RELG 402 - World's Living Religions
Essays
Essays should preferably be prepared as .doc or .docx files, and be submitted to the relevant Inboxes on the Canvas site for the course
Essays should be from 1,000 to 3,000 words in length, consisting of material relevant to the topic. They should not consist of material cut-and-pasted from encyclopedias, on-line crib sites, or other material not of your own writing.
This is an Upper-level course, for which there is a requirement that the student demonstrates the ability to exercise critical thinking. When reading the material, or listening to a presentation, ask yourself
- What is the author saying?
- What is the author NOT saying?
- What is the probable agenda of the author?
- How reliable is the material?
- Does the author make a good case for his/her position?
Go here for links to online helps for Critical Thinking and other resources for writing Papers and Essays.
Go here for some student essays from previous semesters
Work which indicates a Breach of Academic Integrity will result in a grade of "F".
If you need help in writing Essays, please contact the Writing Workshop, which is free for all students at ENMU.
Some spiritual aids are common to several religions, though the details may vary. For the Essays below, you may use Meditation once (and once only), Prayer once (and once only,) and Fasting once (and once only). I encourage you to find spiritual aids which are less common, or are used mainly in just one religion.
Due Dates are given on the Assignments Page.
At the time of preparing this course, the situation with regard to public worship services is unsettled. In previous semesters, some of the options for Reflection Papers included a visit to a Faith Community associated with a Religion or Denomination. I am going to include those options, in the hope that we will be able to visit one another's places of worship. However, it may be safer for you to plan on staying away from community gatherings, and practising a spiritual aid at home.
| Essay No. | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | An essay in which you tell me what you would like to get out of this course. |
| 2 | Choose one of the spiritual aids used in Judaism, use it for at least three days, and write a reflection paper upon your experience (see Notes on Reflection Papers) OR Write an account of your visit to a Synagogue. This should be a recent visit, within the past year (see Visiting other Faith Communities) |
| 3 | Choose one of the spiritual aids used in Christianity, use it for at least three days, and write a reflection paper upon your experience (see Notes on Reflection Papers) OR Write an account of your visit to a Church which is of a different tradition to ones with which you are familiar. This should be a recent visit, within the past year (see Visiting other Faith Communities) |
| 4 | Choose one of the spiritual aids used in Islam, use it for at least three days, and write a reflection paper upon your experience. (see Notes on Reflection Papers) OR Write an account of your visit to a Mosque. Unless you are a Moslem, you should not join in the worship, but meet the worshippers and talk to them. This should be a recent visit, within the past year (see Visiting other Faith Communities) |
| 5 | Choose one of the spiritual aids used in Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, or a Native American religion, use it for at least three days, and write a reflection paper on your experience. (see Notes on Reflection Papers) OR Write an account of your visit to a Hindu, Sikh, Jain, or Buddhist temple, or a Shinto shrine if there is one in your area. You are not required to join in the worship, but to meet the worshippers and talk to them. (see Visiting other Faith Communities) OR Write an account of your visit to a Native American religious ceremony if you have been able to attend one. OR Write an essay on "A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Monk" |
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
