{"id":1493,"date":"2026-07-16T11:10:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T16:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/?page_id=1493"},"modified":"2026-07-16T11:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T16:10:59","slug":"religion-faith-and-values-prompt-examples","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/religion-faith-and-values-prompt-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion, Faith, and Values Prompt Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"
\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t

ILO #1) Critically interpret religious life.<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n
\n\n\t\n\n\t\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n
\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tExample 1\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Exegetical Paper<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Purpose:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Having focused on research and thesis construction the last two steps, the final part of the Exegetical Paper has you integrating these two writing tasks into an elegant, relevant, and exciting paper. You will write an essay of 6 pages<\/strong> that addresses two issues: 1) It will unfold the meaning of the text for the people who gave it to the world<\/strong>; 2) It will clarify your view<\/strong> of the value of the text today. So in addition to assessing your research ability, this last step asks you to work on crafting a thoughtful, well-written argument in conversation with your sources.<\/p>\n

As such, this paper will have a two-fold thesis. One part of the thesis will explain who wrote the text, for whom, and why<\/strong> (so your thesis from the review\/bibliography); the other part has you making claims about the relevance of the text today<\/strong>. For the first part, you are not expected to come up with a radically new interpretation, but should explain what you think to be the most compelling interpretation from the sources you have investigated. The second part asks you to be an interpreter of the text, meaning you will use information & ideas from the \u201cEco-Social-Religious Location\u201d paper from a century ago as well as previous readings, notably Moral, Believing Animals<\/em>. If you are still having trouble with your thesis, look over the Easy Writer<\/em> pdf again, or this website Formulating a Thesis. You can also run it past me.<\/p>\n

Task: 1) Write the Research-Component:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 4 pages,<\/strong> craft an argument that clarifies: 1) Who wrote your passage, when, for whom; 2) what values and\/or message the original author(s) aimed to give to their readers; 3) How the author(s) crafted this message in terms of its literary qualities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • This section of the paper should be thesis-driven<\/strong>, with your thesis arising out of your research<\/strong>. But your thesis should not be in the body of the paper. It will go into the Introduction<\/strong>, which you should write last.<\/li>\n
  • Your argument should use clear examples\/evidence<\/strong> from the primary text<\/strong> (i.e. the Bible) and from secondary sources<\/strong> (i.e. research). You should have at least one citation each paragraph. Again, your sources must be academic sources, not popular and\/or web-based sources. Refer again to the research guide set up by Ken Johnson, our bibliographic instructor, if you are still unsure<\/li>\n
  • Each paragraph should have 3-5 sentences<\/strong>. For an example of paper that does this part well, see: Exegesis Example<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Some things to guide your writing:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    As you write, imagine that you are writing for alums of this class, so people who are generally familiar with the Bible, but not necessarily familiar with the passage you have chosen.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • What<\/strong> do these well-educated, thoughtful people need to know about the passage? These should include things like: Who wrote it? When? Why? For whom? Literary genre?<\/li>\n
    • How do you clarify the passage\u2019s historical audience, literary qualities, and social context<\/strong> in a manner that is both interesting and informative<\/strong>?<\/li>\n
    • What historical problems<\/strong> yet remain about the passage that you discovered in your research? Why is this relevant for our contemporary appreciation of the passage?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      2) Write the Contemporary Relevance Component:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Because we are a class thinking about desire, ecology, and moral norms in conversation with the Bible, an additional task of the paper is to give you space to think about the contemporary relevance for the passage. With this task in mind, you\u2019ll need to begin by re-reading \u201cLiving Narratives\u201d (from Moral, Believing Animals<\/em>, pp. 67-76). Next, choose which narrative best (even if imperfectly) shapes your social imaginary. You already completed this task in the “Eco-Social-Religious Location” Paper. Develop an argument that places your passage into this narrative such that you clarify its value within the contemporary context.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • This section of the paper should also be thesis-driven<\/strong>, but this thesis will arise out of your values<\/strong>. As an example, it might say \u201cAs my social imaginary lies in the X narrative, I view the passage\u2019s value as Y, because of Z.\u201d You should not put this thesis in the body of the paper; it will go into the Introduction<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • You may include research that addresses the passage’s contemporary relevance to develop your argument.<\/li>\n
      • Each paragraph should have 3-5 sentences<\/strong> and explicitly connect<\/strong> to your view understood through “Living Narratives” and “Human Culture(s) as Moral Order(s)” from Moral, Believing Animals.<\/em><\/li>\n
      • The length, double-spaced, should be 2 pages.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        3) Write your Introduction and Conclusion:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
          \n
        • The introduction should be one paragraph of 3-5 sentences<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        • It must include a two-fold thesis<\/strong>, thereby covering both parts of the assignment, so one related to the social-historical location of the text and one related to your view of its value today. I\u2019d suggest writing this type of thesis in two sentences, so something like: \u201cThe first part of this paper will argue that the authors of Genesis 4\u2026. In the second part of the paper, I\u2019ll argue that \u2026.\u201d<\/li>\n
        • The conclusion should be one paragraph of 3-5 sentences<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        • Rather than introducing any new themes or ideas, the conclusion should sum-up your argument. You can also bring up questions that still remain about the text.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          4) Revise your bibliography and attach to this paper.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          You should still have at least 6 sources, properly<\/strong> cited in either MLA or Chicago style<\/strong>. These sources need to be academic sources, so no web-based sources will be accepted.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n

          \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tExample 2\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t

          Part Two: Focused Analysis (50 points total)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

          Choose one specific area in which the biblical texts intersect with modern challenges (racism, classism, colonialism, misogyny\/sexism, homophobia, anthropocentrism\/anti-environmentalism, religious violence, etc\u2026) and provide your analysis of how the Bible can be used and\/or abused in addressing that issue. Give an in-depth discussion of the particular problem (e.g., \u201cDoes the Bible promote racism?\u201d) and make specific reference to the relevant biblical texts (and their interpretations by scholars) in your response. When you cite articles used in class, please do so with the author, article name, and page number in parentheses. Example: (Brueggemann, \u201cExodus in the Plural,\u201d 276). If you cite the film, reference \u201cWhite Savior DVD\u201d in parentheses. (Target length: minimum 4 full paragraphs)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t

          \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\n\t\t\t\t

          ILO #2) Identify how religious life shapes the world and human understanding.<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
          \n\n\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\n
          \n\n\t\n\n\t\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
          \n\t\t\t
          \n
          \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tExample 1\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t

          Portfolio Piece Four: The Bible Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n

          Choose a current event, cultural artifact, political discourse, or other aspect of contemporary culture that makes specific reference to the Hebrew Bible (in whole or part), which you have encountered in the world outside the context of this class. It could be the representation of an actual Biblical text<\/strong> (e.g., the sculpture of the Ten Commandments outside the Arkansas State Capitol); the invocation of Biblical texts<\/strong> in a discussion of contemporary events (e.g., references to the laws of Exodus or Leviticus in arguments about abortion legislation); or a retelling of a Biblical story<\/strong> by a contemporary artist or author (e.g., Darren Aronofsky\u2019s 2014 film Noah). If you have an idea that you\u2019re not sure whether it fits into this assignment frame, please reach out and check with me!<\/p>\n

          Think critically about your chosen topic, research the event or object in question, and review the specific relevant Biblical passage(s). Then, write a 2-3 page reflection, based on the following prompts:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • What aspects of the Hebrew Bible are being highlighted<\/strong> here? Why do you think these elements are important for the story being told? What connections can you make between this portrayal and the Biblical texts we\u2019ve encountered in class?<\/li>\n
          • What aspects of the Hebrew Bible are absent<\/strong> here? Are there inaccuracies or anachronisms in its presentation? Do you think this portrayal is conscious or unconscious of its departures?<\/li>\n
          • What do these images, motifs, elisions, absences, or retellings tell us regarding contemporary ideas about the Hebrew Bible<\/strong>? How are they shaped by the affiliations, ideological positions, and audiences of their creators?<\/li>\n
          • How might you as a (budding) Biblical scholar analyze<\/strong> the invocation of the Hebrew Bible in this context? What methodologies or reading approaches, if any, does it display? Do you find it compelling, useful, dangerous, and\/or misleading?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Your argument should be clearly reasoned, well written, and supported by specific evidence, in the form of references to and\/or quotations from your chosen topic of analysis. Published media should be cited in footnotes and a bibliography; please use the Chicago Manual of Style citation format.<\/p>\n

            Your essay should be 2 to 3 double-spaced pages long (approximately 650-850 words \u2014 no more than 1000 words).<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n

            \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tExample 2\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
            \n\t\t\t\t\t\t

            Active Learning–Religion, Faith, and Values in Medieval Scandinavia.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

            The goal of this assignment is to help you articulate what the Jelling Stones and Hallfre\u00f0r \u00d3ttarsson\u2019s poem tell us about religious life in Scandinavia from ca. 900-1000.<\/p>\n

            Please answer the following questions. Write a paragraph of 3-4 sentences in response to each question. In your answers, make specific references to the texts and images. You can use your book to help you respond, but you may not use any other materials\/websites.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. How do the poem and the stones demonstrate tensions between the old Norse religion and the new Christian religion?<\/li>\n
            2. What can the stones and poem also tell us about the co-existence of these two religious traditions?<\/li>\n
            3. And finally, what do the poem and the stones indicate about the connections between political power and religious belief?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
              \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
              \n\n\t\t\t\t

              ILO #3) Identify how the world shapes religious life.<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
              \n\n\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\n
              \n\n\t\n\n\t\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
              \n\t\t\t
              \n
              \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tExample 1\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\t\t\t

              Compare\/Contrast Essay<\/strong><\/h2>\n

              One goal of the Religion, Faith, and Values GE requirement is for students to learn to identify how the world shapes religious life. Write a 4-6 page paper in which you compare how a social force of your choosing shaped either<\/em> the religion OR the memoirist in two of the texts we read this semester. So: you might write about how economics shaped the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition and the Church of Latter Day Saints. Or, how feminism shaped Mathewes-Green and Bolz-Weber. Or, how the effects of white supremacy shaped Cleveland and Brooks. It is OK to focus more of your attention on one book\/memoirist (i.e. the essay does not need to be perfectly balanced), but there should be clear moments of comparison.<\/p>\n

              Step One (3 participation points)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

              Draft a working thesis, an outline, and a list of possible quotes to use in the paper.<\/p>\n

              Step Two (3 points)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

              Write a rough draft of the paper. I encourage you to make this draft as polished as possible. Our conference will be most useful if you\u2019ve already improved the paper to the absolute best of your ability.<\/p>\n

              Step Three<\/strong><\/h3>\n

              Conference with me! Take notes during our meeting. Be sure to save the rough draft of the paper with my comments.<\/p>\n

              Step Four (30 points)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

              Write a final draft of your paper that takes my written and oral feedback into consideration. Attach the rough draft (with my feedback)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n

              \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tExample 2\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\t\t\t

              SECTION II: Required Essay Question (10pts.\/10pts. Total):<\/strong><\/h2>\n

              Answer the question and aim for roughly 250-300 words. Strong responses will call upon specific terms and concepts from course readings and particular biomes.<\/p>\n

              Pair Landscape\/Biome to key religious\/spiritual concepts of course. While crafting a response specific to the place now called Minnesota, consider the following:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • In what ways do our ecological relations have religious dimensions?<\/li>\n
              • Demonstrate by showing the relationship between two MN biome characteristics with two specific spiritual concepts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2679,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1493","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2679"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1493"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1542,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1493\/revisions\/1542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/assessment-committee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}