There are three assignments for this course that require work outside of class. The first is the Reading Summary, the second the Dialogue Group Presentation and the third your Research Paper. Directions for all three follow; identical directions for the Dialogue Group presentations are also available from the Dialogue Groups tab to the left.

 

If you are interested in writing an extra credit report, use the link to the left for directions and a list of eligible events.

Preparation for the Presentation

 

Group Meeting

Each dialogue group shall meet with one other dialogue group at least a week before their presentation to divide responsibilities for and to plan their presentation. Responsibilities include:

1. Historical Background. When was the work composed? By whom was the work written, and for what audience? Where was the text written? What were the historical and social circumstances of the time, and how do these correlate to features of the text (themes, motifs, named individuals, views of God, humanity, history)?
2. Outline of Work. What is the overall literary structure of the entire work? (Note: the class as a whole will usually be reading only part of the work, but your outline should explain the structure of the whole book). Prepare to present the outline in detail. If you elect to prepare a handout or overhead transparency and would like these run off or made at no cost, please give them to the professor a full class in advance of your presentation.
3. Apocalyptic Features of the Work. Using the genre, method, features, and classification of apocalyptic literature developed in Collins' Apocalyptic Imagination and in class, determine and present which of the features are present in your text. If there are four persons in the group, divide this task into two parts: one person prepares a survey of all of the apocalyptic features present in the text, while the other person prepares to guide the class through 2–3 specific examples of these features that occur in the assigned reading for the book.

 

After dividing responsibilities, the group should plan to meet once more after all members have completed the reading to discuss the topic and to generate the content of their handout and presentation.

 

Research your apocalyptic text using these basic resources that are on Reserve:

Charlesworth, James H., ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments. New York: Doubleday, 1983.

García Martínez, Florentino. The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English, trans. Wilfred G. E. Watson. New York: E. J. Brill, 1994.

Handout

The Handout should be an outline of the topic (not of the readings) and 2-4 provocative questions based on your group's discussion of the primary texts we are reading. The questions can be based on observation of one text or comparison between texts, hypotheses about the social contexts of the writings, or implications for people today. Your group should discuss the questions yourselves, trying to anticipate comments others might make. If you're generating a thesis, make a case for it; anticipate pro and con arguments. And always integrate phrases and quotations from the primary texts to illustrate any claims you make. The handout should be typed, with your group's name and the date in an upper corner of the paper and the title of your presentation centered underneath. The handout should be one full page-to-three pages, no longer. If you can deliver this handout to the professor at least two hours before your presentation, she will duplicate it for the class.

 

Post your Questions Online

Your group is required to post a simple form of your questions at the Course ERes site one full day before your presentation. In this way, other students will have an opportunity to think about your questions before class and therefore participate in the discussion more easily.

 

In order to post your questions on the Course ERes Site:

• go to the ERes page
• click on Discussion Board in the upper right corner
• select your Dialogue Group Presentation
• select "Post a New Message"
• and then type your 2-4 brief questions in the pop-up window

 

The Format for the Presentation

 

Your group will decide the format of your presentation. It is recommended that you spend at least 10 minutes reviewing the content of your presentation (your handout), and at least 10 minutes facilitating a discussion about the questions your group raised. Presentations will not exceed 30 minutes.

 

Evaluation of Participants

 

Grades will be assigned to the entire group regardless of the relative efforts contributed by individual members. Thus is it the group members' responsibility to distribute the work fairly and to encourage each other's progress. The grade will be based on the quality of the written handout and questions, the promptness of posting questions online, and the clarity with which group members guided discussion of the questions and responded to the comments made by other students. The assignment is 5 points, or 5% of your grade.

 

There are a lot of skills that go into good group preparation and oral discussion. Some people will be more or less able to do this. The important thing is not to be good, but to become better.

Research Paper

 

The research paper is a 10-page paper exploring some point of correspondence between the apocalyptic texts we have studied and a later occasion when these texts served as a cultural resource.. Possible topics and ideas for the scope of those topics are available from the Research link to the left; you may also develop another option in consultation with the professor. The only rubrics are that it be about an interface between ancient and modern apocalypticism and that it not be the same as your Dialogue Group Presentation topic. Whatever topic you choose, it is intended to provide you with your own line of inquiry into the material we are covering in class, and in this way to function as a capstone for the course.

 

In addition to the topics, the Research link also has research tips, advice on writing with integrity, a style sheet for all formatting questions, Scripture Tools, Exegesis tools for more advanced students, and a link to TurnItIn.com, where you will submit an electronic copy of your final paper. All students will be expected to read these materials and use them in their research and writing.

 

You will be required to submit your topic statement and intended sources in the 3rd week. The topic statement should have the usual personal information in an upper corner (see the Style Sheet), and 2 other parts:

• a 1-3 sentence statement of the topic you intend to examine and, if you have one, your working hypothesis or questions, and
• a list of the sources you intend to use. These sources should be typed up as bibliographic entries; see Style Sheet for directions on the proper format.

 

In addition to the topic statement, you will be required to submit an outline in the 6th week and to meet with the professor in the 7th week to discuss your topic and your progress on it (click here for the Schedule of Conversations). The outline should be 1-2 pages and should indicate clearly how you will develop the various sections of your paper. Be sure to include a section for your introduction and conclusion. Whatever type of main points you introduce, you should include in your outline subpoints that indicate how you will develop the main point. What proofs (citations from sources, logical arguments) will you adduce to demonstrate your ideas, and what order will you follow to develop the section? The outline is a map laying out the logic of your paper.

 

During the ninth week of the quarter, you will be required to submit two copies of the final paper: a paper copy in class, and an electronic copy to TurnItIn.com. The paper copy must be submitted in a folder with all of the final stages included (only originals with professor's comments please). This assignment counts for 25% of your grade, or 25 points. Your grade will be based on several factors:

• scope and comprehension of your sources and topic
• control of your paper (too many of other peoples' quotes strung together does not constitute research; you need to think about your topic and present it in an argument and manner that advances your thinking on the subject)
• appropriate integration of sources with complete citation (see Style Sheet)

  The use of others' work without citation constitutes plagiarism and will result in an F on the assignment and for the course and further action by the Office of Student Life and Leadership.

• presentation in a manner consistent with the Style Sheet (correct citation format for footnotes and bibliography, proper margins and typeface, accurate grammar and spelling)

 

Further instructions about the presentation of written work for long projects like this and for short projects are posted at the Style Sheet, available from the Research link to the left.