PHSC210 Comparative Essay Spring Latest 2015 October

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 .org/wiki/Old_Earth_creationism”>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: .liberty.edu/media/2108/apa.pdf”>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: .liberty.edu/media/2108/apa.pdf”>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 .liberty.edu/informationservices/ilrc/library/index.cfm?PID=20123″>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.