Exploring Catholic Intellectual Tradition perspectives on one of three questions through the Common

Introduction and thesis statement

Assignment Using two or three texts from the Common Reader, write a 1500-2000 word essay (approximately 4-5 pages, double-spaced, in 12 point font) in which you explain how these texts represent perspectives of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT) on one of the questions below: What does it mean to be human and what is my relationship with God? What does it mean to live a life of meaning and purpose? What does it mean to form a more just society for the common good? As a reminder, the texts in the Common Reader are: Pope Benedict XVI, “Caritas in Veritate” Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” State a clear, strong thesis statement(s) towards the beginning of the essay. Make sure it identifies: 1. The CIT question for your essay and 2. The two-three texts you will discuss. In other words, tell me clearly in the first paragraph where you are going for your discussion. Please include at least ten citations. Again, please keep in mind that this is a minimum, not a maximum, and your essay may need more. Also, it will read superficially if you have only one or two citations for a particular text. Remember that paraphrases would count as one of the required citations and should always be cited. This is an exercise in critical reading and writing, so make sure your explanations of your citations are accurate to the context. Upload your essay to Blackboard (under “Final Essay”) in a Word supported file format (.doc or .docx) by the due date. Please include your last name in your file name. If you have any technical issues with uploading your essay, take a screen shot of any error messages, and send me both the screenshot and your essay to me ([email protected]) as email attachments. For the sake of the SafeAssign scan, please try to upload your essay to Blackboard as soon as you are able. I will not count the essay as late as long as you send me the essay and screenshot as email attachments before the due date. Citations Cite parenthetically the page number(s) at the end of the sentence. No additional information or formal bibliography is required. Example: As Pope Benedict writes, “Only in truth does charity shine forth” (6). Since you are only using the Common Reader, you do NOT need to provide a Bibliography or Works Cited list. Remember that your essay will be scanned by SafeAssign. Avoid plagiarism!!! Grading Criteria Is there a strong introductory paragraph that provides a clear thesis that engages with one of the CIT questions listed above? Does the essay ONLY use texts from the Common Reader, as described in the instructions? (5 points) How well is the thesis statement illustrated with appropriate content from the Common Reader that is relevant to one of the CIT questions as described in the instructions? Is the essay between 1500-2000 words? (10 points) Are references (both direct quotes and paraphrases) properly cited? Does the essay include the minimum required references as described above? (10 points) How well is the textual evidence evaluated and interpreted to reflect the context? (10 points) How well is this evidence organized and synthesized to present a coherent explanation? Did the author produce a lucidly written essay which conforms to the conventions of standard, written, academic English? (15 points) Four-point penalty for every day late. (Please remember that Sacred Heart’s policy is for professors to report final grades two days after the final exam period.) You must attachments only for references for this assignment.