REL 321 Religion in America Guidelines for Final Papers Directions Choose one of the following three topics, and write an essay (approximately 1000 words in length). Your essay should directly engage with the course material by addressing specific ideas, claims, and passages from the readings, and providing page references. Please double-space, using 12 point font, and format in Word or pdf. Do not email your essay. Submit it through the appropriate location on the course Blackboard site (files may be submitted as .doc, .docx, or PDFs ONLY). Keep a copy of your paper, just in case it gets lost in the internet ozone. Essays are due by midnight, Monday May 1. Option One Analyze Martin Luther King and his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in relation to the idea of American civil religion. Directly engage the material from the course to explain the idea of American civil religion. What evidence suggests that King stands within this civil religious tradition? In what ways do you see him revising or extending this tradition? Guidelines for Writing Papers: 1. Choose one of the above topics. Review the readings from the course to identify the most relevant texts for your selected topic. No matter which prompt you select, you must clearly and directly engage at least three of our texts for your paper. 2. Brainstorm: Rereading the most relevant texts on your topic will help stimulate your thinking, and help you identify the most relevant ideas and passages to engage in your paper. Although the minimum requirement is directly engaging three of the readings, you should aim to select those texts and passages that are most useful in advancing your argument. Some points and passages are more peripheral than central, so your selection makes a difference to the strength of your argument. 3. Formulate a clear thesis: your thesis is the main argument of your paper, and it provides the central organizing structure. Your paper isn't just providing information, or offering a personal opinion. It is a matter of selecting, interpreting, and critically engaging the material to support your ' overall argument on the topic. 4. Outline your paper. This helps a great deal with organization, and building an argument. 5. Write your first draft. Think of it as a first draft! Give yourself time to revise it. 6. Revise your paper, checking to make sure that: a. You have a clear thesis. b. The topic sentence of each paragraph provides a strong lead in for the paragraph, and links the paragraph to your overall argument. c. You avoid filler language and overly vague comments that get you nowhere in terms of your analysis and argument. Don't be tempted to think of such filler as helping you reach the page minimum! Better to think of it as "wasted space" for developing your analysis and argument. d. You polish your prose, and eliminate fragments, awkward constructions, misspellings, typos, etc. Grading Scale for Pa ...

1. REL 321 Religion in America
Guidelines for Final Papers
Directions
Choose one of the following three topics, and write an essay
(approximately 1000
words in length). Your essay should directly engage with the
course material by addressing specific ideas, claims, and
passages from the readings, and providing page references.
Please double-space, using 12 point font, and format in Word or
pdf. Do not email your essay. Submit it through the appropriate
location on the course Blackboard site (files may be submitted
as .doc, .docx, or PDFs ONLY). Keep a copy of your paper, just
in case it gets lost in the internet ozone. Essays are due by
midnight, Monday May 1.
Option One
Analyze Martin Luther King and his “Letter from a Birmingham
Jail” in relation to the idea of American civil religion. Directly
engage the material from the course to explain the idea of
American civil religion. What evidence suggests that King
stands within this civil religious tradition? In what ways do
you see him revising or extending this tradition?
Guidelines for Writing Papers:

2. 1. Choose one of the above topics. Review the readings from
the course to identify the most relevant texts for your selected
topic. No matter which prompt you select, you must clearly and
directly engage at least three of our texts for your paper.
2. Brainstorm: Rereading the most relevant texts on your topic
will help stimulate your thinking, and help you identify the
most relevant ideas and passages to engage in your paper.
Although the minimum requirement is directly engaging three
of the readings, you should aim to select those texts and
passages that are most useful in advancing your argument.
Some points and passages are more peripheral than central, so
your selection makes a difference to the strength of your
argument.
3. Formulate a clear thesis: your thesis is the main argument
of your paper, and it provides the central organizing structure.
Your paper isn't just providing information, or offering a
personal opinion. It is a matter of selecting, interpreting, and
critically engaging the material to support your
' overall argument on the topic.
4. Outline your paper. This helps a great deal with
organization, and building an argument.
5. Write your first draft. Think of it as a first draft! Give
yourself time to revise it.
6. Revise your paper, checking to make sure that:
a. You have a clear thesis.
b. The topic sentence of each paragraph provides a strong lead
in for the paragraph, and links the paragraph to your overall
argument.
c. You avoid filler language and overly vague comments that

3. get you nowhere in terms of your analysis and argument. Don't
be tempted to think of such filler as helping you reach the page
minimum! Better to think of it as "wasted space" for
developing your analysis and argument.
d. You polish your prose, and eliminate fragments, awkward
constructions, misspellings, typos, etc.
Grading Scale for Papers
A (220-244 points): This is an excellent paper that develops a
strong and insightful thesis, in a well-organized fashion; it
draws very effectively from the readings and course materials
to support its argument; it demonstrates nuanced understanding
of the material; the writing is clear and polished, and virtually
free of spelling, grammar, and editing errors.
B (219-195 points): This is a good paper, with a clear thesis; it
references the readings and course materials; the argument,
evidence, and analysis are generally good; the writing is good,
though there may be some minor problems with syntax,
spelling, grammar, or editing.
C (194-171 points): This is a fair paper that lacks a clear and
well argued thesis; it may reference the readings and course
materials, but the analysis and argument are limited; it may
veer toward simple summary of the material or towards
personal opinion that does not engage the course materials;
there tend to be recurring problems with syntax, clarity,
spelling, and grammar.
D (170-146 points): This paper does not meet basic
requirements. It does not adequately engage with the readings
or course materials. It tends to be a haphazard effort that is long

4. on personal opinion and short on analysis and argument. The
writing is often unclear, ungrammatical, and poorly edited.
F (145 - 0 points): This paper shows little effort or
understanding of the course material. It falls below minimal
expectations in terms of argument, evidence, organization, and
writing.