Student Tasks

1. Time Commment: You should assume that this course will require 12-15 hours per week.

2. Each student will be expected to make 4-6 postings during each week, apart from the final week of each unit. Normally each posting should not exceed 350 words.

Two or three postings will respond to thought questions posted by the instructor. The will do so in conversation with the lectures and other readings.
Two or three postings will respond to thought questions posted by the instructor. The will do so in conversation with the lectures and other readings.
One or two will respond to what other members of the group have posted.

The limits require careful thought about what needs to be said. They are also necessary for the conversation to be manageable.

The instructor will respond to the week's conversation as a whole once a week.

3. Write four short papers, one for each unit of the course, not to exceed 350 words each.

The first will describe how the student approaches thinking about what he/she thinks and believes. What is the center in relation to which she/he sees everything?
The other three will interpret the three articles of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. See, for example, Luther's explanations in the Small Catechism. Each paper will include three things: a brief statement of the central content in the student's own words, what it means for faith, and why it matters.

These one-page papers must be posted in the appropriate section of the Discussion Board by the beginning of the final week of the unit, so that they can provide a basis for the work work that week.

A final version of these four one-page papers will be presented for evaluation by the end of the exam week.

4. Participate in four small group discussions, one during the final week of each unit.

The students in each group will discuss and evaluate how each member of the group approaches the subject and offer suggestions for improving on their short paper.
Students willl identify what all can agree on, new insights from other's papers, issues and problems that need thought.

5. Write a major paper not to exceed 3500 words. This paper will address a topic central to the student's understanding of the Christian message, and it will develop a clearly identified thesis. It will combine research and personal reflection.

Read and respond to the papers of two other students. Each response will indicate the one most helpful aspect of the paper, state the most significant issue that needs to be addressed, and ask one question of the author. The author will respond to the two student responses and questions, as well as to the instructor's response and questions. Students will find it helpful to begin work on the paper early in the course, and to have one or two others read and critique their papers before presenting them in their final form.

6. Read at least 900 pages of material related to three or more different contexts, including one's own. An annotated bibliography covering everything read for the course is required with the paper.