project of analyzing specific religious comparisons
Order ID |
53563633773 |
Type |
Essay |
Writer Level |
Masters |
Style |
APA |
Sources/References |
4 |
Perfect Number of Pages to Order |
5-10 Pages |
Description/Paper Instructions
project of analyzing specific religious comparisons
World Religions, Philosophy/Religion 1150
COD, Online Course
Term Paper/Research Paper Assignment
The syllabus notes that there is a Research Paper due near the end of the semester. Check the online folders for the exact due date. The paper is to be 5-6 pages long, on a topic of your choice, but limited to the project of analyzing specific religious comparisons, specific religious persons or specific religious movements. The purpose is to let you go into detail, and do some research and analysis. That is, you will have to focus on some issue in more detail and depth than we could cover in class. You will have to pursue some research, using books or movies or even direct information gathered on field trips and interviews. Choose sources (especially web sources) critically. The paper does require a bibliography.
Of course, clarity and organization will be important. They are not ends in themselves, but are the indispensable means for giving information and explanation. More vital are analysis and opinion, that is, a thought-out effort to wrestle with religious ideas or a comparison of concepts and a risk at expressing your own view of what makes such beliefs reasonable, attractive, acceptable, or offensive.
You may choose a topic from the list below, or invent one of your own. Note that the topics below are just that, mere topics. You must have a thesis, a point to defend about the issue. Be bold, but be fair.
Talk to your instructor soon if you are unsure about what you want to write about, or if you want to go over an outline. Don’t wait until the last minute to look for your sources, your focus or your ideas.
POSSIBLE TOPICS:
- I) Critical report on the life of a great religious leader: Jesus, Muhammad, Dalai Lama, Mary Baker Eddy, Krishnamurti, Blavatsky and Olcott, Sai Baba, Mother Teresa, etc.
- Is there evidence that this person is as great as the tradition says?
- Are there critical points to raise about this leader’s character or ideas?
- Is this person worth listening to?
- Don’t try to write about all or even many such persons; best to pick just one and embrace some controversy.
- Beware of doctrinaire praise for your own religious founder or hero; there is controversy to consider honestly, even if one then finally defends the person.
- II) Critical report on a big issue for most any religion: role of women, justifications of war, value of other religions, justifications of morality, ethical directions, racial problems past and present, etc.
- Does (do) the religion(s) in question take a stand on your important moral issue, offer clear moral direction, have a good/bad track record?
- Does it (do they) cause more unity or strife, do more good than evil?
- Do we end up better or worse people for following this or that religion?
- Again, don’t try to cover too much; also, be aware of your own biases in such controversies and your own assumptions about moral issues (moral attitudes of our own time and place are not necessarily right).
- I repeat that last point: beware of simply assuming that our current view of gender equality or sexuality or “tolerance,” etc., are right.
III) A comparative question of truth: concepts of God or the Absolute, ultimate purposes and soteriologies, comparative claims about the dependability of scripture/authority.
- Do religions say the same thing about God, etc., or do they differ significantly? Is the Triune God of Christianity the “same” as Allah or JHWH? Be sure to consider challenges to simple comparisons.
- What criteria could we use to evaluate whether one religion describes God, the world, ourselves better than another? Is, e.g., Buddhism more logically consistent than Judaism? Is Judaism more livable, practical than Buddhism?
- How historically reliable on their own terms are the claims of Judaism or Christianity. Or, say, how well historically documented are these religions compared to the historicity of, say, Krishna or Rama?
- Is (e.g.) monotheism more reasonable than polytheism, animism, monism?
- Is “heaven” a greater ideal than “nirvana”, etc.? Is salvation by moral effort more reasonable than by a “savior”?
- How do religions explain human suffering? Does one religion explain/resolve the “problem of evil” better than another?
- Discussions of pluralism or universalistic inclusivism might fit here: Are all religions really the same? So they all seek “God”, even if they use different names and descriptions? Are all religions just “different paths to the same summit?” How could we defend or critique such claims?
- IV) A general question about religion, using our religions as source material: psychological grounding of religion, epistemology of religious experience, Marxist critiques, etc. You’ll have to be especially careful here to find reasons and even data, not just projected suspicions. Challenge your own assumptions.
- Are religions based just on the fear of death?
- Are they the “crutch” of the materially feeble?
- Is religion valuable, even “true”, just because people feel better? How does it make people feel better?
- Are religious experiences just a way of hyping oneself up, like using drugs? Is religion the “opiate of the masses”, a tool of the powerful to keep society in control?
- V) A presentation and analysis of a lesser known religion/sect: ideas and critique of Voodoo, Wicca, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormonism, Unification Church, Scientology, Sufism, etc.
- Is this or that sect a strange aberration or a reasonable interpretation of basic animist, Christian, Hindu (etc.) doctrine?
- Is this “religion” a genuine version of its original, or is it a heretical cult, perhaps a sheer fantasy?
- Is this a small, but valuable religion, or a cultish oddity?
SUM: See what I mean? There is a lot of room here for variation, so be thoughtful and inventive and follow your interests. You can, indeed must, take an argumentative view of something, but you also need to be fair in viewing the issues, seeing counter-examples in different world religions or looking for people who would argue against your position. If you are unsure of the appropriateness of your chosen topic, or if you fear you need more information than you have, talk to your instructor SOON. Again, good luck.
RUBRIC
QUALITY OF RESPONSE |
NO RESPONSE |
POOR / UNSATISFACTORY |
SATISFACTORY |
GOOD |
EXCELLENT |
Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points) |
Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. |
20 points out of 50: The essay illustrates poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking. |
30 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not full explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas though failing to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately. Elements of the required response may also be lacking. |
40 points out of 50: The essay illustrates solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples. The answer is complete. |
50 points: The essay illustrates exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples. No aspects of the required answer are missing. |
Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points). |
Zero points: Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper. |
5 out 20 points: Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 6th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper. |
10 out 20 points: References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated. Frequent errors in APA 6th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors of the formation in the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources. |
15 out 20 points: Credible Scholarly sources are used effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition is used with only a few minor errors. There are minor errors in reference and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources. |
20 points: Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment. |
Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points) |
Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. |
5 points out of 20: The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors |
10 points out 20: The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors |
15 points out of 20: The paper is mostly clear as a result of appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. |
20 points: The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error free. |
Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points) |
Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. |
3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for and APA 6th edition paper. Formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever. |
5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the student’s limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 6th edition paper. They can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform to size requirements. The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper |
7 points out of 10: Research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment. |
10 points: Student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 6th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12’ Times Roman Font. Additionally, the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper. |
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