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
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.
How the Academic Mentor Guided the Student: Step-by-Step Approach
The academic mentor used a structured, supportive method to guide the student through both assessments while reinforcing academic skills, research strategies, and critical thinking.
Step 1: Clarifying the Assessment Requirements
The mentor first helped the student understand:
- What each task requires
- How Assessment 2 and Assessment 3 are interconnected
- The importance of selecting a topic the student is genuinely interested in
- How research sources would later support the final essay
This ensured the student had a clear roadmap before beginning.
Step 2: Topic Selection Guidance
The mentor encouraged the student to:
- Review each essay question carefully
- Compare them with personal interests or curiosity
- Identify where sufficient academic literature is available
By discussing potential case studies (AI ethics, environmental ethics, global crises, bioethics), the mentor ensured the student selected a topic with rich academic depth.
Step 3: Research Orientation
The mentor demonstrated how to:
- Search effectively using Google Scholar and university library tools
- Evaluate abstracts to determine relevance
- Identify arguments, themes, and gaps within the literature
- Save and organise sources for future reference
This step ensured the student developed essential academic research skills and collected credible academic materials for the essay plan.
Step 4: Structuring the Essay Plan
With a clearer understanding of the topic and research, the mentor showed the student how to:
- Draft a strong introduction outlining the focus, context, and central argument
- Formulate 2–3 key statements that logically support the conclusion
- Convert each statement into bullet-point notes, including evidence, examples, and references
- End with a concise conclusion that aligns with the planned argument
The mentor also reviewed the Brightspace templates to ensure formatting accuracy.
Step 5: Feedback Integration
Before progressing to Assessment 3, the mentor:
- Reviewed the essay plan
- Provided targeted feedback on clarity, argument structure, and source quality
- Suggested adjustments to strengthen coherence and academic framing
This step ensured the plan was academically sound and ready to be expanded into a full essay.
Step 6: Writing the Full Essay (Assessment 3)
The mentor guided the student through converting the plan into a full essay by:
- Turning each key idea into a full, well-structured paragraph
- Ensuring topic sentences, evidence, analysis, and examples were included
- Demonstrating how to reference using Chicago 16th Style
- Reinforcing the importance of originality and academic integrity
The student learned to build a cohesive argument while maintaining critical depth.
Step 7: Final Editing and Submission
The mentor supported the student in:
- Reviewing the introduction and conclusion to ensure alignment
- Editing for grammar, clarity, tone, and flow
- Ensuring the essay meets the word count and academic standards
- Preparing the final version for Brightspace submission
Outcome Achieved
Through this structured mentoring process, the student successfully:
- Completed an academically strong essay plan
- Conducted meaningful background research
- Developed analytical, organisational, and academic writing skills
- Produced a coherent, well-argued essay within the given guidelines
- Demonstrated improved referencing and critical engagement with sources
