Research Paper:
The American Christian Experience
Assignment:
Compose a well-structured research paper on one of the topics below related to the American Christian Experience. You should focus on creating an interesting introduction containing a narrow, clear, and arguable thesis, writing a clearly organized body with logical support and external sources for your assertions, and a conclusion that makes a reasonable and emphatic point.
Due Date and Submission:
Adhere strictly to the due date and time specified in the assignment. Turn in your completed essay by submitting it to the Dropbox on Desire2Learn.
Topic Selection:
Suitable topics for this essay include:
• The Puritan settlement and Early Colonization. Why did the Pilgrims and Puritans come to America? (I’m looking for the details of their persecution). Why did other denominations come?
• The American Religious map at the time of the War of Independence. By the end of the colonial period, what religions were prevalent in which colonies? How did they relate to the state and federal government?
• The First Great Awakening. What sparked this revival? Who were the key figures of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley? What did they do that was so different?
• George Whitefield was a Calvinist; John Wesley was an Arminian; both were called Methodists in their day. What do they share in common, and what are their differences?
• The Second Great Awakening. Who was Charles Grandison Finney? What did he believe? What did he do, and how did he do it?
• The Civil War and American Denominationalism. How did the various denominations react to the questions of slavery, states’ rights, and the Civil War? What happened before the war? What happened after it?
• Fundamentalism. What is fundamentalism? How does the theological (doctrinal) definition differ from what people think it means? What are the differences between fundamentalists and evangelicals?
• Liberal Theology and Radical Theology. What is Liberalism in Theology? What is Radicalism in Theology? Specifically, what are the beliefs of Feminist Theology and Liberation Theology?
• Pentecostals and the Azusa Street Revival. What was this revival? How did Pentecostalism develop from it?
• Charismatics and the Jesus People Movement. Who were the Jesus People? Who were some major figures in the movement? How does it affect contemporary American Christianity?

Throughout all these topics, you may wish to focus on one or two recurrent themes in American Christianity, namely:
• The sources of denominationalism in America: why are there so many?
• The outpouring of revivalism in America: how did it develop?
Length Requirement:
600 to 800 words, as counted by Microsoft Word on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. (This is approximately 2-3 pages of text, not including the Works Cited page at the end.) Text must be double-spaced and written in 12 pt. font.
Diction Requirements:
This is a formal paper. The personal pronouns “I” and “You” in all their forms are not allowed. Contractions not are allowed. Adhere strictly to proper grammar and mechanics.
Word Processing Requirement:
The body of the paper must be typed according to MLA Style guidelines, even if you have no sources.
The paper MUST be created in Microsoft Word, either in the new .docx or the old .doc format. If you do not have Microsoft Word, you have two other options:
• Go to OpenOffice.org and download the Open Office suite. This FREE resources contains a word processor, a spreadsheet program, and a presentation program. The word processor’s native format is Open Document Text (.odt), but it can read and write in the old Microsoft Word .doc format as well.
• Go to Google Documents and sign up for an account. You can create your essay and store it on Google. When it is complete, you can download it as a Microsoft Word .doc file.
Under NO circumstances should you type this paper in Works (.wps format) or Wordpad (.wpd format).
Source Requirements:
NOTE: Do not try to cut and paste Wikipedia articles. This is plagiarism that can result in academic discipline. You cannot receive a passing grade with such a tactic.
• This paper requires at least TWO in-text citations (a quote, a paraphrase, or a summary) to be taken from at least two separate sources.
• A Works Cited page is required. It must have at least TWO separate sources listed on it.
• All sources quoted, paraphrased, or summarized must be cited in the new MLA style. An explanation of the MLA documentation style is found in Diana Hacker’s supplement posted on Desire2Learn.
o In-text citations must be indicated by the proper combination of signal phrases and parenthetical references. They must clearly point to a unique and readily identifiable entry on the Works Cited page. An index to in-text citations is found on page 3 (page 6 of the .pdf file).
o Works Cited entries must conform to MLA style. An index to Works Cited entries is found on page 13 (page 16 of the .pdf file). All Works Cited entries must be alphabetized under the first word of the entry; that is, either under the author’s last name or the first word of the title.
**The following is a link to the religion subject guide. It is located on the library page or you may use the link below to go directly to the page. The resources listed give access to articles and ebooks from valid academic resources. Also, check out the “how to tab” on how to use the resources. URL: http://libguides.fdtc.edu/content.php?pid=706211