Comparative Essay Instructions

Selection of Topic

Choose 1 of the following topics for your Comparative Essay:

1.Original creation of the Earth (nebular hypothesis vs. six-day creation)

2.Geologic time (billions of years vs. thousands of years)

3.Dating the rocks of the Grand Canyon (old Earth vs. young Earth)

4.Geologic paradigms (uniformitarianism vs. catastrophism)

5.Radiocarbon dating (old-Earth vs. young-Earth methods/assumptions)

Content and Outline

Use the following outline when writing your paper. Each point on the below outline should be a separate section (with the section heading, as indicated) within your paper.

I.Introduction

·Indicate which topic you chose from the list above.

·Indicate the purpose of your paper (i.e., to compare old-Earth and young-Earth viewpoints on your chosen topic).

II.Old-Earth Secular View

·What is the old-Earth secular viewpoint on your chosen topic?

·Do not discuss the old-Earth creationist viewpoint on your chosen topic. For a description of old-Earth creationism, go to http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Old_Earth_creationism.

III.Young-Earth View

·What is the young-Earth viewpoint on your chosen topic?

IV.Comparison of the Viewpoints

·Comparison is articulating similarities between the two viewpoints.

·Be sure to provide at least two similarities (comparisons) between the viewpoints.

V.Contrast of the Viewpoints

·Contrast is articulating differences between the two viewpoints.

·Be sure to provide at least two differences (contrasts) between the viewpoints.

VI.Conclusion

·Provide a summary statement of your paper.

·Be sure to restate your purpose.

·Do not introduce new material in your conclusion.

Length

This paper is to be 3–4 pages. Do not exceed this page limit. The title page and bibliography do not count toward the page total.

Format

You must use current APA format. Papers must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins all around. Font is to be Courier New or Times New Roman in 12-point font. Include a cover sheet with your name, instructor’s name, course number and title (e.g., PHSC 210, Elements of Earth Science), date, and paper title. There is no need to include an abstract in your paper. APA formatting rules can be found at the following site: http://www.liberty.edu/media/2108/apa.pdf.

Sources

Your Comparative Essay must include at least 4 academic sources (not including the course textbooks). Two of these additional sources must be from an old-Earth perspective, and the other two sources must be from a young-Earth perspective. Sources must be journal articles, manuscripts, scholarly textbooks, and/or internet sites from .edu or .gov sources. Avoid internet sites from .com, .net, .org, etc., as the information contained therein are not often peer reviewed. In particular, avoid Wikipedia. Also, study Bibles are not appropriate for this assignment. List all of your sources in a bibliography at the end of the paper.

Citation

Be sure to cite your sources in the body of your paper using current APA format. APA formatting rules can be found at the following site:http://www.liberty.edu/media/2108/apa.pdf.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious academic infringement. Avoid it at all costs. To learn more about plagiarism and how to avoid it, visit http://www.liberty.edu/informationservices/ilrc/library/index.cfm?PID=20123. Note that you are fully responsible for any plagiarism detected by the instructor of this course. Cases of plagiarism will be dealt with according to current policies established by Liberty University Online.

Submission

Submit your work to Blackboard as a Microsoft Word document. You will find an upload link under “Assignments” in the appropriate module/week folder. Do not paste your paper in the submission box in Blackboard; only upload the Word document.

Your Comparative Essay is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 7.