Essay writing instructions for all assignments
1) Students should access the resources in the Study Skills area of Moodle. These include full guidance and instructions on:
● every stage of writing your essay
● academic writing and presentation
● how to reference sources and avoid academic malpractice
● critical thinking
● resources for theological research Please see the section entitled Detailed Essay Writing Checklist.
2) All essays should be written in continuous prose paragraphs, with helpful subheadings as appropriate, and should follow the WTC guidelines for academic writing, presentation and referencing.
3) It is strongly recommended that students plan an outline of their essay before writing it and, if they have time, email it to their module tutor for feedback (allowing 5 days for them to reply). Guidance on how to plan an outline is given in the section Planning your essay.
There are a number of reasons why it is important to create an outline:
● It requires you to clarify what you are going to argue/discuss – you can then tell your reader this in your introduction.
● It makes you plan the main points that back up your argument or that will form your discussion, which in turn helps structure your essay so that it is logical and easy to follow for the reader.
● It can be used to check that you are addressing each part of the question.
● It means that when you write the essay, you can focus more on the clarity of your writing rather than on what your next point might be.
● It prevents you flitting between points. Remember that your essay is for your reader. Please make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for your tutor to read it!
4) Students should carefully read any specific instructions given by each module tutor. Although the guidelines must be followed by all, further guidance may be given by each tutor regarding their expectations in terms of content and structure. Assignment questions for TH7926: Faithfully Performing the Biblical Drama: Christian Ethics for Discipleship and Witness You are required to write two essays of 2,750 words each. The essay deals with concepts and method, and the second with a specific issue.
● There are vast resources available through ebooks and library. Students should follow the guidance given in the Academic Resources section of the Study Skills area on Moodle to access online books and journals.
● Students will typically need to demonstrate familiarity and engagement with secondary sources of high academic quality such as journal articles from databases like ATLA, JSTOR and ProQuest, and books accessed through WTC and Chester libraries.
Essay 1 ● With the agreement of your tutor choose a key moral concept within the Christian tradition and evaluate the use of this concept in Christian moral theology in the light of the biblical drama.
● What are the challenges in appealing to Scripture in contemporary Christian ethics? Describe and evaluate one method or author addressing these challenges
● What, if anything, does contemporary Christian ethics need in addition to love if the church is to be biblically faithful in discipleship and witness?
● Do conscience and Scripture ever contradict each other and if so how should a Christian respond to the conflict?
● Is Christian discipleship and witness able to be understood as a call to live reasonably and in accordance with natural law?
● Virtue “is central in the New Testament but marginal in much western Christian reflection” (Tom Wright). Discuss.
Essay 2 ● With the agreement of your tutor, choose a specific ethical issue and, in discussion with contemporary Christian writers on it, give an account of what a biblically faithful response would be.
● How does a reading of the biblical drama contribute to environmental ethics? Illustrate with reference to at least one specific issue agreed with your tutor.
● Illustrating your argument with reference to a specific military conflict, explain how the biblical drama helps Christians understand and respond faithfully to the reality of war.
● How does Scripture help Christians engage in society’s debates about the law on (a) abortion or (b) assisted suicide and euthanasia or (c) same-sex marriage?
● “Although justice is central to the biblical drama, Scripture is of limited value in showing us what it means to do justice today”. Discuss this claim with reference to one specific ethical issue agreed with your tutor.
