Purpose: In the field of biblical study it isimportant for students to be able to access good quality academicsources in pursuit of answers for questions stimulated by their study ofthe text. This essay provides students an opportunity to research aquestion of their choosing through the use of the theological resourcesavailable through the ACU library. This essay also provides anopportunity for the student to practice expressing their thoughts andideas in print.

Skills: The purpose of this assignment is to helpyou practice the following skills that are essential to your success inthis course, in the field of biblical studies and at this university.

These skills are:

o understanding basic factual and conceptual knowledge

o applying basic disciplinary tools to identifying sources, and

o analyzing the sources as to their appropriateness

to the research question

o weighing the evidence of competing interpretations and choosing the most convincing

o synthesizing the material and constructing a brief but coherent essay

o drawing conclusions and inferences in support of a thesis

Knowledge: This assignment will also help you to become familiar with the following important content knowledge in this discipline:

• Scholarly journals in the field of biblical studies
• Quality academic commentaries and dictionaries in the field of biblical studies

Task: The student will first select aquestion/research topic from the course textbook listed in the To DigDeeper section at the conclusion of each chapter. Then the student willcontact the theological library staff for assistance is identifyingquality academic sources for their question. Next the student will readthe material and develop a thesis in response to the question they havechosen. At this point the student will write the essay (600-800 words)using their sources to address the chosen question in support of theirthesis. The students will insure the essay ends with a conclusion inresponse to their thesis.

Criteria for Success:

The essay will be evaluated in the following ways:

Organization and Flow (10%) Does the essay read smoothly and use appropriate academic language?

Thesis clear and well-developed (20%) Is the thesis clearly stated and are the sources relevant/applicable to the question?

Quality of quality academic sources (30%) Are the sources quality, academic sources? Are any.com or .org sources cited?

Length and format (10%) Is the essay the required word length? Is whatever citation style chosen used consistently throughout the essay?

Conclusion/Answer clear and well-developed (30%) Is the conclusion clearly stated in response to the sources used in the essay?