Bibliography and Thesis Sentence Assignment Instructions
Bibliography and Thesis Sentence Assignment Instructions
Overview
BIBL 425 (this course) requires completion and submission of two significantly sized research papers. In each paper the student will analyze Paul’s teaching in a section of Romans. To help the student prepare for those large papers, in the weeks before each paper the student will develop and submit a bibliography of research sources to be used for each of these papers. The student will also submit a thesis sentence for each paper for which the sources are being developed.
Instructions
The student will complete and submit two separate assignments in this course based on the instructions listed below.
1)Bibliography and Thesis Sentence: Analysis of Romans 1:18 – 4:25 Assignment – The student will submit a bibliography of research sources and a thesis sentence to be used for an analysis of Paul’s teaching in Romans 1:18 – 4:25.
2)Bibliography and Thesis Sentence: Analysis of Romans 5:12 – 8:17 Assignment – The student will submit a bibliography of research sources and a thesis sentence to be used for an analysis of Paul’s teaching in Romans 5:12 – 8:17.
General Guidelines for these assignments:
Bibliography Guidance
Format: The assignment should be include a cover page, which can be used for submission of the paper. The thesis sentence should appear at the top of the first page. The second page should include the bibliography, properly formatted. See the details below. The following are instructions for the bibliography, followed by guidance for writing a thesis sentence.
The bibliography must consist of at least six sources, including the textbooks, written in current Turabian style, other than the annotation mentioned below. For students unfamiliar with Turabian, the School of Divinity has provided a very helpful guide, including an example paper. Please see the link in the Syllabus and Course Schedule in the Course Overview.
Consult and interact with at least six(6) published scholarly sources, including the textbooks. Only published sources may be used. Unpublished Internet sources are not research level sources. Published material that is located on library sites, Google Books, etc. are useful. The Holy Bible, dictionaries/lexicons, and concordances must be utilized, but they are not counted in the minimum number of sources. These are simply understood components of research. It is essential that you consult research-oriented sources, which are works that directly relate to your thesis and the biblical text you are analyzing.
The bibliography must include a one sentence annotation (only one sentence) for each source that explains how the source will address the paper topic. Here is an example of what that would look like (this is not a suggested source for the paper):
Watson, Frances. Paul, Judaism and the Gentiles: Beyond the New Perspective. Revised Edition.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.
This source will help identify how New Perspective positions must evolve regarding Paul’s view of justification.
Suggestions for Research Sources
The Romans paper is a biblical analysis paper, which is much different from a paper regarding general doctrine. For that reason, systematic theology and other kinds of general theology/doctrinal sources must be avoided for best results. The following kinds of sources will prove to be most valuable:
1. Commentaries on Romans that you can use to help you explain the questions in the passages that deal with your topic. See a good commentary for an outline of Romans to show you which sections of the letter deals with each of the issues. Your textbook can help with that. (As a hint, pay attention to the footnotes and sources in the commentaries, as they help you see other sources you might wish to use.). Avoid, however, Matthew Henry. That commentary is devotional and far too old to address the issues in modern discussion of Romans.
2. Books that focus on the section of Romans being explained, but only if they focus on what Paul wrote about that section in Romans. As above, avoid systematic theology sources.
3. A good Bible dictionary (but only one). See below for where you can locate those. Don’t use standard English dictionaries or encyclopedias for these biblical issues.
4. Journal articles that address passages in Romans that will address what Paul wrote about your topic.
Locating Good Sources
The student should abandon the idea that one can do adequate research from his or her own personal libraries. Perhaps one’s church library or a pastor’s library could be helpful, but most often they will also not be adequate. Few such libraries will contain adequate sources directed at Romans.
The student should make constant use of the Falwell Library at Liberty University. In addition to a very large collection of material available in full text online, the library personnel are quite helpful.
Do not overlook the value of ATLA Religion and Pro Quest tools.
Sources such as Google Books contain many commentaries on Romans, as well as other books about Romans that are available online, at least in part. Google Scholar is also available for use, but I have not found they have material available that is not available in the Falwell library.
Thesis Sentence Guidance
Students must be careful to submit assignments that qualify as thesis statements. Ways to do that follow:
1. The sentence must be a complete sentence. A question cannot serve as a thesis statement because it does not set forth an idea to be demonstrated.
2. Thesis sentences must not contain grammar and spelling errors. If there is a sentence in the paper that must be clear, it is the thesis sentence. Using good grammar promotes clarity.
3. A Thesis sentence is not a statement of purpose or method. A statement of method is something like this: “I will review all the passages in Romans to determine what Paul means by justification by faith.” A statement of purpose might be “I am writing this paper to determine what Paul means by justification by faith.” Those sentences cannot be defended. A defendable thesis statement might be “When Paul uses the phrase ‘the righteousness of God’ in Romans he means both a righteousness that God provides and the fact that God is just to both punish sin and to save sinners.” One would offer evidence of that thesis statement by explaining what Paul means in the passages where he uses that phrase and would develop evidence that Paul meant what the thesis says.
4. The thesis must focus on the book of Romans, not on general doctrine. A statement of general doctrine or something like, “Sanctification is an important topic in the Scriptures that is often overlooked.” Since the paper must be developed from Romans, the thesis should state what the paper will demonstrate from Romans. Another example is something like “Justification has been a matter of significant controversy in the history of the Church.” That is true, but it does not address Romans.
5. To develop a useful thesis sentence, adequate knowledge of what Paul teaches about the subject will be needed. It will likely help to do enough research to be clear about what Paul wrote.
6. Finally, students sometimes submit a sentence that has to do with what the church teaches. It might be something like this, “The modern church no longer properly teaches the Old Testament as Paul did.” The first problem is that the sentence does not demonstrate a point to be proven about Romans. The second problem is that the proposition will prove impossible to demonstrate. The amount of research necessary to determine what the modern church teaches will be monumental. In addition, the diverse nature of the church will make it difficult to form any single thing that is taught.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
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