Open-ended Writing Assignments

Some seminary writing assignments are extremely specific. They clearly describe the content and structure of the piece, like this:

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." (BCP) Write 750 words, discussing  the significance of each key word in the above statement (the first article of the Apostle's Creed). Use your textbook and class lectures as resources.

Other assignments give you the freedom (and the burden) of creating your own structure and argument. For instance:

Write 750 words, answering the following question: "Why Justice?"
This is a big question . . . it is important that your answer reflect the class content AND that it make a clear and logical case. You must do several things in order to fulfill the task at hand.

• Try to ascertain the professor's intent, in light of course reading, lectures and discussion.
• Create a structure that makes an argument, perhaps first defining justice, and then giving reasons for its practice.
• Rank your reasons from weakest to strongest, being sure to weed those that are unnecessary. Start with the weakest warrant (reason), and build to the strongest.
• Consider whether there might be arguments against the case you are making.
• If so, fairly describe those positions, and dispute them in a reasonable way.

Where does the time go???

Steven Covey is a bit of a genius. In his classic book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he offers many insights that can aid in personal and professional change. One of them is a simple, clever grid called the "Time Management Matrix," (p. 151) in which he divides tasks into those which are either "important" or "not important" and either "urgent" or "not urgent." The resulting four quadrants demonstrate the difference between a "pro-active" or a "re-active" style.

• Quadrant 1= Urgent/Important - Operating in a constant crisis mode puts us under stress and always playing catch-up. It can cause us to put unrealistic demands on others . . .
• Quadrant 2= Not Urgent/Important - This is where planning, prevention, relationship building, and strategizing come in. This is where most of our time should be spent, in order to have balance, sanity, and ultimately to achieve our goals.
• Quadrant 3= Urgent/Not Important - Reacting and responding to the priorities of others leaves one feeling like a victim, and out of control. Working in this quadrant makes goals and plans seem useless.
• Quadrant 4= Not Urgent/Not Important - This is where one turns for relief from constant crisis, or when one feels like a victim. It is not the same as recreation or stress relief. It can feel like it is controling us, rather than the reverse.

graphic from http://www.best-personal-growth-resources.com/

For additional information see:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_91.htm

Detective Work First

Can you figure out where this picture was taken? Probably. The clues are there.

There are also clues surrounding your assigned reading. Clues you should examine before you start in.

You can just pick up a book or an article and start to read your assigned pages, but it is often difficult to remember what you just read. Lots of wasted effort, with good intentions, is expended on running eyes over text and turning pages, without active engagement.

For Seminary purposes, you will learn more in far less time if you ALWAYS PRE-READ. Here are some questions to ask of your assigned reading, to help you become interested, curious and to give a purpose to your reading:

1. Why did my professor assign this? How does it fit into the course and its objectives?
2. Who is the author? Modern scholar? Church father? Feminist theologian?
3. What sort of book/article is it? Summary? Critique? Radical view? Nuance? Primary source?
4. What is the thesis (primary point) of the piece? You can often find this in the table of contents, the preface, the subheadings of each chapter, or the conclusion.
5. Can I understand the content of the writing or do I need to take a step back? If you are completely confused, don't bother to start until you have read some background material, or asked your professor for help.
6. What do I already know about this subject? Where does this fit into that grid?
7. What will I have to do with this material? Take a test? Write a review? Assimilate it as background for a paper? Create a paper outline or study guide as you read, if appropriate.