This document provides instructions for an assignment analyzing two historical eras of education. Students are asked to select two eras from a provided list, identify prominent philosophies of each era and their key tenets. They are to compare the two eras, analyze them through a biblical worldview using assigned readings, and cite at least four sources including a textbook and journal articles. The paper should follow APA format and include sections on the two eras, a comparison, biblical worldview analysis, and conclusion. Specific guidelines are provided on length, structure, headings, citations and references.

1. INSERT ABBREVIATED TITLE OF 50 CHARACTERS OR
LESS 1
Replace This Title: Ensure It Aligns with Your Thesis
Statement
Claudia S. Sample
School of Education, Liberty University
Author Note
Claudia S. Sample
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to

2. Claudia S. Sample Email:
[email protected]
INSERT ABBREVIATED TITLE OF 50 CHARACTERS OR
LESS 2
Abstract
Do not indent the abstract. Per APA, this is a brief,
comprehensive summary of the contents of
the manuscript. It may range in length from 150 to 250 words
in length.
Keywords: word1, word2, word3, word4, word5

3. INSERT ABBREVIATED TITLE OF 50 CHARACTERS OR
LESS 3
Insert the Same Title Here as Is on Your Title Page
Begin typing your introduction here. The purpose of the
introductory paragraph is to
introduce your thesis statement. Typically, the thesis statement
is the last sentence of this one-
paragraph introduction and serves as a transition into the rest of
the paper. The thesis statement
is the main idea of the paper—the main point you are making.
Disclaimer: This template is
offered simply as a tool. The APA manual supersedes this
template. Although various websites
may be helpful, they may contain errors. Therefore, it is best
for students to access the APA
manual directly.
Customize This Level 1 Heading for Historical Era 1
See assignment directions regarding what to enter here. Cite
the Gutek (2011) book and
at least one journal article in this section. If you mention

4. Gutek’s name in the body of the
paragraph, which is not required, insert the publication year
after the first time you mention the
author’s name in your paragraph. If you do not incorporate his
name into your paragraph,
include it parenthetically prior to the publication year as in this
example: (Gutek, 2011).
Direct quotes should be rare and are not required. They should
make up 10% or less of
any manuscript. Citations are not just for direct quotes but are
also for ideas—to indicate to the
reader where you found the idea. Here is one way to cite a
direct quote: Gutek (2011) was
correct in his observation that “Freire was a doer as well as a
thinker” (p. 463). Note that there is
no period before the citation; it appears after it. Here is a
second way to cite a direct quote: As at
least one historian has noted, “Freire’s liberation pedagogy
heavily influenced critical theory”
(Gutek, 2011, p. 463). Page or paragraph numbers are required
for all citations of direct quotes.
Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence. All topic
sentences should support
the thesis statement of the paper. Paragraphs serve to support

5. the topic sentence of the
INSERT ABBREVIATED TITLE OF 50 CHARACTERS OR
LESS 4
paragraph. Ensure there is a logical progression in your writing
and that you use appropriate
transitions from one idea to the next.
There should be no extra lines or spaces throughout the body of
the manuscript.
Sometimes Microsoft Word automatically inserts lines after
headings, paragraphs, or sections. If
you do not know how to remove these, simply do an internet
search of your question: “How do I
remove extra lines in Microsoft Word?” Also, you may ask a
tech nerd or call Liberty’s Tech
Support.
Customize This Level 1 Heading for Historical Era 2
See assignment directions regarding what to enter in this
section. Notice that the
headings are all Level 1 headings and are all centered and
bolded per APA format. In such a
short paper, you should not need Level 2 headings. Only papers
of a dozen pages or more need

6. Level 2 headings.
In this section cite both Gutek (2011) and at least one journal
article.
Customize This Level 1 Heading for Comparison of Two Eras
See assignment directions regarding what to enter in this
section. Cite as necessary.
Customize This Level 1 Heading for Biblical Worldview
Analysis
See assignment directions regarding what to enter in this
section. In this section, you are
required to cite biblical worldview articles from Weeks 1-2
“Reading and Study” folders in
Blackboard. You may also cite other sources. APA permits the
Bible to be cited, but it is never
to be listed on the reference page. Here is one way to cite the
Bible: John 3:16 states, “For God
so loved the world” (NIV). Here is another way: The pastor
opened the Bible and read, “For
God so loved the world” (John 3:16, NIV). The translation is
required only for the first direct
INSERT ABBREVIATED TITLE OF 50 CHARACTERS OR
LESS 5

7. quote of Scripture in the manuscript. However, if the
subsequent Scripture quotes are from a
different translation, the translation must be included every time
it switches in the manuscript.
Conclusion
A good conclusion does not simply restate the thesis statement
from the introductory
paragraph, but it most definitely reiterates it by reminding the
reader that the points that have
already been made sufficiently support what was hinted at in the
title, presented in the abstract,
and introduced in the first paragraph. New support for the
thesis should not be introduced in the
conclusion. However, you may draw conclusions, identify
trends, and discuss implications for
current issues.

8. INSERT ABBREVIATED TITLE OF 50 CHARACTERS OR
LESS 6
References
Notice how the examples below have a hanging indention.
Also, the Bible or any other classical
works, per APA, may be cited in the body of the manuscript but
are not to appear on this
reference list. Everything in APA is to be double spaced,
included the abstract, lengthy
quotations, and the reference list. Nothing is single spaced.
Authorlastname, A. B. (2019). Book title in italics with only the
first word and proper nouns, like
Christian, capitalized: If there is a subtitle, the first word is
capitalized. Publisher.
Authorlastname, A. B. (2019). Article title in regular font with
only the first word and proper
nouns, like European, capitalized: Subtitles may or may not be
used. Journal Titles and
Volume Numbers Are Italicized, 15(2), 41-50.

9. EDUC 703
Page 1 of 4
HISTORICAL ERA ANALYSIS: INSTRUCTIONS
Assignment Description
Select two historical eras from the list below. Identify
prominent philosophies during each of the two historical
eras and the key tenets of those philosophies. Compare the two
with each other and also analyze them in light of
worldview articles from the assigned reading and studying in
Modules 1 and 2.
Before writing your paper, revisit Discussion Board Forum:
Educational Thinker and Historical Era and read all
the posts related to both of your chosen historical eras. Also,
find two journal articles, one representing each of
your two historical eras. Incorporate concepts from the two
articles and from the Gutek textbook and worldview
articles from the assigned reading and studying for Modules 1
and 2.
Choose your two historical eras from the list below:
• Antiquity
• Medieval
• Enlightenment
• Modernity

10. • Progressive Era
• Social Reform
Specific Guidelines
LENGTH: This paper is to be 5 to 6 pages in length from the
introductory paragraph to the conclusion, which
does not count the title page, abstract, or reference pages. Per
current APA, font is to be 12-point Times New
Roman, and the manuscript is to be double spaced without any
additional space/lines between headings and
paragraphs. If Microsoft Word automatically adds extra lines,
see step-by-step directions to remove extra spaces
at this link.
REFERENCES: Cite at least four sources throughout the paper
and list them on the reference page. Of the four
sources, two of them are required to be the Gutek (2011)
textbook and worldview articles from the assigned
reading and studying in Modules 1 and 2. The other two must
be professional articles from academic journals.
STRUCTURE: See the grading rubric; it will be used for
assessing this assignment. To ensure the manuscript
meets the requirements of the rubric, you are to include the
elements listed below. Note the required headings are
to be placed in the same order in your paper as they appear in
the outline below.
1. Title Page
• Pagination: In current APA, all pages are numbered. The title
page should be page 1.
• Running Head
• Title: The title should not be the name of the assignment (i.e.,

11. Historical Era Analysis). It should be a
phrase drawn from the thesis statement in the introductory
paragraph. It should provide the reader a hint
of the topic and the main idea supported throughout the paper
and may be phrased in a clever, unique
fashion. The first letter of all words should be capitalized
except for articles (e.g. a, an, the), conjunctions
(e.g., and, but), and short prepositions (e.g., of, about), unless
they appear as the first word, which is
always capitalized. Center your title and position it near the
middle of the page or slightly above the
middle. Do not use bold font anywhere on the title page.
• Other Information on Title Page:
o Student Name
o Course#
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JTBCgA9VgUr3N3iqPX-
KaRq8O3RlVFLF_TsDJKyCv3U/edit?usp=sharing
EDUC 703
Page 2 of 4
o University Name
o Date
2. Abstract: The heading of the abstract should be centered and
in non-bold font.
• Place the abstract at the top of a page by itself after the title
page.
• Do not indent the first line.

12. • The abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the
contents of the paper. It should present the main
idea, main supporting ideas, and main conclusion/implication.
Including the main ideas and conclusions
in the abstract is much more important than a simple outline of
the structure or headings.
• The running head on the abstract and subsequent pages is
different from the running head on the title
page.
3. Introduction: Do not use the word “Introduction” as a
heading for this section. Per current APA, it is
optional to insert the title again as the heading above the
introduction; however, no heading above the
introduction is required. If you choose to insert the manuscript
title here, it should be in non-bolded, centered
font and should be capitalized that same way as it is on the title
page.
• The purpose of the introductory paragraph is different from
that of the abstract. Do not simply copy the
abstract.
• In this section, introduce your thesis statement that will be
developed throughout the paper. It is the main
idea you are presenting. All other ideas will serve to support
the thesis statement.
• It is best to place the thesis statement at the end of the
introduction. It is typically one or two sentences
that serve as a transition into the rest of the paper. Some
writers choose to place it as the first sentence of
the introduction. Either option is acceptable as long as the

13. introduction is well written and has a logical
progression of thought.
4. First Historical Era: Centered in bold with all major words
capitalized, enter the first Level 1 heading. The
wording of this heading should be your first chosen historical
era (e.g., antiquity, medieval, etc.). In a
paragraph or two, summarize the key philosophical trends,
tenets, ideas, and one or two educational thinkers
as examples.
5. Second Historical Era: The heading for this section is also a
Level 1 heading, which means that—just like
the previous heading—it should be centered in bold with all
major words capitalized. In a paragraph or two,
summarize the key philosophical trends, tenets, ideas, and one
or two educational thinkers as examples.
6. Comparison: This third Level 1 heading should be centered in
bold and may simply be the word
“comparison” as shown below:
Comparison
You are welcome to replace the word “comparison” in this
heading with another phrase that conveys the key
observation you are making in your comparison. This might be
similar to the title of your paper and also
drawn from the thesis.

14. 7. Biblical Worldview Analysis: This fourth Level 1 heading
should be formatted the same as the previous
ones. It is in this section that the two historical eras and their
corresponding predominant philosophies will be
analyzed through the lens of concepts from the worldview
articles from the assigned reading and studying in
Modules 1 and 2. As with the comparison, you are welcome
simply to use the words “Biblical Worldview
Analysis” or you may replace those words in the heading with a
phrase that reflects your key observation in
your analysis.
EDUC 703
Page 3 of 4
8. Conclusion: Use the same Level 1 formatting as you have
done with your other headings above and simply
enter the word “Conclusion” in centered, bolded font. Although
your conclusion should include concepts
from the thesis statement in the introduction and should have
some alignment with the title of the paper, you
should not simply restate the thesis statement. Wrap up the
paper by emphasizing your main idea and draw a
clear conclusion. Typically, a good conclusion does not
introduce new information. The conclusion is where
you are to discuss implications about what you have already
shared and relate ideas to current educational
issues.

15. 9. References: Starting at the top of the next page after the end
of the manuscript, center in regular font (not in
bold) the heading below:
References
• Double space everything throughout your paper, including the
reference page. Do not insert additional
extra lines/spaces.
• Using a hanging indent, which means that the first line of
every reference is left-justified with all other
lines of the reference indented.
• Per current APA, you may cite the Bible in the body of the
manuscript, but it is never to be listed on the
reference page.
Miscellaneous Tips
First Person Pronouns: Per the current APA manual, first person
pronouns are permitted. However, they
should rarely be used and are intended only for conveying an
incident about your life story (e.g., “I was born into
poverty”) or explaining the actions you took as a researcher
(e.g., “I conducted focus groups with participants.”)
A good writer makes strong declarative statements in third-
person plural (e.g., teachers, parents, leaders, etc.) in
terms of “ought” and “should” rather than overusing redundant
statements such as “I believe,” “I think that,” “to
me,” “for me,” etc. Almost always, sentences are strengthened
by simply omitting references to self.
It is considered poor writing to refer to yourself in third
person (e.g., “this author”). It also may confuse the

16. reader because there are typically multiple authors being
discussed within a manuscript.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Pronouns must agree in
number with their antecedents. It is incorrect to
write, “Each teacher [singular] should manage their [plural]
own classroom.”
Gender Pronouns: It is considered sexist if you repeatedly use
singular antecedents and follow them up with
masculine pronouns. For example, “Each teacher should
manage his own classroom.” It is also problematic if
you redundantly use “he or she” and “his or her.” (Please don’t
use “he/she” or “his/her.”) It is recommended
that you write in third-person plurals as consistently as
possible. For instance, use “students,” “principals,”
“teachers,” “parents,” “schools,” etc., instead of their singular
counterparts. Follow these antecedents up with
“they” or “their.” This avoids the gender issue altogether.
When you find that you must use a singular noun, you
may periodically use “he or she” or simply restructure the
sentence to avoid the “he or she” if possible.
Academic Integrity: This paper will be evaluated for originality
via a plagiarism detection service, which reports
to the professor the degree to which your paper is similar to
other works. The following tips will help you avoid
issues with plagiarism:
• Direct Quotes: No more than 10% of your paper should be
made up of direct quotes. Therefore, do more
summarizing and paraphrasing than quoting. Short quotes
should be in quotation marks and longer
quotes of 40-words or more should be indented. If you do not
set off direct quotes in this manner and/or
do not cite them, it is plagiarism.

17. EDUC 703
Page 4 of 4
• Ideas and Facts: If the idea or fact is not your own, you must
cite its source. When not directly quoting,
summarize or analyze the idea in your own words.
This assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of
Module 3: Week 3.
Miscellaneous Tips