This must be an argumentative essay with a minimum 800 words and a maximum of 1200 words. This essay is worth 60/100 (9% of final grade).
The essay is based on the second half of the course.
We will use William A. Young’s The World’s Religions: Worldviews and Contemporary Issues. Young explored the role of ethics in four general categories: humans and resources; society and violence; life and death; roles and identity. Carefully review the readings and select one of the eight questions listed below. Essay requirements are listed below the questions. Read them carefully.
Essay Topics:
- Compare and contrast indigenous ecological teachings with the ecological themes of three religions: one that originated in South Asia, one that originated in East Asia, and one that originated in the Middle East. What ultimately creates the differences in their responses?
- Compare the Muslim understanding of zakat with the common American understanding of “charity” as giving what is left over after having paid one’s other expenses. What significance do you see in the differences?
- Compare and contrast the teachings on whether and when war is justified in two of the following religions: Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What is the significance in what you discover?
- Make a religious case for (or against) capital punishment, drawing on at least three of the world’s religions. What ultimately becomes the most compelling aspect of the argument?
- Discuss the similarities and differences among the teachings on abortion from at least three families of religions. What ultimately leads them to their responses?
- Do religions help clarify or confuse serious reflection on the morality of euthanasia? How so or how not?
- If the ultimate nature of God, the Ineffable, Brahman, or the Higher Power is without qualities such as gender, why does gender matter so much in religious practice and power? Should we even think of God or gods in terms of gender?
- Do religions help clarify or confuse serious reflection on the morality of homosexuality? Give examples and other evidence to support your views.
Essay Requirements:
1. It is very important that you understand that all essays must be argumentative, not merely descriptive, essays. Your essay must have a clear, coherent and properly written thesis statement.
2. This essay assignment is meant to test your personal understanding of the material and your ability to engage with it as an academic; therefore, please do not seek help with it from your TA or fellow students.
3. Full MLA formatting and documentation is required. This includes but is not limited to MLA first page formatting, properly formatted page numbers, in-text citations for all borrowed ideas and concepts, along with properly formatted quotations and a Works Cited page. Applying MLA requires a significant amount of time to research and fully implement, so it is recommended that you do not leave it to the end. The following link is one useful resource, but there are others as well. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html
4. Essay length, and you must use one-inch borders and a 12-point font, is 4 pages minimum (800 words) and 6 pages maximum (1200 words).
5. If you use outside material, use credible academic resources. Insider views are still useful if applied with scholarly precision. Use of additional sources must augment your analysis of Young’s chapter, not replace it.
6. The higher grades (Bs and As) are reserved for students who can analyze and argue based on the information and data found in the readings.
7. If your paper is detailed and repeats faithfully what is in the text but has no specific thesis, the best you could expect would be a high C.
MLA format for the course text (double spaced, second line is a hanging indent): Young, William A. The World’s Religions: Worldviews and Contemporary Issues, 4th ed. Pearson, 2013.
