IGE 121

Gilli-Elewy
Formal Essay Prompt
The goal of this first formal essay is to help you develop and articulate the ideas you
gained from course readings and discussions on cosmogony, cosmology, and theodicy.
Through successful completion of the assignment, you will improve your ability to:
express your ideas in writing
make connections between course materials and your own experiences
support your ideas with specific evidence and thoughtful reasoning
identify and contrast diverse cultural perspectives
articulate and explore values
Instructions
Choose ONE of the following essay prompts. Respond in a typed, 12-point Arial,
Georgia, or Times New Roman font, doubled-spaced, and page-numbered essay about
4 pages in length with 1-inch margins, no title page.
As in all IGE papers, please establish concrete connections between the texts used and
your own thoughts, feelings, and/or values.
Support your arguments, reasoning and/or reflections with at least 2 course readings
and materials unless directed otherwise in the prompt. Support means that you will
discuss and explain the example, interpreting its meaning and developing its implications
as evidence. All citations must follow an established format (MLA, Chicago, APA, see
Hacker).
After you finish writing your paper, write a short letter addressing the following questions.
The letter does not count toward the 4 pages of your essay:
What is the main point you wanted to show in your paper?
What do you like most about your paper?
What are you least satisfied with in your paper?
What did you learn from writing this paper?
A note about academic integrity
All students are expected to turn in their own original work. Your paper should be an
expression of your own words and conclusions.
Criteria for Evaluation
Your paper will be evaluated on a 6 point scale. The instructor will provide feedback on
your essay for its:
Original ideas appropriate to the prompt and course themes
Organization that connects the ideas and builds the author's points
Support from examples, reasoning, and/or reflection
Clear prose with few grammatical, spelling, or other mechanical errors

Prompts:
1. One of the course goals reflects on the nature of empires. Discuss and reflect on
at least two classical empires. What common features and differences can you
identify? How do you account for those? Do you think that the classical empires
hold lessons for the present, or are contemporary circumstances sufficiently
unique as to render the distant past irrelevant? Draw on at least two course
readings to support your discussion.
2. Discuss and reflect on the main ethical teachings of Buddhism and Hinduism.
How do these augment your own ethical system?
3. One of the course themes is suffering. Discuss and reflect on this concept based
on Prometheus and Job. How does this theodicy conform to your own?
4. Religions are fundamentally alike. Discuss this statement and draw on
concepts/examples from at least two readings to support you discussion.
5. Do you have an idea for a paper that doesn't fit into any of the prompts above?
Talk to me about your idea.