write and submit a Personal Belief Statement here in Blackboard which examines a core value or belief you hold and how that has led you to or is demonstrated by your work.

Critical Reflection PAPER (20 points) + QUESTION Response (20 points) This I Believe Essay Assignment from “Book-In-Common” Initiative Background on Book-in-Common Initiative: Book-in-Common (BinC) is a community-wide learning experience for entire campus. Coordinated by the Office of First Year Initiatives, BinC intentionally supports new students in their transition and acculturation to by engaging them in this unique academic experience, which is enhanced when all members of our community participate. Students, faculty, and staff read and explore a common text incorporated into courses across disciplines. To support and enhance classroom learning and discussion, BinC partners with campus and local community members to provide a year-long series of co-curricular activities revolving around the themes and issues raised throughout the text. Planned programs include an essay submission portal in partnership with the This I Believe organization, a fall keynote, out-of-class group discussions, community service projects, an essay contest, film screenings, and faculty lectures/panels. This I Believe is our Book-in-Common this academic year. Background and Feedback on this year’s book, This I Believe: This I Believe is a series of 500-word essays in which each author shares the core values and beliefs that guide his or her everyday life. Through our common reading and related discussions, we are exploring the deeply held values, beliefs and experiences which motivate ourselves and others, as well as considering what it looks like to consistently put those beliefs into action. First year and upper-class students have shared that reading This I Believe was “eye-opening” and “life-changing.” This kind of feedback reflects an appreciation for how much we can learn from such a short and simple statement of belief. And this book has led to many interesting and enlightening conversations among people who hold differing viewpoints, and it’s challenged each of us to consider our own most deeply help beliefs. The description from Amazon.com reads as follows: “Based on the NPR series of the same name, This I Believe features eighty Americans–from the famous to the unknown–completing the thought that the book’s title begins. Each piece compels readers to rethink not only how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs but also the extent to which they share them with others. Featuring many renowned contributors–including Isabel Allende, Colin Powell, Gloria Steinem, William F. Buckley Jr., Penn Jillette, Bill Gates, and John Updike–the collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer; a part-time hospital clerk in Rehoboth, Massachusetts; a woman who sells yellow pages advertising in Fort Worth, Texas; and a man who serves on Rhode Island’s parole board. The result is a stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs–and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them–reveal the American spirit at its best.” Check out more belief statements at the This I Believe website www.thisibelieve.org and other books in the series, including This I Believe: Kentucky www.thisibelieveky.org Personal Belief Statements YOUR ASSIGNMENT HERE IS … 1 – www.thisibelieve.org ! visit the This I Believe website and READ and/or LISTEN TO essays from at least 4 (four) different authors (these are short, don’t worry!) 2 – http://thisibelieve.org/feature/ ! visit the This I Believe website and READ and/ or LISTEN TO at least 4 (four) essays from their SPECIAL FEATURES section (again, these are short!) 3- read the This I Believe essay guidelines set forth by This I Believe www.thisibelieve.org/guidelines/ 4- adhering as best you can to those guidelines, write and submit a Personal Belief Statement here in Blackboard which examines a core value or belief you hold and how that has led you to or is demonstrated by your work. !you will want to DRAFT this and FINALIZE your writing in a WORD.docx document and SAVE it. You can then attach this to your Critical Reflection Paper Assignment in Blackboard. Once you have completed the above list of items, please CLICK on the 2 (two) CRP Assignment LINKS in PINK in Blackboard and: Complete the questions !worth 20 points Attach your This I Believe ESSAY !worth 20 points …for 40 points TOTAL possible * Here are a few essays that might help inspire your own thinking: Van Jones: http://thisibelieve.org/essay/62068/ Cecilia Munoz: http://thisibelieve.org/essay/2/ Eboo Patel: http://thisibelieve.org/essay/33/ Deirdre Sullivan: http://thisibelieve.org/essay/8/