C.S Lewis Mere Christianity critique

Paper assignment #2 is a critique of C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity.  Mere Christianity is Lewis’ attempt to explain and defend the Christian world view on a variety of moral and ethical bases.  It is widely haled as one of the seminal works in Christian apologetics.

You may use Mere Christianity as one of 4 resources you use for this paper.  Only one of your sources may be an internet resource.  Your paper should be no less than 1,200 words in length and should be submitted electronically using turnitin.com To use turnitin.com, use your internet browser to locate the URL and follow the onscreen instructions.   Please submit your papers as attached documents as opposed to “cut  and paste”.  You may use any standard electronic format (Microsoft Word, Word Perfect).  At the beginning of class please also turn in a hard copy of the paper.  If there are differences between the papers, the electronic paper will be deemed the controlling submission and will be graded.

Keep a copy of any paper you submit in case something happens to the copy you submit.  Late papers will typically be penalized by a deduction of one letter grade per day.

When you write a paper for this course you should follow recognized principles of good English composition.  Papers are assigned with length parameters.  You should keep your papers within these specifications.  The paper parameters are measured by word count and not page number.  However, it is sometimes useful to note that a paper with a word count of 1200 words is roughly 4-5 pages when one uses 12 point serif type.  Please use a standard, easily readable font such as Times New Roman or Courier.

In evaluating your assignments I will be looking to see if you have used good English composition principles, if you have met the mechanical paper writing requirements, if you have analyzed the topic using critical thinking skills and if you have fully addressed the topic presented.

Following are some guidelines that will help you maximize your points on papers:
•    Do not include a cover sheet with your paper.
•    Put the name of the assignment, course, date and your student identification number (single spaced) at the top of the page on the left hand side.
•    Double space your paper to allow for comments.
•    Use one inch margins on the top, bottom and sides.
•    Include the proper use of paragraphs and paragraph indentation.
•    Write an organized paper using the first paragraph as an overall introduction to your topic, the body of the paper to fully explain your position using appropriate authorities and examples and the final paragraph as a conclusion or summary of your assessment or findings.
•    Proofread your text for spelling and grammatical errors.
•    Punctuate appropriately.
•    Place page numbers at the bottom of each page in a footer denoting how many total pages, for example “1 of 3” for first page of three pages.  (The footer may be included in the 1 inch margin required above.)
•    Do not use abbreviations unless you have explained the meaning of the abbreviation.
•    Use quotation marks to denote direct quotes from sources.
•    Cite all sources that have informed your thinking in a paper using the MLA Handbook (current edition).
•    Consult the student handbook for further information on plagiarism and academic honesty on pp. 19, 20.

This paper should emphasize Lewis’ perspective on the topics we are covering in class.  You may want to find out something about C.S. Lewis’ background in writing about his journey from Atheism to Christianity.