R 201:EASTERN RELIGIONS
Winter 1999
RESEARCH PROJECT
(PAPER
OPTION I) FOR PROFESSOR DALE CANNON
THE ASSIGNMENT
MAJOR OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT
BACKGROUND PREPARATION FOR YOU
EXAMPLE PAPERS
TOPIC CHOICE
SOURCES
EXTRA CREDIT IN CONNECTION WITH RESEARCH PROJECT
TEAMMATE CRITICAL REVIEW OF PAPER DRAFT
FORM OF FINAL PAPER
POSSIBILITY OF RE-WRITE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR COURSE CONTENT DURING WORK
ON PROJECT
DOCUMENTATION
CHECKLIST TO KEEP IN MIND IN COMPOSING YOUR PAPER
EXAMPLE TOPICS
EXAMPLE TOPICS IN JUDAISM
EXAMPLE TOPICS IN CHRISTIANITY
EXAMPLE TOPICS IN ISLAM
GRADING CRITERIA FOR RESEARCH PROJECT PAPERS
THE ASSIGNMENT
The research project is to be an empathetically objective, carefully researched
interpretation in written form of some feature, teaching, person, or practice of one of
the religious traditions we are studying. Which tradition you choose, broadly
speaking, will be in large measure determined by the due date for which you register. Thus, a research project due at the time of the first exam (Feb 1) must be
on some expression of Hinduism or Jainism (broadly conceived). A project due at the time
of the second exam (Feb 22) must be on some expression of Buddhism or Sikhism (broadly
conceived). And a project due at the end of the course (Mar 15 at Noon) must be on some
expression of one of the religions of China or Japan (broadly conceived). In any
case, it must follow the following guidelines.
It is suggested that you discuss every stage of your research project with your
teammate(s) for the course, using your teammate(s) as a source of constructive critical
feedback of your work. Remember that you are to have a teammate do a constructive
critical review of the next to final draft of your paper before writing a final draft, so
plan accordingly. The Peer Review Guide
for the Research Paper may be helpful to have clearly in mind in writing the paper.
MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT
- The main objective of this project is to have you empathetically get inside the
religious phenomenon you are describing and bring it to life within brackets (i.e.,
within a perspective of neutrality) as a representation of a living religion. It should
not just be an account of its objective fratures and an explanation of its outwardly
"different" aspects in a neutral way but it should represent your best efforts to
bring out and make plain what it means and feels like to be a participant, making
accessible for your reader the religious experience of insiders.
- That is to say, while a description of the objective features of
your chosen phenomenon (your topic) is important and not to be left out, the central focus
should be upon its lived meaning, its meaning in practice for participants. Think of your
task as one of building a bridge for your reader's imagination to enter into the
phenomenon, understand it, and get a feeling for what it is like 'on the inside' -- and to
do so neutrally ("in brackets"), in a manner set off from having to react to it.
- The paper is not to be a comparative essay. Use comparison,
if at all, only as a foil for conveying aspects of the subject chosen that cannot be
easily conveyed otherwise.
- Whatever topic you choose, therefore, your task is to bring out
what it is like for a participant to be involved with the phenomenon you choose to
research. (For topic choice, see guidelines below.) In other words, first learn what
it feels like to be involved, and then identify and describe what that is, bringing out
the meaning found in living participation. It may help to put your paper or a significant
part of it in the form of a story. (One model for this is found in the book, Had You
Been Born in Another Faith, by Marcus Bach, on reserve. Another model is Leonard
Biallas' World Religions: A Story Approach, also on reserve.) To the extent that
you find evidence of significantly differing viewpoints among insiders regarding the
subject of your research, take those differences into account.
- Although you will need to do research outside of lectures
and our textbook, what we will be covering in class is vital to your accurate
comprehension of the topic you choose within its religious and historical context.
Your research must take account of what we are covering in class in so far as it is
relevant.
BACKGROUND PREPARATION FOR YOU
- In preparation for your paper, re-read with care my "Essays
on Religious Studies II: Empathetic Objectivity in the Descriptive Representation of
Religious Phenomena." There I set out guidelines you may follow to insure that your
paper will be empathetic (the "Test of Empathy") and objective (the "Test
of Neutrality"). Often students, in their desire to be empathetic, lose track of the
necessary neutrality and objectivity -- their description fails to be
"bracketed." Other students, in their concern to be objective, never reach a
sense of empathy for lived meaning (or convey it in their papers). It is especially
important that you follow these guidelines in order to maintain the necessary balance
between the two poles of empathy and objectivity. When in doubt as to what they imply for
your paper, check with me.
- The Peer Review
Guide for the Research Paper may be helpful to have clearly in mind in writing the
paper.
EXAMPLE PAPERS
- Several example R201 papers illustrating the research project are available for your
review on the R201 library reserve entitled "Special Course Readings," and
listed as "R201 Example Student Papers."
TOPIC CHOICE
- With this research project you are not free to write on just any
topic you like, or do the research for it in any way you like, or write it in any way you
like. The purpose of the directives and guidelines which follow is to have you learn
through practice the discipline of empathetic objectivity in the interpretation of
religious phenomena. Nevertheless, within these guidelines, you have a very wide range of
choices.
- The topic you select is to be from one of the traditions being
covered during the section of the course during which it is being researched and
written. Generally, the more specific the topic (e.g., within a specific
sub-tradition, in a specific locale, at or in a specific time), the better.
- The topic you choose must focus on a religious expression very
different from the religious expressions with which you are personally familiar or
with which you personally identify. It should rather be something you know very
little about and represent a challenge to your ability to empathize with it. One
purpose of the project is to stretch and develop your capacity to empathize with the
strange and unfamiliar.
- Your choice of Paper Option I and topic of your paper plus three
anticipated scholarly sources must be submitted in writing to me (for review, approval
and/or redirection, and bibliographic suggestions) not later than two weeks before it is
due (Jan 15 for the first set of papers, Feb 8 for the second set, and Mar 1 for the third
set). It would be preferable if, on the paper on which you submit your topic, you would
identify what you are able to determine to be the best sources we have in the library for
that topic. You will receive feedback from me on your choice at the next class
session. Do not ignore the biblographic suggestions I give you at this time.
- Teammates may choose the same phenomenon to write about, but if
they do they must consider it from different, complementary angles. In other words,
they should not simply write about the same topic (nor jointly write the same
paper). Some topics lend themselves to this more than others.
- Preferably, the topic should pertain to one (or some combination)
of the six ways of being religious discussed in class. (Explicit reference to the idea of
ways of being religious is not required, but you must explain any such references you
make.)
- A good place to start is to become familiar with the lists of
example topics listed below. Another is to take a close look at my book, Six Ways of
Being Religious, on reserve -- especially pp. 51-68 (which discusses each way in
general), ch. 4, "The Ways of Being Religious Exemplified," and the anthology of
readings in chs. 9-14.
SOURCES
- Research for the project is expected in all but extraordinary
cases to include a minimum of 3 major scholarly sources on the subject in addition
to course texts, and to draw upon class lectures and assigned readings when relevant.
- Building first upon the basic understanding of the tradition
supplied in the R201 lectures and required course readings, these major scholarly sources
are to serve as the foundation for your understanding of the topic you have chosen. All
other sources are to be critically weighed in light of what these sources have to say.
- For most of you in the class, the scholarly sources you will use
will be books available in the R201 Reserve Holdings and the library reference collection.
You are expected to consult these first. Click here to
review an annotated bibliography of these holdings. Depending on your topic,
sometimes books not on reserve may be helpful. Books in other major academic libraries
within the state are generally acceptable.
- Some topics will be more difficult to find good sources for than
others, and some sources will be easier to read and understand than others. If you run
into major difficulties, check with me. Don't switch topics without checking first with
me.
- Internet sources will not count as major scholarly sources,
although they may be very helpful in writing the paper.
- Books and pamphlets produced by religious organizations (i.e.,
"official publications"), while sometimes informative, are usually not
empathetically objective. At the very least, they will usually not pass the Test of
Neutrality. Such sources may not be counted among your major scholarly sources.
(Occasionally, good scholarly sources are available from representatives of a tradition,
but this is highly unusual.)
- When in doubt get advice from me, for not all sources are reliable
for the needs of this project.
- A major relevant article or combination of articles in the Encyclopedia
of Religion could be such a source. This is one of the very best of scholarly sources
in our library. While dated in much of its information (so beware), the Hastings
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics is often a helpful source as well. (Take
note of the MLA
format for citing articles in encyclopedias by author of the article and article
title. For a briefer version of MLA format, see below, under Documentation.)
Articles in conventional encyclopedias, such as the World Book Encyclopedia or
Grollier's Encyclopedia, are not acceptable as academic sources.
- Many of the videotapes in the
media lab for the course are excellent sources of information and helps for
empathetically entering into the frame of reference of participants. They will not,
however, count as major scholarly sources.
- You are encouraged to do your best to include some first-hand
research (e.g., observation, interviews, field investigation, etc. -- see me for
suggestions and contacts), and to incorporate the perspectives and experiences of actual
members of the tradition you are studying. Helpful advice on conducting first-hand
research may be found in Miller and Seltzer's, Writing and Research in Religious
Studies (on library reserve, but do not follow their guidance for documentation).
Appropriately documented, empathetically objective, first-hand research will count toward extra credit in
the course.
EXTRA CREDIT IN CONNECTION WITH THE RESEARCH PROJECT
- Extra credit may be earned by incorporating some first-hand research (see immediately
above) in addition to library research.
- Extra credit may be earned by having a thoughtful, knowledgeable representative (of the
tradition which your Research Project is about) read a draft of your paper and give you
constructive critical feedback by means of which you will be enabled to make necessary
corrections to pass the Test of Empathy. This must be documented by way of a special
acknowledgment at the end of your paper of the person's assistance, giving name, status
the person has in the tradition in question, nature of the assistance given, how agreeable
(or not) the person was with the draft she or he read, and what changes you made in it as
a result.
TEAMMATE CRITICAL REVIEW OF PAPER DRAFT
- Once you have a readable draft of your paper -- preferably, one that is nearing its
final state -- have at least one of your teammates give it a thorough constructive
critical review in light of the guidelines given here, making use of the Peer Review Guide
for the Research Paper. Then revise your paper in response. The completed
Peer Review Guide must be attached to the final draft that you hand in.
- Acknowledgment of the assistance you have received from your teammate(s) must be given
in a note after the concluding paragraph of your paper.
FORM OF FINAL PAPER
- The final paper is to be between 5 and 10 typed, double-space pages.
POSSIBILITY OF RE-WRITE
- See me individually if you wish to receive feedback during its
development. In any case, re-writes for an
improvement of the paper and an improvement of the grade are encouraged (though simply
making minor spelling and grammatical corrections will likely not improve your grade
significantly. Papers due March 15, to be eligible for a re-write, must be
turned in by Mon. March 8.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR COURSE CONTENT DURING WORK ON PROJECT
- Please note that not taking one of the examinations for credit
does not relieve you of responsibility for mastering the course content for that section
of the course (e.g., completing the assigned reading). Your paper (whichever option
you choose) is expected to reflect mastery of that content so far as the content is at all
relevant to your paper. In any case mastery of that content will put you in a more secure
position to evaluate your sources critically. Your not having to take the exam is for the
purpose of freeing you to focus more effectively on your paper.
DOCUMENTATION
- "Documentation is the process by which credit is given to the
appropriate source for every borrowed idea used in a paper. Such ideas may be in the form
of direct quotation, summary or paraphrase. Regardless of form, proper credit must be
given in a specific conventional style that allows the reader to trace your sources. For
literature courses [and religious studies courses taught by me] that style is MLA, which
uses parenthetical documentation where references are placed in parentheses within the
text itself. This eliminates the need for foot notes or end notes. The parenthetical note
refers the reader to a works cited entry which includes complete publication information
for the source." (From the WOU English Department's "Style Directions")
- More specifically, for most parenthetical notes, the reference
will be of the form: (author's last name followed by page number) -- e.g. "(Cannon
42)" -- with no comma or "p." between. (Ordinarily this citation must be
placed before the period of the sentence being documented, but outside of any
quotation.) Then in your Works Cited or Bibliography, your reader will easily be
able to identify the source. Where more than one source is by the same author, the
parenthetical note will have a comma after the name, followed by an easily identified
abbreviation of the particular source, which will then be followed by the page number --
e.g., "(Cannon, Six Ways 42)". (For a full explanation of MLA documentation,
consult chapters 4 and 5 of Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers,
4th ed., on reserve for R201. For short but fuller description of MLA documentation
than that found here, click here.)
- Special note: MLA parenthetical citations from an
encyclopedia, such as the Encyclopedia of Religion, or any other collection of
essays should be to the author of the article or essay (not to the editor of the
collection). An author's name is usually given at the end of an encyclopedia article
(sometimes as initials which must then be looked up elsewhere for the full name). In your
"Bibliography" or "List of Works Consulted," each article or essay
referenced should be listed separately by the author's name and the title of the article
or essay. Encyclopedia of Religion references should look like this: e.g.,
"Cragg, Kenneth. "Muslim Worship." Encyclopedia of Religion. 1987
ed." And the reference in the text of your paper should look like this: (Cragg xx),
where xx is the page number of the reference. If there is more than one source reference
by Cragg, then it should look like this: (Cragg, "Worship" xx), or some other
abbreviated version of the article title.
CHECKLIST TO KEEP IN MIND IN COMPOSING YOUR PAPER
- Have your first paragraph clearly introduce your reader to your topic as a whole and
have a final paragraph close your essay in a summarizing way.
- Make clear the larger context in which the subject of your paper
is situated -- e.g., the subtradition in which it stands, its cultural and/or national
context, its historical era, the larger pattern of religious life of which it is a part.
- Think of your paper as building a "bridge of empathetic communication" between
someone outside the tradition you are studying (e.g., a friend who is not taking the
class) and insider participants within that tradition. Make sure
that you bring out the meaning and significance of the matters you are covering for
insider-participants. Sometimes a story or narrative structure to your paper will help.
(For some examples, see Bach, Had You Been Born in Another Faith, and Biallas, World
Religions: A Story Approach, on library reserve.)
- Imagine a knowledgeable insider from the tradition in question
being one of your readers. Strive to write in such a way that your paper will not
only merit his recognition (e.g., that you have interpreted the topic accurately from an
insider's perspective) but also his or her pleasure that you will have done it well.
- Avoid all exaggeration and sweeping generalizations; when you make
any claim that might be somewhat controversial, be sure to give it convincing support.
- Avoid overmuch quotation; a paper simply filled with quotes will
be regarded as the work of someone else and not by you.
- Make sure each empathetic description is properly
"bracketed" -- i.e., presented in a neutral way. In other words, avoid
presenting any religious conviction as if it were simply factual (and thus acceptable by
outsiders) and avoid having your presentation be in any way biased by your own religious
convictions.
- Your paper should not presuppose any special knowledge or acquaintance with specialized
terms on the part of your reader. Beyond general common knowledge, it should more or less
stand on its own. So, explain each special term and reference (e.g.,
"the way of right action," "halacha," or
"magisterium") that might not be clear to your reader.
- Put each reference (both in the text of your paper and in your
bibliography or works cited) in proper MLA form, including encyclopedia articles.
For a review of MLA format, click here.
- Review the grading criteria
listed below.
EXAMPLE TOPICS
- In what follows, I list a great range of possible topics. They are
meant to be suggestive, not to limit your options. Each 'paragraph' represents a cluster
of possible topics; it does not represent a topic unto itself. The language remains very
general. In several cases, a single phrase represents a possible topic, sometimes a
cluster of possible topics.
- The topic you end up actually selecting should in most cases be
more specific, or should at least focus on more specific examples than those here listed.
Also, it should be 'located' within a specific tradition within the larger religion. (Be
wary of claims by members of a specific tradition that they speak for all of Hinduism or
for "the only true Buddhism.")
- Thus, when I list "pilgrimage to shrines and holy
places," you should consider focusing on pilgrimage to a specific place in a specific
time -- e.g., contemporary Vaishnava pilgrimage to Benares. Or, when I list "Buddhist
meditation," you should consider focusing on a specific tradition of Buddhist
practice -- e.g., vipassana meditation in Theravada, or more narrowly upon vipassana
meditation in contemporary Burma. Beware of tackling too much, e.g., a whole tradition
such as Confucianism or even Pure Land Buddhism. On the other hand, don't pick a topic
that is so narrow and minute that it has little or no significance with respect to the
tradition in which it stands.
GRADING CRITERIA FOR RESEARCH PROJECT PAPERS
In my judgment, writing well and caring to write well is not a skill separable from
thinking well and caring to think well. To get a grade of "C," you should have
your writing meet the following criteria with a reasonable degree of success:
1. Does it address what the assignment and questions ask and expect? Is it to the
point? (If you are at all in doubt what is expected asked, make sure that you check out
your understanding of these matters with me.) Specifically, does it follow the
guidelines given on this web page?
2. Does it meet the minimum requirements for written work in the course? Is it
coherent? Is it a result of your own thinking? (Clear evidence of plagiarism is sufficient
grounds for an "F.") Is it double-spaced? Is it free of minor and distracting
spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors? Is it neat and legible? Does it give full
references to all sources relied upon in MLA format (including encyclopedia references
listed by author and title of encyclopedia article)? Does it stand on its own, enabling a
reader to understand it without presupposing special knowledge of course texts or the
meaning of technical terms?
3. Is it reasonably accurate, complete, and fair in its representation of the views and
experiences and practices of others being discussed?
A grade of "B" will require meeting these two additional criteria with
areasonable degree of success:
4. Does it give an accurate and clear, reasonably thorough account of the objective
features of the topic under consideration? Does it make clear the historical and cultural
context of the phenomenon being explained? Have appropriate qualifications been made and
taken into account, avoiding sweeping generalizations that are unsupported and perhaps
unsupportable? Have the best available sources on the topic been drawn upon? Are relevant
matters from class sessions and assigned readings taken into account?
5. Has it developed and expressed an empathetically objective comprehension of the
topic under consideration? Does it (or could it) pass the tests of empathy and neutrality?
Has it reasonably overcome the effect of your own biases and crossed over to the insider's
perspective and begun to experience the 'threshold effect'? Has it built a bridge of
empathetic communication so as to allow the reader access to the perspective and
understanding of insiders?
A grade of "A" will ordinarily require in addition meeting this criterion:
6. Does it bring the phenomenon to life, such that the meaning found in living
participation is brought out and made clear to the reader's imagination? Does it bring out
what motivates and inspires the participation of insiders? Does it help the reader begin
to cross the threshold of empathetic understanding? Does it approach the topic freshly,
thoughtfully, and originally? Are concrete examples used to sharpen and clarify any
abstract points that might otherwise be unclear or ambiguous?
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