Assignment task: Cause and Effect Analysis Essay: Religious/Spiritual Literacy
Causal analysis focuses specifically on explanations that show a connection between a situation and its cause or effect. It either answers the question "Why did this happen?" or "What will this do?" A causal analysis aims to examine diverse causes and consequences related to actions, behavioral patterns, and events that explains why they happen and the effects that take place due to their occurrence. In practice, writers include causal claims that contain strong argumentation or analysis. The writer should reveal an obvious relationship between certain events where one is an effect of another.
The major goal of this essay is to explore who you are today, and to explore who and what influenced your religious/spiritual/philosophical beliefs.
Directions:
For this essay-
? Trace your own personal religious, spiritual, or philosophical belief system, and write a cause-and-effect essay on your identified belief system. Like the previous literacy narrative where you are tracing your literacy journey throughout your life, you will investigate the multiple causes behind why you believe the things you do and examine the effects of your beliefs along with the social actions you participate in due to your beliefs.
? In exploring the causes and effects of your chosen belief system, assert your identity, give evidence on the assertions, and state why your identity is valuable to you.
? Moreover, you must be sure to distinguish between the immediate causes and the remote causes of the phenomenon you are analyzing. Remember these three elements-assertion, evidence, and importance. You are "arguing" the causes of your beliefs, their importance, and the effects those beliefs have on your identity and daily social activities.
Main point of the essay:
Content of Essay:
- Word count: 1000
- Include a title and explicit thesis statement to the essay
- Double-space essay, 1 inch margins all around page; indent paragraphs
- MLA Format
- Avoid second person use of "you/your" outside of quotations. Stick to your own experience, your own narrative of religious or spiritual belief literacy
Think through the following questions to help you write the cause-and-effect essay (this is not a suggestion of organization for the essay):
? Describe who you are today and how would you categorize or define your belief system? (belief or lack of belief- whether that is an approval of or resistance to a belief/system of beliefs)
? How was this belief system communicated to you? How has that communication influenced the ways you act out the beliefs?
? What are some causes that introduced you to this belief system(s)?
? What are some social actions you participate in due to your belief system? (Think of group activities or other social activities)
? Is your belief system group-oriented or solitary? Describe your journey into the group, and the activities you perform with the group, from beginner stages to where you are today.
? Who taught you these beliefs or impacted you to learn this belief system?
What was your relationship with these people, and why was it important for you to learn from them?
? How have your experiences within this belief system been shaped by your race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, and/or nationality?
? What does the public usually get wrong about your belief systems? Are there any misconceptions that are common about your belief systems?
? What are some examples of books, magazines, songs, films, or other media that have been meaningful to you when learning or advancing in this belief system? Why? These could be from the past or the present.
? What has this belief system taught you about culture, identity, politics, and/or history?
Potential Structure of Essay:
? Thesis Statement- In causal analysis essay, the thesis statement should be one sentence that sum up main points of your paper. The thesis should show the causal analysis and outline all upcoming points that follow. This statement should also explicitly mention the overall cause and effect of the essay.
o Example thesis statements (just an example, not the only model):
- "Due to my church upbringing, family values, and personal relationship with God, my Baptist identity aids me in converting souls to Christ and pray for everyone I meet."
- "Due to issues with abandonment, questioning my faith, and confirming my belief in myself, my switch to agnosticism restored my faith in humanity and gave me a moral system to live by."
? Introduction- In an introduction paragraph, one has to create a setting for the situation discussed. It should be a sentence or two that introduces your belief's importance or relevance for society. How do you describe your belief system and the importance of its history? In this case, include the origins of your belief system with a brief explanation as to why they matter to you. Make readers interested and connect the introduction to your thesis statement's vision.
? Body Paragraphs (Listing reasons for causal analysis)- This is where you should prove the ideas from your thesis statement; you should begin with a paragraph or two detailing the causes (deeper history) of your belief system, and a paragraph or two detailing the effects (your actions and beliefs of today) of your belief system. The supporting details should examine both cause and effect essay elements of your argument. The final body paragraph includes an overall causal analysis that helps the reader to understand why a particular position has been taken, and what social actions you take in the world to practice or affirm this identity. If necessary, include statistics and backup information that is not widely known by reliable sources.
? Conclusion- Conclusion should rule out any confusion and once again connect cause and effects elements. You can end the essay by talking about the present-day social action that your belief system influences. What do you do now that positions you within this belief system and why is it important for your audience to understand?