Category: English and Literature : English

For your second essay in this class, you will spend some time reflecting on one of the literary works assigned in the class from a Christian perspective. 
Steps in the Process
Choose a work assigned in this course that appeals to you from an emotional or aesthetic perspective.
Read the work several times (maybe read parts of it aloud) making note of the features that seem particularly beautiful, inspiring, emotional, meaningful, or true. Consider the following questions (and pick one to focus on): Focus your thoughts into an argument about how the work of literature helps us better understand aspects of the Christian faith.
How does the work help us better value goodness?
How does the work help us better understand Truth?
How does the work help us better recognize and appreciate beauty?
Compose a thesis-driven, organized essay presenting your argument and using textual support for your points.
Notes
Although your essay will be thesis-driven, it is not a literary analysis. Do not simply pick a theme or a literary device and make an argument about that aspect of the work.
It will almost certainly be easier to do this assignment well if you choose a shorter piece of literature or a small section of a long work, rather than, for instance, the entirety of Julius Caesar.
You should not do any significant research on the literary work, since the assignment is on your own reflections about it. 
We are reading Dante, The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Penguin (9780142437223)
Homer, The Iliad, translated by Caroline Alexander, Ecco (978006204628)
Sophocles, Oedipus the King, translated by Robert Bagg, Harper-Collins (9780062132086)
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Folger Mass Market edition, Simon and Schuster (9780743482745
Pick one and do what is being asked.

How and why have certain Americans tended to view themselves and their nation as “exceptional”?  How has this notion shaped American culture, politics and economics?

 Use your (revised) outline and your summary papers to compose a 10- to 12-page argument essay that answers your research question:

How and why have certain Americans tended to view themselves and their nation as “exceptional”?  How has this notion shaped American culture, politics and economics?

Proposal Argument Essay AssignmentWrite a 1,500-1,750-word proposal using five to seven academic resources. Follow your instructor’s guidance as to whether it should be a policy or a practical proposal and as to the range of topics allowed. The voice and style of your argument should be aimed at your target audience. Remember to not use first person pronouns (I, me, us, we, our, my, mine) or second person pronouns (you, your, yours), unless given permission by your instructor. Your proposal should have the following features: 1.Identify the problem. 2.Persuade the audience that you have selected that this is a problem that needs solving; give it presence. 3.Propose action offering specific details to show how the actions will help alleviate the problem. 4.Justify your solution by providing the reasons why your audience should accept your proposal and act on it. This essay is NOT simply a persuasive essay. It is an argumentative proposal that offers a practical and justifiable solution to a problem. First Draft Grading •You will receive completion points for the first draft based upon the successful submission of a complete draft. •Because your first draft is a completion grade, do not assume that this grade reflects or predicts the final grade. If you do not consider your instructor’s comments, you may be deducted points on your final draft. Final Draft Grading The essay will be graded using a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations. Sources •Include in-text citations and a references page in APA Style for FIVE to SEVEN scholarly sources outside of class texts. •These sources should be used to support any claims you make and should be present in the text of the essay. •Use the GCU Library to help you find sources. •Include this research in the paper in a scholarly manner. Format Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. Lopeswrite •You are required to submit this assignment to Lopeswrite. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. •Please be sure your Lopeswrite score is at an acceptable level before submitting the draft to your instructor.

How have the expansion and contractions of empires affected European self-understandings? Please consider this question across two major periods of European history (defined above)

When and why have these definitions changed and varied?  What impact do these definitions have on how historians have approached and written about the nation’s past?  

How have the expansion and contractions of empires affected European self-understandings? Please consider this question across two major periods of European history (defined above)

How and why have certain Americans tended to view themselves and their nation as “exceptional”?  How has this notion shaped American culture, politics and economics?

Outline the key eras of popular mobility, and how these were similar to or different from each other (who moved, where they moved, why they moved). What have been the implications (social, political, economic) for American history as a whole?