Religion
and Ethnicity| Assignment |
Answer two questions, one from Group A and
one from Group B; please read the questions carefully. Group A (1) What is religious studies? Write an essay that explores this question through a critical evaluation of the written work of one of your colleagues in this course. Choose someone you consider to be a thoughtful and perceptive student of religion, someone whose writings are exemplary of the religious studies approach. Evaluate your colleague's response essays, weekly evaluations, oral presentations, and research project, quoting brief excerpts to support your argument. Offer some assessment of the development of her/his thought over the semester. (2) The year is 2020. Two recently deceased scholars, Michael Molloy and Jonathan Z. Smith, are being considered for induction into the Religious Studies Hall of Fame. A comprehensive search of government records has turned up the fact that you studied the work of both authors in an honors seminar while enrolled at Colorado State University. As a successful, internationally respected professional in your field, you have been asked by the chair of the selection committee to serve as a non-specialist consultant to the committee. Write a memo outlining your thoughts on Molloy's Experiencing the World's Religions and Smith's HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion as representative texts in the study of religion. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each scholar's methodology for presenting the world's religious traditions to a general audience. Offer a tentative recommendation on whether either scholar deserves to be inducted into the hall, and suggest what other factors--beyond your limited experience and expertise--you think the committee should consider. Group B (3) What is religion? Write an essay offering a tentative definition based on what you have learned in this course. Illustrate your argument with specific, detailed examples drawn from at least five of the religious traditions we have covered. Evaluate the similarities and differences between your definition and the various proposals in the Molloy and Smith texts. Discuss the relevance of your--or any--definition of religion in an era of multiculturalism and globalization. (4) The year is 2020. The United States of America was recently privatized and replaced by a new transnational conglomerate, USA Inc., which has just completed a hostile takeover of the United Nations and the World Court through a series of leveraged buyouts of all member countries. As one of the few intellectuals who survived--literally--the corporate restructuring of global society, you have been appointed Director of Religious Affairs in the Division of Personnel Management. The Vice President for Compliance has assigned you the task of inventing a religion suitable for the company's ethnically diverse workforce, now more than six billion strong. Write a proposal outlining your ideas, drawing specific points from at least five of the religious traditions covered in the aptly named "Religion and Ethnicity" course you recall from your college days. Discuss the internal coherence of your new religion and its potential for widespread acceptance across a multitude of ethnic communities. Append a secret memorandum to other intellectuals, not for submission to the VP, explaining how your proposal satisfies the company's desire for docile, productive employees while also surreptitiously bearing the seeds of revolution; to put it another way, how your religion will help people survive under a totalitarian regime while also eventually empowering them to reclaim their earthly freedom. Each essay should be at least 600 words of polished prose; no parenthetical or bibliographic citations are necessary. "Sign" each essay by appending your name and the word count to the end of each essay; for example: Wanda
Goodgrade
687 words Use a word processor to draft your essays, with double-spaced paragraphs. Be sure to save a copy for your own records. |
| Submission |
Bring your
printed exam to class on
Wednesday, May 4. |
| Criteria |
A satisfactory final examination meets
the following criteria: Substantive
essay(s) demonstrating your understanding
of the course material.
Polished prose not burdened by distracting errors: each word spelled and used correctly; each sentence built on proper punctuation and grammar; each paragraph addressing a coherent and unified point; the entire essay offering an organized exposition of your subject. Each essay at least 600 words of text, with a signature consisting of your name and the word count. Each essay is worth 75 points; the final examination is worth 150 points. |
| Gradebook |
Prof.
Treat will record your gradebook entry manually. The deadline for this assignment is Wednesday 4:00 p.m. |
© 2005 by James Treat