Description

Final Project

For your Final Project, you will write a 5-page paper focusing on a topic that falls within the Science and Spirituality spectrum. In your paper, you will provide an overview of the topic, analyze and compare the central arguments posed by the scientific community and those posed by the religious community, and then evaluate the ways in which those topics are either able to be reconciled or need to remain separate. As a resource for your project, you may use contemporary articles in journals (see the Optional Resources on the Resources area) to gain individual insights from contemporary thinkers. Make sure to fully cite and reference all materials, per APA requirements and also adhere to the Academic Writing Expectations (AWE) standards.

Weekly milestone documents located in the Resources section of each week under the “Final Project” heading will help you prepare for the Final Project. These documents do not need to be turned in and will not figure into your grade. They are simply tools that you can use as you work on your project, and are designed to help you:

• Select an issue that figures into the ongoing discussion between Science and Spirituality (Week 1)
• Locate several reliable sources that are relevant to the topic you have chosen (Week 2)
• Review the scientific and spiritual arguments surrounding the topic you have chosen (Week 3)
• Reflect on the similarities and differences between the arguments, and ask yourself if there is a way in which both could be valid without excluding one or the other (Week 4)
• Organize your thoughts into a cohesive paper that examines and analyzes the current debate surrounding your topic (Week 5)

The assignment:

• Compose a 5-page paper research paper (not including the Title Page and Reference Page) in which you:
  • Identify a topic relevant to the academic field of science and spirituality.
  • Pose an argument (claim) regarding the topic and support that claim with documented evidence.
  • Provide a brief overview of select arguments of both scientists and spiritual thinkers related to that topic.
  • Analyze the validity of selected arguments and determine whether the arguments could be reconciled.
  • Include a Title Page (including a title expressing the thesis/claim) and References.
  • Cite all sources, in proper APA format, used in your research.

Questions about this assignment? Post them in the Contact the Instructor area. That way, everyone in the class will see, and benefit from, the Instructor’s response.

By Day 7 of Week 5

Submit your Final Project. In order to receive full credit, all assignments are due on time. Should you encounter an unanticipated and uncontrollable life event that may prevent you from meeting an assignment deadline, contact the instructor immediately to request an extension. Your instructor’s contact information is in the Instructor area. For a full description of the late policy, please refer to the “Policies on Late Assignments” section of your Syllabus.