Expanded Mini-Essay

• Total Length: minimum of 3200 words plus Works Cited

• Citation Style: MLA (see Purdue Owl for style guide)

• Requirements: follow Writing Expectations; refer to the research that you completed for your Source Scavenger Hunt

• Turn In: on Google Classroom; you should turn in one document with all parts included and clearly labeled

• Option: You may turn in another Library Visit Form to earn 2 extra credit points on this assignment (to earn credit, form must be completed in full). To avoid overburdening the librarians at the Research Help Desk, consider scheduling an appointment. The librarian you meet with will have more time to prepare for your appointment and you won't have to wait for assistance if they are busy at the desk.

Instructions

First, choose one of your five Mini-Essays that you wish to expand for this assignment. 

THINK: What interested you the most? On which Mini-Essay topic do you have more to say? On which Mini-Essay topic would you like to do more research? On which Mini-Essay did you receive the most interesting responses?

Section Requirements

• Summary - 500 words (minimum)

  • Summarize one chapter of the Bible we read during the semester which you will use in your Expanded Mini-Essay

    • No thesis required, but summary should follow conventions of effective writing and the course Writing Expectations

    • Outcomes: 1) demonstrate knowledge of chosen text and 2) get summary out of your system as, after this point, it will no longer be needed

• Reading Lens - 200 words (minimum)

  • Select one reading lens (we discussed these in the How to Read activity). It may not be Plot lens - you have already summarized!). Your reading lens should be one of the following: 

• • • Character motivation - why a character did what they did

    • Character relationships - how the characters relate to and interact with each other

    • Societal influence - the values or mores (religious, political, etc.) that influenced the text and/or what the text can tell us about the society in which it was written

    • Societal connections - comparing and contrasting the society of the text with other societies (contemporary or otherwise)

    • Historical significance - the environment (religious, political, artistic, quotidian, etc.) in which the text was written and its effects and/or what the text can tell us about this environment

    • Author intent - what the writer intended

    • Reader response - what the reader can take from the text (whether or not this is the same as author intent)

    • Allegorical possibilities - the symbolic or metaphoric meanings

    • Moral - the message of the text

    • Textual connections - how the text connects to other readings

  • Explain your chosen reading lens. Expand on the description given above, defining what your reading lens is.

    • Why might we use this lens to look at a piece of literature?

    • What will using this lens to read a piece of literature help us understand?

  • Outcomes: 1) demonstrate knowledge of chosen reading lens and 2) prepare to apply your reading lens to your primary text in the next step

• Expanded Mini-Essay Research Thesis and Argument - 2000 words (minimum)

• • Identify and define one significant argument/thesis concerning your chosen book of the Bible (or section of a book) based upon your reading through this lens

  • Thesis required: thesis will be a sentence identifying the significant point and providing context for it

  • Defend your argument/thesis

  • Use a minimum of three credible, academic secondary sources to support your defense (by support, this may include a source you are arguing against)

    • RESEARCH: Going to the library and/or using a research database (I suggest MLA or JSTOR) or other appropriate venue, find at least three credible, academic sources to help you formulate or support your ideas. These sources might be ones with which you disagree – that can help you formulate your ideas too!

    • Sources should be credible (thus, typically from a respected journal or book)

    • Sources cannot be web sites (they can be sources found in electronic databases)

    • Your textbooks are not included in the number of required sources

    • Direct engagement (quotations) from your research is required

    • Feel free to use our custom Library Guide.

  • Should follow conventions of effective writing and the course Writing Expectations

  • Outcomes: 1) provide evidence to support why your idea is significant; 2) identify the credibility and usefulness of sources; 3) use sources effectively without letting them overwhelm your own ideas; and 4) demonstrate correct MLA citation style

• Research Style Reflection - 500 words (minimum)

  • Identify your research style and name it (examples: The Citation Miner, The Database Jumper, etc.)

  • Discuss this style, citing specific examples from your research process to support the name

  • Thesis required: thesis will be a sentence identifying chosen name of research style and a brief definition

  • Should follow conventions of effective writing and the course Writing Expectations

  • Outcome: reflect on your own research process

• Works Cited

  • Under each citation, provide a one to two sentence justification of the choice to use that source

  • Reminders: You will have at minimum four sources (the literary text you summarized and the three required sources)

  • Outcomes: 1) demonstrate correct MLA citation style and 2) demonstrate that choices of sources are deliberate and effective