COMPREHENSIVE EXAM – RELIGION AND HEALTH
TAKE HOME FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS
This is a one-day take home exam, due on Wednesday, April 20th by 1pm. You will pick up
your exam on Tuesday, April 19th; please do so between the hours of 11am and 1pm. Return
your exam to Evelyn on the 20th at her office in Burdine by 1pm (if she is out of the office, have
the 5th floor office stamp the time of receipt and place it in her mailbox).
The exam requires you to write answers to four questions. One is required, and the other three
are selections from a list of paired questions; you must answer one of each pair.
This is an open-book exam. By “open book,” we refer to your being allowed to use notes, texts
and readings from classes you have taken and summary materials and books you have using to
prepare for the exam. Although nothing prohibits you from consulting additional “new” material
during the exam period, you are strongly advised against using the limited take-home time to
conduct significant additional research. Regardless of the source you use, be sure to always give
proper credit and citation to any book or articles that inform your answer, especially if you are
using direct quotes.
There is no page limit but the quality and clarity of your writing will be a factor in evaluating the
merits of your answer, together with demonstration of critical/original thinking and accurate
representation of the material you have reviewed. You may allocate the time across the questions
in any way you see fit. A completed exam consists of four answers that have been typed, using
1” margins, 12-point font (either single or double-spaced is fine), and printed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU ARE ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE FOR TURNING YOUR
EXAM IN ON TIME. PLEASE VIGILENTLY ENSURE THE BACK UP AND PROPER
COMPUTER STORAGE OF ALL OF YOUR WORK. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO
EXCEPTIONS/EXTENTIONS GRANTED FOR COMPUTER CRASHES, PRINTER
PROBLEMS, OR OTHER MISHAPS. IT IS ADVISABLE THAT YOU ROUTINELY BACK
UP AND PRINT MATERIAL. IF YOU FAIL TO TURN IN YOUR EXAM BY 1PM ON
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH FOR ANY REASON, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO TAKE
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS IN SUBSEQUENT SEMESTER. PLEASE LEAVE
SUFFICIENT TIME FOR PRINTING, FOR TRAVEL TO THE UNIVERSITY, OR TO
COMPENSATE FOR ANY OTHER UNEXPECTED FACTOR.
UNIVERSITY HONOR CODE: "The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are
learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each
member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust,
fairness, and respect toward peers and community." Consistent with this code, you must work on
this exam without consultation with others and any form of plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Please answer the following required question:
1. A well-known article by Jeff Levin is entitled “Religion and Health: Is there an association, is
it Valid, and is it Causal?” highlights key questions and evidence within the religion and health
literature. Please address these three basic questions, noting in detail empirical evidence
concerning each of the three questions. Draw on a wide cross-section of research that has
addressed such questions either directly or indirectly.
Please answer one of the following two questions:
2. Summarize the evidence surrounding the relationship between religious involvement and
physical health in the United States. What is the role of religion in physical health? What are the
key pieces of evidence? How robust is this association across major population subgroups? What
are the main limitations of this body of work? What are the most important directions for future
research?
3. In recent years, researchers have become increasingly interested in religious influences on
children’s academic outcomes. Identify and discuss the major strands of this research, noting
major studies and key findings. In particular, what do we know about: (a) the role of parental
religiosity in shaping children’s religiosity; and (b) the role of parental religion in shaping
children’s academic outcomes? In your view, what are the main gaps in this body of literature?
Please answer one of the following two questions:
4. Several decades ago, scholars often employed Coleman’s theory of social capital to explain
the role of religious congregations in promoting social capital among its members. Much
research also addressed the role that ethnic/ immigrant congregations played in facilitating the
assimilation process of its members to the mainstream society. Discuss the empirical evidence
about research on religion, education, and migration.
5. Among social and behavioral scientists, there is a growing interest in the role of religion and
the lives of adolescents. What is the role of religion in adolescent life? What is the link between
religious involvement and health risk-taking behavior? What is the evidence? What are the
theoretical frameworks and empirical construction use in the literature? What are the main
limitations of this body of work? What are the most important directions for future research?
Please answer one of the following two questions:
6. Although much of the religion-health research reports salutary relationships, investigators are
increasingly aware of possible pathological effects, sometimes termed the “shadow side” of
religion. Identify three (3) of the ways in which specific aspects of religion or spirituality may
have negative health implications, and discuss the theoretical basis and empirical evidence for
each.
7. Are Muslim migration patterns different from Christians and, if so, does it have anything to do
with Islam? What are the education, economic, and health implications of contemporary
immigration patterns of Muslims and Christians?