Thesis-driven Essay. Each student will write a 1000-word thesis-driven essay on a selected topic. Your paper must be typed, double spaced, with one-inch margins, using Times Roman 12pt font. The purpose of a thesis-driven essay is to identify an issue, establish what your stand is on a particular aspect of that issue, and to present a compelling case or argument for it. The essay will draw on course material, demonstrating explicitly that it has been mastered (for instance by correctly deploying vocabulary terms and theoretical concepts). You will analyze how those arguments stand up to critical scrutiny. You will then summarize the central issues and arguments, and take a stand on the central debates as you have defined them. This stance will constitute your thesis which you are required to defend.
1. What are the historical-cultural roots of our current environmental crisis? Do you agree with White’s assessment that it is our Judeo-Christian dominance model that has led to our environmental crisis? Why or why not? Read Genesis 1-3 very closely and compare Whites reading with that of Dobel. Which account do you think is closer to the truth? Explain your answer. Finally, if one does not accept a theistic version of creation, does either St. Franciss alternative Christian view of universal brotherhood or the stewardship (or gardener) model make any sense?
