Assessment 2
Task
This assessment involves selecting an essay topic, doing some background research and reading, and writing an essay plan. The essay plan will be useful when you actually write the essay for the next assessment in this subject.
Choosing an Essay Topic
Read the following list of essay questions and select the one that interests you the most, or the question you would like to find out more about.
- One of the views for the development of Shariah in modern times is for Muslim scholars and scientists to work together in the process of deducing Islamic rulings (ijtihad). Discuss critically factors that would facilitate this collaboration and factors that would be obstacles. (You are free to select and focus on a case study such as bioethics, environmental ethics, Artificial Intelligence or any other major contemporary topic related to science and religion).
- Analyse critically Islam's and Muslims’ capacity to respond and contribute to solutions in times of global crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Climate Change, global poverty etc).
Conducting Background Reading and Research
Having chosen your topic:
- Search some online articles and journal articles using CSU library search, Google Scholar, Google Books etc. related to the essay topic.
- Read abstracts and conclusions of these articles to get familiar with their key findings, arguments and conclusions.
- Save the sources that are most relevant to the essay topic. These will be useful sources later on when you are writing the actual essay.
- Writing the essay plan
Writing the Essay Plan
Aier step-2 you should be more familiar with the topic and be able to come up with a plan for your essay. The following instructions will help:
- Prepare a title page supplied in this outline. See the the BrightSpace assessment folder for the essay plan for the template.
- Write an introduction and a conclusion. See the sample essay plan in the BrightSpace
- assessment folder. Read the comments provided on the introduction and conclusion of the sample.
- Come up with 2-3 key statements that support the conclusion.
- For each of these statements add further points and evidence in bullet point form.
- Submit your essay plan using the BrightSpace.
Assessment 3
Task
In the previous assessment you have developed an essay plan. In this assessment you are required to write a full essay based on the plan and the feedback received. You would have completed the following:
- Select an essay question from the list of essay questions (reproduced below)
- Conduct a background research on the topic
- Write an essay plan
In this assessment you are required to complete the essay that is 1,300-1,500 words long. The following is a suggested process:
- Expand each of the key points stated in the essay plan to a paragraph.
- Check and make sure every piece of information or knowledge you took from sources are referenced using Chicago Referencing Style 16 edition.
- Review and edit your introduction and conclusion to ensure the body has supported the conclusion.
- Proofread and edit your essay to make it flow well and to be within the word limit. 5. Submit your essay using Brightspace subject site.
Summary of Assessment Requirements
The assessments consist of two connected tasks Assessment 2 (Essay Plan) and Assessment 3 (Full Essay). Students are required to:
Assessment 2: Essay Plan
- Select one essay topic from the given list relating to:
- Collaboration between Shariah scholars and scientists in modern ijtihad (with optional case studies like bioethics, AI, environmental ethics, etc.), or
- Islam’s and Muslims’ capacity to respond to global crises.
- Conduct background reading and research using academic sources:
- Use Google Scholar, CSU Library, Google Books.
- Review abstracts and conclusions to determine relevance.
- Save the most significant sources for later use.
- Prepare a structured essay plan, including:
- A title page (template provided).
- An introduction and conclusion.
- 2–3 main supporting statements that lead to the conclusion.
- Bullet-point evidence and notes for each key statement.
- Submit the essay plan through Brightspace.
Assessment 3: Full Essay
Students must expand the approved essay plan to produce a 1,300–1,500-word academic essay, following these steps:
- Convert each key idea from the essay plan into a full paragraph.
- Ensure all sourced information is properly referenced using Chicago 16th Style.
- Review and refine the introduction and conclusion after writing the body.
- Edit and proofread for flow, clarity, accuracy, and word limit.
- Submit the final essay via Brightspace.