Unit 5: Potential Paper Topics for Core Assessment Writing Assignments

NOTE: The Unit 1 writing assignment utilizing Ninian Smart’s Seven Dimensions of Religion to organize your thinking and begin the exploration of world religions for this term, is required of all students. Three additional papers are required in the term. Students may choose which units they wish to submit papers (limited to one per unit, except for unit 1) and which topic from that unit they wish to engage.

Below you will find writing topics that coincide with the current Unit in which you are working.

Unit 5 Paper Topics Download Unit 5 Paper Topics

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrian ethics have a fairly simple expression: Good thoughts. Good words. Good deeds. Look into the Zoroastrian understanding and experience of this: what is its foundation, how is it passed on through the generations, what does it mean in practice? In particular, note the religious foundation of their teachings.

Zoroastrianism was once a major religion, and in recent times has experienced a dangerous decline in numbers due to persecution and the teachings of the religion, which discourages converts and requires marriage within the religion, among other things. Look into the current state of Zoroastrianism and explore its potential future. Is it different for Zoroastrians living in India or Iraq than it is for believers living in the United States? What are the challenges?

What is the role of fire in Zoroastrian belief? Where do their ideas about fire, in particular, and about all the natural elements, in general, come from? How do these beliefs about the elements influence their practice and make life in the 21^st century particularly challenging?

Judaism

AJ Jacobs wrote The year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. He describes it in this way on his website:

“The Year of Living Biblically is about my quest to live the ultimate biblical life. To follow every single rule in the Bible as literally as possible. I obey the famous ones:

The Ten Commandments
Love thy neighbor
Be fruitful and multiply

But also, the hundreds of oft-ignored ones.

Do not wear clothes of mixed fibers.
Do not shave your beard
Stone adulterers

Why? Well, I grew up in a very secular home (I’m officially Jewish but I’m Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant). I’d always assumed religion would just wither away and we’d live in a neo-Enlightenment world. I was, of course, spectacularly wrong. So was I missing something essential to being a human? Or was half the world deluded?

I decided to dive in headfirst. To try to experience the Bible myself and find out what’s good in it, and what’s maybe not so relevant to the 21st century.

The resulting year was fascinating, entertaining and informative. It was equal parts irreverent and reverent. It was filled with surprising insights almost every day. (I know it’s not biblical to boast, so apologies for that).” And so on.

Read some of what he has written about his experience and discuss the challenge of living ‘literally’ in a time and culture foreign to much of what was written so long ago. How do Orthodox Jews and Reform Jews address this problem and understand their faith in light of this kind of challenge?

Christians and Muslims look to an afterlife which will include a judgment and a paradise. Jewish people have a different understanding of afterlife, and prioritize living well today and creating a good life here and now.

What is it that Jews believe about living life now and what happens after we die? How did such ideas develop, given that the other religions of the Middle East seem to have developed a different understanding focused on what happens next?

What does it mean to be a “chosen people”? This is at the heart of much of the regard that Jews have for Israel, both the land and the country. Consider what it means to be “chosen,” and research the understanding of that in different areas of Judaism. How is Israel the “chosen” land?

You might also consider: How can this concept generate hostility? In what way could you explain this concept so as to clarify the matter for those who might feel offended? Does the hostile response reflect cultural understanding or personal understanding? (It might also interest you to remember that the earliest immigrants to American shores saw themselves as a “chosen people,” and this language has recently entered some of the American political discourse.)

Assignment stipulations:

Core Assessment Writing Assignment

During the course of the term, each student will write four brief papers. These will cover topics chosen from possibilities given each unit, addressing the material covered in that unit.

Papers will be roughly 1000-1200 words, and must be submitted by Sunday 11:59 PM Central Time of the unit in which they are assigned to be considered for credit. The only exception to this is papers addressing a topic of unit 8: possible topics will be revealed in Unit 7, and will be due no later than Thursday of Unit 8.

One paper will be submitted in Unit 1 (required of all students). Remaining papers may be submitted in the Units of your choice, as long as only one is submitted per unit. So, you will submit the required paper in the first unit, and after that may choose, for example, to submit in units 3, 5 and 6. All papers will be submitted by the end of the Unit, with the exception of papers exploring a topic of Unit 7 or Unit 8. Those topics will be given in Unit 7, and are to be submitted no later than Thursday of the eighth unit.

Writing quality is an assessment area. Use your best, most professional communication in these papers, as this is a reflection of your skill and professionalism.

These papers are explorations of information and experience. They are not intended for casual opinion, nor are they opportunity for religious testimony. The papers are expected to have a research component, even when the primary assignment is experiential.

Students are expected to explore outside of the textbook and outside of the class in investigating their topic. At least two reliable research sources must be used, with all material properly quoted and cited as to source. “Reliable” sources include scholarly works, journal articles, newspaper articles, presented papers, documented interviews, and such. “Wiki-“ anything is not considered a reliable source. General references such as dictionaries, scripture texts, ask.com, general facts websites, and so on, may be used in addition to solid research sources, but they are not, themselves, counted among the required solid sources.

Be careful to punctuate correctly when quoting, and to cite all material and ideas used. If you are unfamiliar with the particulars of plagiarism, please consult the Park University resources on this, or google it until you have a clear understanding. Discovered plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, may result in a failing grade for the paper. Discovered plagiarism in more than one paper may result in a failing grade for the class, with a report made to the university. If you are unclear about plagiarism after exploring the definitions and examples, please feel free to ask your instructor. This is a matter of academic integrity as well as the legal use of someone else’s property. We are eager to help you understand this point!

Unit 1 has a writing assignment required of all students. Information on this is included in Unit 1. It is also possible, for those who wish to do their writing work early in the term or who are particularly interested in indigenous religions, to write a second paper in this unit. Possible topics for these are also included in the Unit 1 material. Topics in other units will be revealed in the unit for that unit.

You are encouraged to pace yourself in choosing areas of interest and paper topics so that the papers are not all left until the last units of class! Once we have closed a unit, we will move on and those paper topics will ‘expire.’ So if you see one you like, get to work on it!

Questions? Please ask your instructor.