REGULAR EXTRA CREDIT PAPER, due November 8 (no late papers) [worth up to 4 points added to final grade]: The Bonus Paper is due November 8 (no late papers): There are three assignments given and students may write on only one of the three. One question requires research and analysis of an historical figure of importance to the study of religion. One question requires research and analysis of religion in contemporary culture. One question requires analysis of a religion in the context of globalization. The deadline is firm. No late papers will be accepted. Maximum length of paper: 3 pages (excluding endnote page and bibliography page). This is to be a formal academic paper and it MUST follow all rules given in “Instructor’s Guide for Papers.” Follow rules of introduction, body, and conclusion. If you have any questions about this assignment, please contact your GTA or the instructor as soon as possible. Extra Credit Paper, Option 1: Present and analyze Karl Marx’s understanding of religion. The paper should include a short sketch (no more than 25% of the paper) of Marx’s work as a whole (including note of his major works). The second, longer section, should offer the presentation and analysis of Marx’s understanding of religion. There are numerous sources on this topic. A good place to begin your research is The Encyclopedia of Religion. A Religious Studies textbook with a good chapter on Marx is Daniel Pals’ Eight Theories of Religion. Extra Credit Paper, Option 2: Read the “Coda” in Religion & Culture in the West: A Primer, and write a paper presenting both sides of the argument on the relationship of the contemporary resurgence of religion to the secularization thesis. Tell what is meant by “religious resurgence” and give examples (including one not found in the text). Without favoring either side, explain how “religious resurgence” can be seen as a challenge to the secularization thesis and also how it can be accounted for in the context of the thesis itself. Be sure to include a good definition of the secularization thesis in the context of your presentation. Finally, from a neutral perspective, explain which of the two positions gives the best account of the status of religion and secularization in contemporary culture using your own example of “resurgence,” given earlier in the paper. Extra Credit , Option 3: Using our concept of globalization and the features of globalization presented in class, develop an analysis of the global context of a traditional religion we have studied in contrast to a more recent religion. You may select any of the traditional religions we have studied, and for more recent religions you must use one of the following: Seventh Day Adventists, Theosophy, Pentecostalism, and Christian Science. Present and analyze similarities and differences in the global context of each religion (using concepts and features presented in class), and on the basis of your globalization analysis offer a well-supported assessment of which of the religions will be most successful in the future Note: Be a good student of religion. These are not an opinion papers. Your faith-claim and/or political views should not enter into your study. These papers are not about whether you accept or reject the positions you are studying. The best papers will reveal complete neutrality. Papers should offer a clear, dispassionate response to the assignment. Observe “Dialogue Decalogue,” norms of Religious Studies, and norms of formal writing. You must cite your sources appropriately. For all extra credit papers, no points awarded for papers earning less than a C-.
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