Are Mormons Christian?

But a topic alone is not enough. Your Major Paper must be an argument for a particular claim
(not merely a description or discussion). Most often, a paper of this sort is born out of a
question. Your answer to that question, in a single sentence, is your “thesis,” or the major claim
of your paper. So, the Major Paper project is your opportunity to make a particular claim and
defend that claim through reasonable argumentation, with demonstrations of evidence to
support your claim.
A few more guidelines.
1. INTRODUCTION
Begin by stating the issue that you will discuss and explain why the issue is important. You
might also briefly discuss your own personal background to arrive at this issue. Why is it
interesting to you? And why might it be of interest to others?
2. CRITICAL SUMMARY
Briefly summarize relevant views that have been expressed by others. You are not likely the first
person to discuss this issue. Demonstrate that you are aware of others’ views.
3. CARE IN CITATIONS
Make sure you accurately state the position of any author you discuss and always include
references for each quotation or attribution in footnotes (no endnotes).
4. USE CARE IN INTERPRETING AN AUTHOR, PARTICULARLY SOMEONE YOU
DISAGREE WITH
If on your interpretation of an author, the author either is inconsistent or has made an obvious
error of reasoning, begin by assuming that you have misinterpreted the author. Reread the
relevant passages carefully to see if you can put together a consistent position that is not
obviously erroneous.
5. CRITICAL EVALUATION
This paper is not an expository paper (explaining/describing). At least half of your paper should
be devoted to a critical evaluation of issue you are discussing. A satisfactory critical evaluation
will require you to raise objections to the views of the authors you have discussed and to
critically discuss them.
6. BEING WITH INTERNAL CRITICISM, THEN MOVE TO EXTERNCAL CRITICISM

Internal criticism uses only premises and evidence that the author accepts or is committed to accepting.
In some cases, this might be positions evident in a sacred text itself. An external criticism is a
criticism that employs premises or evidence that the author or text is not committed to.
7. CONSIDER POSSIBLE RESPONSES TO YOUR OBJECTIONS
Whenever you offer an objection to an author’s position, explicitly consider whether the author
has said anything that might indicate how s/he would respond to the objection. If so, develop
and evaluate the author’s response. If not, you should take the author’s side and formulate the
best response that you can to the objection. If you cannot think of any good responses to the
objection, make an appointment to talk to me so that I can make some suggestions. You should
provide not only a quality objection to your own criticism but a quality response to the objection.
The objection to your own criticism does not need to belong. It might even be a single sentence,
and your response to the objection might be one or two sentences. But this is a way to include
discursive argumentation (back and forth discussion) in your paper.
8. CONCLUSION
Conclude by summarizing the results of your argument and their significance for the relevant
issues.