For this assignment you will use information from an award-winning multimedia CD, On Common Ground, which provides an overview of the cultural and religious landscape of the United States. Developed at Harvard University as part of the Pluralism Project on multiculturalism, the CD provides an interactive, computer based multimedia application that will allow you to study religious and cultural groups. It contains multimedia summaries of the fundamental beliefs and practices of over 300 religious communities, voices of people expressing their cultural and religious experiences, a comprehensive directory of the religious and cultural centers, and profiles of cultural and religious leaders. There is also an online component of the application, www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm. Diana Eck, principal investigator in the Pluralism Project and major contributor to On Common Ground, received a National Humanities Medal for this work at the White House in fall 1998.

1. The program you will work with is installed on a single computer: the ACER desktop computer in the Instructional Materials Center on the second floor in the LSC library. The room is normally locked. You should sign out the key at the Reference Desk in the library on the third floor. (The key can be checked out between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during weekdays and between 12 noon and 5 p.m. on weekends. For other hours, check with the library.)
2. The CD ROM (which you need also) is on reserve for SOC302 in the library. After you check it out (with your library ID), take it directly to the Instructional Materials Center and put it in the ACER's CD drive after the computer is turned on. Either the program will start on its own, or you will need to click on the icon that says "On Common Ground." Double-click the icon and the application will start. (Alternatively, click on the Start button on the lower left corner, put the arrow over "Programs," from there over "On Common Ground," and double-click the icon named "On Common Ground.") Also, turn on the speakers next to the computer, but keep it fairly quiet. If the program doesn't run, it might be because the display is not set to 256 Color. In that case, double-click the "My Computer" icon on the desktop, double-click the Control Panel, double-click Display, and click on the "Settings" tab. There, set the Color Palette to 256 Color. [The CD ROM can't be taken out of the library. Please don't leave it lying around in the library, and return it immediately after you are done. It was an expensive acquisition for the Social Science Dept.]
3. Look at the following parts of the multimedia application by clicking on them [clicking on the "Home" button will always get you back to the first screen]:

3.1 (Introduction)

	"We the People . . .": an introductory essay. Read it (sorry, you can't print out the essay from the ACER).
	Voices of America: an introductory movie offering Jewish, Native American, Christian, and Muslim interpretations of America

3.2 A New Religious Landscape

	"New Neighbors": an introductory essay, printed out in this guide
	A Visible Difference: an introductory movie surveying the increasing visibility of new forms of religious architecture in America and pointing out the new presence of many religious traditions

3.3 America's Many Religions

	"Rivers of Faith": an introductory essay, printed out in this guide
	The Search for Meaning: an introductory movie with Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Jewish people speaking about what religion means in their lives

3.4 Encountering Religious Diversity

	"The Public Square": an introductory essay, printed out in this guide
	Building Bridges: An introductory movie with Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Jews speaking about the range of relationships they have begun to develop with one another as neighbors

4. Next, look at these parts in Encountering Religious Diversity:

4.1 Historical Perspectives

Go to Historical Perspectives, choose two of the short essays, and read them.

4.2.Today's Challenges

Go to Today's Challenges. Choose and read two of these essays as well.

5. Finally, you are ready to complete the writing part of this project. Answer the following questions [at least 5 pages total]:

A. Summarize the information you read about or listened to when doing this assignment (parts 3.1-3.4 and 4.1-4.2). What are the core elements of information that are provided in all those parts? (Tell me exactly what parts under 4 you chose.)

B. In your view, what are the most important issues you have learned about America's religious landscape by doing this assignment?