This article presents a written assignment designed to achieve several goals. First, it offers students the chance to identify and examine the "pre-understandings" with which they enter the class, and to consider how these were formed. Once they have been elaborated, these "pre-understandings" inform the instructor and the student about biases and attitudes that may affect a student's ability to process and interpret course materials. A second goal of this assignment is to model a process of recursive thought through writing. On the final exam, students are required to revisit their prior thinking, to form new questions and potentially, new ideas about concepts and issues they have previously considered. In sum, the recursive nature of this assignment allows the instructor to evaluate student comprehension of course content and to observe the ways in which they have applied course concepts to modify or reinforce their beliefs. (Contains 1 table.)