The Task

*This page provides information as to what the assignment is. These are not my words; but the words of the instructor of this course.

Instructions
We live in a day and age when the Lord has warned that, “peace shall be taken from the earth” (D&C 1:35). There is a way to find peace in today’s world. The Lord has promised, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me” (D&C 19:23).
Because He loves us, He has provided living prophets during these days when, “the whole earth shall be in commotion” (D&C 45:26). The Lord, in His mercy said, “Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments; and also gave commandments to others” (D&C 1:17-18). Additionally, a latter-day prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, said:
 “How thankful we ought to be . . . how thankful we are, for a prophet to counsel us in words of divine wisdom as we walk our paths in these complex and difficult times. The solid assurance we carry in our hearts, the conviction that God will make his will known to his children through his recognized servant is the real basis of our faith and activity. We either have a prophet or we have nothing: and having a prophet, we have everything (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 499-500).”   
To follow the council from the Lord and President Hinckley, you will complete a Capstone Practicum designed to help you live faithfully as you walk your path in these complex and difficult times. The practicum consists of a three phase process: Learn, Listen, and Walk. 

Phase 1: Learn
This phase is designed to help you identify important issues facing you at this time in your life! For this phase of the practicum, you will study four required topics and select four additional topics that are of personal interest to you. The 4 General Topics that each student must include in their project are: 
Family
Atonement
Agency
Pornography
You will also select 4 Personal Topics that are pertinent to your current situation. Some examples include dating, marriage, having and/or raising children, finances, education, missionary service, repentance, forgiveness, service, patriarchal blessings, etc. 

Phase 2: Listen
The Lord has taught us that “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38). Additionally, he has promised that if we “give heed unto all [the prophets] words and commandments … the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good” (D&C 21:4-6).
What are the living prophets saying? For this part of the practicum, you will collect a minimum of 10 quotes for each of your 8 topics (for a minimum of 80 total quotes), of “counsel” and “words of divine wisdom” from the living prophets. Choose statements from the living prophets that help you better understand what the Lord and His servants teach concerning the topic, as well as possible ways you can more fully submit to God’s mind and will. You will work on this phase of the practicum throughout the semester. Many of your quotes can come from the readings in Lessons 3-5 and 7-12. You should find at least 8 quotes each week beginning in Lesson 3 and continuing through Lesson 12.
Concerning the 10 quotes you gather for each topic,must be from the living prophets and apostles—with no more than 2 quotes used from the same talk. The remaining 4 quotes can be from any prophet, apostle or General Conference address (including any priesthood or women's session address) from this dispensation! Each quote must include a reference to the person, source, month, and year.
Here are two examples to help guide you: 
  • Elder Richard G. Scott, “Healing Your Damaged Life,” Ensign, November 1992, pp. 34-35.
  • Dallin H Oaks - April 2005 General Conference "Pornography" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/04/pornography?lang=eng&query=Pornography.
After you have gathered the 10 quotes for a particular topic, you will write a 100-250 word Position Statement for each topic. The position statement is a declaration of what you learned and your feelings regarding each topic. This should be a simple, clear expression of your belief as well as possible behaviors or actions concerning each topic.

Phase 3: Walk
Essential to having Peace in our lives is our ability to act upon the insights gained through our learning and listening process. King Benjamin taught, “and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them” (Mosiah 4:10). Some of our greatest learning moments in life come when we actually apply and live the truths that we learn and believe in.
In Phase 3, you will select one of the eight topics and make meaningful application to your life. Take the time to diligently apply the principles of one of your practicum topics for a six-week period during lessons 7-12 of the semester. The application portion of your project should push you above and beyond what you normally do as a disciple of the Lord in your day-to-day life.You do not need to work more than 2 - 4 hours total over the six-week period from lesson 7-12 on this project.
Below are a few steps designed to help you implement the Walk Phase of the practicum:
Step 1: Prayerfully select 1 of the 8 topics to apply at this time in your life.
Step 2: Develop a plan of implementation to guide your project for six weeks during Lessons 7-12. Set reasonable smaller goals or benchmarks to help you complete your plan.
Step 3: Faithfully execute your plan. Remember, the application phase of this practicum requires weekly attention.
Step 4: Complete a 250-300 word write-up explaining your application project, how you spent your time (which could include a calendar documenting your daily/weekly progress), and the impact of this application project on your life.

Final Product
In the Conclusion Lesson at the end of the semester, you will submit your final product for this Capstone Practicum. Your final product can be organized either in essay form, a blog, or a website. It must include (1) at least ten quotes for each of your eight topics and (2) your position statement for each of the eight different topics along with (3) a write-up/report/chart explaining what you accomplished for the personal application portion of the practicum (250-300 words).

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