1. Section 3: Mini-Paper 2 needs to be related to Christianity. The specific topic is up to the student.
2. Introduction paragraph.
3. Three supporting paragraphs.
4. Final paragraph as a conclusion.
5. Either footnote or endnote citations
6. Reference/Resource Page using CMS Style

Mini-Papers: General

1. Worth up to 25 point.
2. In a mini-paper a student will choose a topic of their own that is related to religion or a religion/spiritual group for the section the paper is being completed for.
3. Examples of topics include: are art, music, dance, clothing, architecture, food, medicine, ethics, law, politics, death, after-life, peace/non-violence, war, science, the environment, news/media, tv/movies, specific sacred event, historical event, founder(s), important people, social structure, education, sacred stories, or another topic related to religion.
4. For the mini-paper students may use textbooks but must include at least two outside resources. These outside resources can be scholarly articles/books/videos or material from the religion itself. See writing guidelines! NO blogs, wiki pages, about.com, faq, or similar sites.
5. This paper is a standard five paragraph paper with an introduction, three supporting topic paragraphs, and a conclusion.
6. The paper should be roughly 2 to 4 pages or 800-1500 words long. Longer papers will not count for more points and may result in reduced points. Emphasis is on clarity, conciseness, and depth. Citations and heading are not part of the word count. Heading should include word count.
7. Remember to include a reference/citation page. Citations/references must be in Chicago Manual Style!

WRITING GUIDELINES

Mini-Papers

1. Each assignment should include a heading with your name, course section number, date, and any other information required by specific assignment. (N/A)
   
2. Any formal and academic writing in this class means:
   1. Proper footnote or endnote citations
      (Chicago Style/ CMS: see Reference Section for links).
      
   2. Proper Bibliography page (Chicago Style / CMS)
      
   3. Use of proper grammar! Avoid slang unless it is part of a quote! You may lose points for grammatical and spelling errors.
      
   4. Remember to take the topic of your assignment/paper seriously and to engage the subject matter applying reflective, critical, creative, and analytical thinking. Be sure to clearly state the topic you are addressing.
      
3. For Mini-papers have an introduction, body, and conclusion in your paper.
   1. The introduction is where you are setting up what the specific subject and question you are answering is. The introduction sets about to explain why this topic is important, resolves an issue or responds to a specific question(s), and tells how the paper will be organized. Get to the point of your paper and explain what your goal is for the paper. Introduce your agenda for the assignment not the general or broader topic area.
      
   2. The body of your paper is the argument. This is where you bring in your resources, citations, data, and analysis, give example and detail to your argument. The body will be made of multiple sections and will look back to the introduction and forward to the conclusion.
      
   3. The conclusion is not just the summary or full restatement of your introduction. Rather, this is where you drive home the point and give the answer to the question you pose in the introduction. The most important points of the body can be re-framed here to provide the key points, but be careful not to simply summarize.
      
4. In general, with your writing avoid the following words as much as possible. Overuse may result in point deductions.
   1. Next, Now, Another. Especially avoid these as the start of a section.
   2. Thing, things, it. Define your subject clearly and avoid these words as often as possible.
   3. Basically, a lot. Both words are overused and unnecessary, work to avoid them.
   4. Discuss, talk about, and look at. You are not having a discussion in your paper. Better terms to describe what you are conducting in your paper are: analyzing, critiquing, studying, investigating, inquiring into, diagnosing, surveying, or summarizing.
   5. Avoid contractions! You may lose points.