 4 of Writing Theology Well when you compose your essay:
What is the controlling idea or thesis of the essay?
How does the author develop the argument?
Is the authors evidence credible and persuasive?
Do the authors conclusions follow logically from the evidence?
Is the material presented objectively or with a discernible bias?
Consider framing your critique from the following perspectives:
Your critique of the authors theory or controlling idea
Your critique of the authors method for developing his argument
Your critique of the authors evidence
You must incorporate at least two outside sources to support your critique. For this essay, you can use scholarly or popular sources. See pp. 196-197 in The Brief Penguin Handbook for more information on the distinction between scholarly and popular sources. Also, see p. 200 in The Brief Penguin Handbook before searching for sources on the web.
Details: Your essay must meet the criteria below.
Due: Sunday, October 30 by 11:00 PM CST
Length: 3 pages
File type: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
Research: You must include direct quotes from the essay and at least 2 outside sources.
Format and Citation: Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)
CMS Formatting: You must adhere to CMS guidelines for formatting. This means that your essay must be double-spaced with a readable typeface (like Times New Roman or Palatino) in 12-point font. The margins should be set at no less than 1 inch and no greater than 1.5 inches. For more information, see pp. 340-342 in The Brief Penguin Handbook or the General CMS Guidelines from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
CMS Documentation: You must adhere to CMS guidelines for documenting. This means that you must follow the citation guidelines on pp. 324-340 in The Brief Penguin Handbook or the General CMS Guidelines from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Grading: We will evaluate your paper using the SPS Writing Rubric. (Please note, however, that our version of the rubric uses a different format.) More specifically, we will assign the following point values to the grading criteria below:
Readability: 20 points
Clarity of Purpose / Thesis Statement: 10 points
Audience Awareness: 5 points
Support, Analysis, and Critical Thinking: 25 points
Organization: 15 points
Completeness and depth: 25 points
Submission Process: You must submit your essay in Microsoft Word by 11:00 PM CST on Sunday, October 30. Use the submission link in the Week 10 folder under the Weekly Modules section of Blackboard to upload your document. It is important that you submit your work on time as the submission link will close after the deadline. Failure to submit the assignment on time will result in a grade reduction as stipulated in the syllabus.
Assistance: We are more than happy to assist you with the writing process. Feel free to send us an email with questions or a draft of your assignment. Also, use the resources in the Supplemental Material folders, on the Student Resources for Writing & Research site, and on Purdue OWL. Remember, too, that you can obtain additional support through University Writing Services. They offer one-to-one consultations on campus and online. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this student resource.
Academic Dishonesty: As a Jesuit institution of higher learning, Saint Louis University recognizes the importance of maintaining academic integrity. To that end, the university has established a policy to govern academic integrity. Please note that we take plagiarism very seriously. You cannot pass the course if you violate this policy, which will be noted with the Dean of Undergraduate Education at the School for Professional Studies