Step 1: Formulate an appropriate inquiry question. “Appropriate” means it is related to the phenomenological study of religion, and it is a question we haven’t already answered in this class. For example, “Can morality exist without religion” is already answered in chapter 8 (YES!). A new related question could be, “What does morality without God look like?” Another already answered question: “What is the Just War Theory?” Richter answers this in chapter 9. However, you can go deeper on the topic by making your question more specific. For example, “What is the history of the Just War Theory?” or “Did the Catholic church use the Just War Theory to motivate people to join the Crusades against Jews and Christians in the 12th century?”
Step 1a. Explain why you have selected this question. For example, was there something you learned in a course that made you wonder about this topic? Did you have a personal experience that prompted your inquiry?
Step 2: Develop a research strategy that is logically consistent with your inquiry question. Congratulations–you have unlimited funding to pursue your project! Write a step-by-step plan for your research and explain why each step is chosen. It’s always a good idea to start a new research project with a visit to the library databases to learn what has already been published on your topic in peer-reviewed sources. After that, your question may require extensive library research, an archeological expedition to the Holy Land, a survey of Tibetan Buddhists, interviews with American atheists, or any combination of different types of research.
Step 3: Use the library databases to find 2 peer-reviewed sources on your inquiry question. A peer-reviewed source is either a book, a book chapter, a journal article, or a scholarly report. You can filter the database search to only show peer-reviewed sources. The librarians are a great resource and you can talk to them via the chat function on the website.
Step 4: Create a polished research plan.
Option A: Create a written plan. Use this template Download Use this template. Save the template with a new file name. Fill in each section and delete the instructions. Grammar and spell check! Polished means close to perfect. The Academic Hub provides free writing assistance online.
Option B: Create a multimedia presentation. There are many ways to present your plan such as PPT with audio, a video, Prezi, and TiKTok (just kidding). I encourage you to run your presentation plan by me in advance.
Step 5: Evaluate your Plan against the RUBRIC (which will be linked here soon). Have you covered everything required? Are your 2 sources correctly cited? Is it polished and perfect?
Step 6: Submit the Plan on Canvas. Last submissions will be marked down but still earn partial credit. This assignment is graded out of 25 points.
Religious Experiences
Pick one religious practice that leads to a religious experience (e.g., meditation, yoga, mind-altering substances, fasting, prayer, scripture reading) from a religious tradition. Post an image, audio clip, or video clip of the practice. Describe the practice, its religious context, and the experience it ideally leads to.
– 250 words
– use your own words ( easy words)
If you need a similar but plagiarism-free “study on religion”, then feel free to contact us!