Assignment: Precis Explanation and Overview

Part I: Precis Overview: Précis means "precise;" thus, an effective précis requires precise, clear, and concise writing that successfully demonstrates reading comprehension and digestion. You will condense and summarize the reading while retaining the most significant elements such as the author's thesis, main ideas, key terms, and other important information. This will entail eliminating all superfluous material and words, preserving only the core substance of the work.

It is recommended that you make notes as you read the assigned reading the first time and that you construct an outline for subsequent re-readings (both from the notes and new insights). This will help guide your organization of thoughts, choice and use of words, and flow of writing. Remember that the précis is purely expositional and not evaluative (critical analysis is reserved for the second part of the paper).

Part II: Critical Analysis Overview

Critical analysis includes analyzing elements/aspects of the author's thesis and argument. This requires active reading, critical thinking, reasonable interpretation, and warranted evaluations and conclusions concerning the argument presented in the selected text. This disciplined thinking and writing task is intended to improve and display your intellectual skills and abilities with regards to truthfully and accurately analyzing and evaluating scholarly writing on an ethics topic. This also includes your being able to realize the strengths and the weaknesses of the piece of writing, as well as envisioning and proposing ways for improving it.

Details:

Read the "Précis Explanation and Overview" before beginning this assignment. Write a 800-word essay on the topic of Narrative Christian Ethics. The paper will consist of two parts. Part I is the précis (pronounced "preh-si"); Part II is the critical analysis.

Part I: Precis

Summarize Chapter 9, beginning with the section titled "Christian Ethics as Narrative Ethics," through the end of the chapter of Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics. Be sure to read the whole chapter for broader content and contextual understanding, even though your actual précis and critical analysis will focus on "Christian Ethics as Narrative Ethics" through the end of Chapter 9. Refrain from or severely limit utilizing quotations.

In 600 words, briefly describe the author's thesis, key concepts/ideas, key terms, the method/approach used by the author, and the evident purpose of (reason for) the author's piece. The précis should consist of about two-thirds of the total word count for the essay.

Use your own words to state what the author studied (or discussed).

How was it accomplished (or the procedure/focus)?

What was learned (or what were the results)?

What does it means (or why it is important)?

Part II: Critical Analysis

In 200 words, write a critical analysis. Be sure to review the "Precis Explanation and Overview." Include the word count at the end of Part II. Be sure to stay within the given word count range to avoid penalties for not meeting or exceeding the word-count range. The critical analysis should consist of about a third of the total word count for the essay.