This is part two of the material I embed in my apologetics syllabus used at Trans-Africa Theological College in Kitwe, Zambia. It attempts to communicate expectations around academic integrity and to encourage the internalization of academic integrity values and goals within students.
Course Logistics and Student Study Habits
This is an intensive course. You will need to keep on top of your work. Plan on devoting each day, including evenings and week-ends, to your course work, as necessary. Plan on handing assignments in on time. Review and preview are great ways to learn and retain knowledge. Plan on reviewing previous material and previewing upcoming material daily. The course runs from 8am. until regular end of class day. We will generally start each day with prayer, praise, and review. If I am late arriving, treat this time as a gift from me to you and use it to review your notes from previous day(s) and to read the present day’s materials. “Redeem the time”!
Reading Assigned Books and Materials
If you are assigned a book, you are expected to read it. Depending on how critical the book is to the course work, it is not uncommon for a student to need to read an assigned book two or even three times. The first time, for general comprehension. The second and third time, for deeper comprehension.
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Course Logistics and Student Study Habits
This is an intensive course. You will need to keep on top of your work. Plan on devoting each day, including evenings and week-ends, to your course work, as necessary. Plan on handing assignments in on time. Review and preview are great ways to learn and retain knowledge. Plan on reviewing previous material and previewing upcoming material daily. The course runs from 8am. until regular end of class day. We will generally start each day with prayer, praise, and review. If I am late arriving, treat this time as a gift from me to you and use it to review your notes from previous day(s) and to read the present day’s materials. “Redeem the time”!
Reading Assigned Books and Materials
If you are assigned a book, you are expected to read it. Depending on how critical the book is to the course work, it is not uncommon for a student to need to read an assigned book two or even three times. The first time, for general comprehension. The second and third time, for deeper comprehension.
Book Review - Guidelines
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Objective of a Book Report. A book report should show the instructor you have read the book and
are familiar with its contents. Beyond this, you want to engage and interact with the book — what
we call critical thinking and writing.
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Interact with the book. Tell the reader: what are its strengths, weaknesses, how did it help you,
what did you think of it, would you recommend it to others, how does it compare/differ from other
books you have read, etc.
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Structure. A book review should have three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion.
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Planning. Let’s say you are doing a five page book review. Is spending the first page describing the
author — who he is, what he has done, etc. — a good idea? That’s 20% of the review’s content —
it is not a good idea. Tell the reader in a sentence or two about the author and then move on. Let’s
say the book has eight chapters. You can plan to spend 1⁄2 page one each chapter, 1⁄2 page on
introduction and 1⁄2 page on conclusion. Don’t spent four pages on the first four chapters and then
try to cram the last four into a single page.
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The Case For Faith (CFF). Since the book is about Eight Big Objections, you should try to touch
upon each of these in your book report. As a minimum, it would be a good idea to identify each
objection and provide at least one Christian response to it.
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The Case For Christ (CFC). CFC has 14 chapters and also an introduction and conclusion. You
would have to fit about three chapters per page of book report if you try to cover each chapter.
Alternatively, CFC has three sections. You could plan on spending roughly a page and a half on
each section generally describing the contents and interacting with it.
- Your essays should follow TTC’s MLA formatting and referencing standards.
Essay Guidelines
1. Objectives. An essay should show evidence of research done — I’ll be looking at your reference list to see what works you have identified and cited. You should show evidence of knowledge of the subject matter. You should show evidence of critical thinking — you’ve thought about the subject and developed some ideas and opinions on it. You should show critical writing — meaning you have a point of view expressed as an argument and you can interact not only with authors you agree with but also with authors you disagree with or who would disagree with you.
2. Structure. Just like a sermon, an essay should have a beginning, middle, and an end. Put another way, it should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction you raise the issue at hand, in the body you address it, and in the conclusion you summarize your findings and state your conclusion
3. Formatting. Your essays should follow TTC’s MLA formatting and referencing standards.
4. Proof-reading. Do not submit a paper without proof-reading it -- especially if you have had it typed by somebody. You are responsible for what you submit for grading. Too often I find sloppy errors and students plead that they didn't proof-read their submission. If you want a good grade, make sure you proof-read, and correct the errors you detect.
Exam Questions
When you answer an exam question, try to relate your answer to the subject matter you have just studied. Use the exam question to demonstrate you have paid attention in class and done your assigned readings. Incorporate the course content into your answer — indicate how what you have heard or read in the course applies to the exam question you are answering. While there is always a place to show your instructor your general knowledge or cleverness even, the instructor is looking for evidence that you have understood the course contents and are able to integrate it into the tough questions of life and ministry.
Academic Writing Standards
Here are some of the specific things I will be looking for when reading and grading your papers. Many of these items are based on submissions from previous students.
1. Objectives. An essay should show evidence of research done — I’ll be looking at your reference list to see what works you have identified and cited. You should show evidence of knowledge of the subject matter. You should show evidence of critical thinking — you’ve thought about the subject and developed some ideas and opinions on it. You should show critical writing — meaning you have a point of view expressed as an argument and you can interact not only with authors you agree with but also with authors you disagree with or who would disagree with you.
2. Structure. Just like a sermon, an essay should have a beginning, middle, and an end. Put another way, it should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction you raise the issue at hand, in the body you address it, and in the conclusion you summarize your findings and state your conclusion
3. Formatting. Your essays should follow TTC’s MLA formatting and referencing standards.
4. Proof-reading. Do not submit a paper without proof-reading it -- especially if you have had it typed by somebody. You are responsible for what you submit for grading. Too often I find sloppy errors and students plead that they didn't proof-read their submission. If you want a good grade, make sure you proof-read, and correct the errors you detect.
Exam Questions
When you answer an exam question, try to relate your answer to the subject matter you have just studied. Use the exam question to demonstrate you have paid attention in class and done your assigned readings. Incorporate the course content into your answer — indicate how what you have heard or read in the course applies to the exam question you are answering. While there is always a place to show your instructor your general knowledge or cleverness even, the instructor is looking for evidence that you have understood the course contents and are able to integrate it into the tough questions of life and ministry.
Academic Writing Standards
Here are some of the specific things I will be looking for when reading and grading your papers. Many of these items are based on submissions from previous students.
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To help me figure out who you are and to locate you in my list, always underline your family name,
e.g., Richard Ball.
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Leave a 2 cm. margin around the top, bottom, and sides of the paper. I realize the scribes who
wrote the New Testament didn’t do this, but I want you to. It leaves room for me to write notes to
you and just looks better, like a picture frame.
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Double-space your work. Again, the scribes didn’t do this, but you are not scribes transcribing
Scripture! Double-spacing helps make your work more readable and leaves room for instructor
comments, etc.
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Do not split words at the end of a line with a hyphen. If you can’t fit the whole word on the line,
treat yourself to a whole fresh new line and start on the line below.
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Double-sided writing is OK. If you want to save paper by writing on both sides of the page, that is
OK with me (but see the next rule).
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Put a page number on each page of your paper.
- Write legibly. How can I give you an A+ if I can’t read your writing? (And where would Martin Luther be today if no one could read his 95 theses.)
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Use paragraphs. Paragraphs are a writer’s friend. I know, scribes didn’t use paragraphs either —
but you should. There are two aspects to a paragraph. One, everything inside should belong there.
We call this “cohesion” — it all sticks together; it’s all related. Two, there should be a progression
from paragraph to paragraph. The last sentence of the previous paragraph should lead into the first
sentence of the next paragraph — like links in a chain. A paragraph should be at least three
sentences and probably not more than five or six — about a half page at most.
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Show proper names as first name - last name (e.g., Lee Strobel). The only place I want to see last
name followed by first name is in the alphabetic Reference List at the end of your paper (e.g.,
Strobel, Lee). In the body of the paper, you could say “Lee Strobel” if it is the first time you use his
name, and after that, simply “Strobel”. There is no point in continuing to repeat his first name.
What I do not want to see is something like this: “Strobel Lee says there are good reasons for
believing Jesus rose from the dead”. If you write like this, “Ball Richard” will not be happy! (That
was a joke in case you missed it.)
11.Watch your grammar. Good grammar is tough. The best way to learn good grammar is to read a lot and observe the grammatical structures you come across as you read. There are good grammar books in the TTC Library. If your grammar could stand improvement, invest in yourself and check out a grammar book. Grammar counts.
12.Use possessives correctly. It is God’s book , not Gods book. It is Strobel’s opinion, not Strobels opinion.
13. Know how to read and use common Latin abbreviations used in academic writing: i.e. means “that is”; e.g. means “for example”; cf. means “compare with”.
A final suggestion: Check your work against this list before submitting an assignment.
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