CONCEPT ASSIGNMENT
Step 1: Define/explain a concept/insight acquired through one or more of the readings for the current week.
It is important to be specific here. If you are defining a concept, do not add in additional aspects that are your own ideas. Instead, adhere to the author’s definition or description. This will be important for Step 3.
This can be more complicated when it comes to an insight paper in that it will be less precise because an insight may be derived from something less specific than a definition. However, be as specific as you can.
Step 2: Explain how this concept/insight was addressed or utilized by one or more of the authors.
Step 3: Offer an assessment of why this concept/insight is important for understanding religion in America or any topic our class covers during that week:
Note: Step 3 should offer a critical assessment, which means examining the pros and cons of the usefulness or value of the concept or insight itself to understand what it purports to explain.
Students often overlook the importance of critical evaluation when they evaluate a concept/insight. To avoid that, focus on the definition and ask yourself “What are the assumptions?” You might also look at how the concept may overgeneralize what it purports to explain.
To clarify what these critical assessment papers need to show, consider the “role conflict” example again. The concept is useful in understanding identity and action or how one may struggle to act or make decisions due to conflicting obligations. However, the definition also purports to explain more than it does: it does not consider that some people may rank the roles that they perform. The role of student, friend, daughter, and volunteer may vary in importance to the individual. When these are ranked, the degree of conflict may vary. In other words, there is an assumption within the definition (in Step 1) that all roles are equal or that their differences are inconsequential.
For those who are taking the insight route, you can use Step 3 to provide an analysis of how your insight allowed you to question your own assumptions or a previous perspective.
