RP450 TOPICS IN RELIGION/PHILOSOPHY Course Syllabus - Stephen Potthoff

Required work for this course includes the midterm and final exams, a 7-8 page research paper on a topic of your own choosing due near the middle of the term, a 7-8 page paper on Perpetua’s Passion due near the end of the semester, and a reflection journal of in-class writing we will be doing on primary texts. The midterm and final exams will be based on questions submitted by the class, and will follow a Jeopardy style format. In the 7-8 page Perpetua paper, you will reflect on Perpetua’s diary and experiences in dialogue with Joyce Salisbury in her book Perpetua’s Passion. The final exam for this course is on Tuesday, December 15 from 3:15-5:15 PM.

Because Exploring Christianity is an upper-level Writing Intensive (W) course, a significant portion of your course grade (65%) will be based on the two 7-8 page, peer-and-instructor-reviewed formal papers you will write over the course of the semester. Writing Intensive courses emphasize regular writing, but also support you in your writing by intentionally guiding you through the various stages of the writing process. As an essential component, they include a draft review process which allows you to both give and receive feedback on written work which you can then use to prepare your final paper drafts. Various in-class writing and discussion exercises along the way will help you to engage with reading materials and begin to develop ideas that you can then incorporate into your paper.

W course objectives specify that students who demonstrate proficiency in writing skills will:

• Define a goal or purpose (thesis)
• Include content that is well-researched
• Use appropriate organizational structure and format
• Provide adequate examples and support for the thesis
• Use discipline-appropriate vocabulary or terminology
• Demonstrate competencies in language, grammar and sentence structure

Papers will be evaluated based on these criteria, in addition to accuracy of information; creativity and originality of ideas and approach; and proper acknowledgement and citation of all terms, ideas, concepts, and words not your own. In preparation for peer review paper conferences, I will provide further guidelines for responding and commenting on paper drafts, and will include further guidance on citation as well. I also encourage you to take full advantage of the services offered by the Writing Center. See below for a brief summary of the two paper assignments. I will also provide separate handouts with more detailed guidelines for writing the papers as we go along.

Research Paper (7-8 pages/1750 words minimum, typed, double spaced; First Draft due Tuesday, Oct. 6; Final Draft due as a Microsoft Word document on BB Tuesday, Oct. 20)

The research paper assignment is designed to allow you to investigate and write in depth about a topic that interests you related to early Christianity. You are welcome to choose any topic we cover this term, or you may pursue an alternate topic in consultation with me. Remember as you begin to contemplate topics (we will be doing some brainstorming in class) to look over the whole syllabus and the readings we will be doing. So, you might choose to write about anything from a particular gospel portrait of Jesus to asceticism, or anything in between. Depending on your topic, bibliographical resources can be found at the end of each chapter of the Lynch textbook, and I am glad to recommend further sources.

Perpetua Paper (7-8 pages/1750 words minimum, typed, double-spaced,; First Draft due Tuesday, Nov. 24; Final Draft due as a Microsoft Word document on BB Tuesday, Dec. 8)

This paper will be based on a series of questions designed to engage you in dialogue with Joyce Salisbury as you reflect about the third century North African martyr Perpetua’s experience as a Christian convert who renounced her family and died for her faith. The questions you must address in the paper are:

1. What was Perpetua’s experience as a wealthy young Roman woman growing up in Carthage?
2. What different factors might have attracted her to a dangerous religion such as Christianity?
3. If you were Perpetua, would you have been able to renounce your family and give up your infant to die for your faith? Was Perpetua insane? Was what she did moral?
4. How do Perpetua’s dreams prepare her for her ordeal and death in the amphitheater?
5. Based on what you have learned about Perpetua, identify and discuss at least three different factors which contributed to the surprising success of Christianity prior to Constantine.

Journal (15% of grade, due Tuesday December 8)

You are asked to purchase a separate notebook/journal for this class (it doesn’t have to be large) in which you will, through in-class writing, delve more deeply into the ancient primary texts we will be reading. Based on questions provided in class, you will explore the meaning and significance of specific passages as they relate to the nature and development of early Christianity. I will be taking up your journals at least once during the semester, and at the end. If you miss a day on which we do journal writing, it is your responsibility to obtain the questions and write on the text in question. Journals will be evaluated on degree of preparation (i.e. did you do the reading homework for that day!), depth of reflection, and completeness (are all entries there?).