RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-CAMDEN-SPRING, 2012-KEN BANNER
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS
TERM PAPER GUIDELINES
All Papers:
1. Paper must be 5-7 pages in length (double spaced, 1 inch margins, 10 or 12 point type). No triple or quadruple
spacing between paragraphs. No starting your paper half way down the first page. No double spacing your
name/course info at the top of the page. Papers of less than 5 complete pages will not be accepted. That’s ALL
the way down to the bottom of the 5th page. Remember this is the minimum. If you’re hoping to achieve a good
grade you’ll probably want to have your paper in the 6-7 page range. (If you cannot do 5 pages something is
wrong either with your topic or your research. Come and talk to me and I can help you get on the right track.)
2. A brief paragraph describing your topic is due on Feb. 28. This does not have to be detailed and the paragraph will
not be graded. However students failing to turn in the topic/paragraph will have their paper grade automatically
reduced by one full letter grade. You must submit the topic by email to
banner@camden.rutgers.edu. Subject heading must say: "RLW TOPIC: Your Name"). Topic should be
emailed in plain text only. No attachments accepted.
3. You are required to turn in your paper BOTH by email AND in printed form. The printed copy will serve to
demonstrate that you met the minimum length requirements. It will also make certain that you turned the paper
in on time and it didn't get "lost" in cyberspace! :-) In most cases the instructor will actually grade the email
version--making comments in a copy of the paper and emailing it back to you. To do the email part write your
paper in plain text format (give credit to your sources using parentheses or endnotes rather than footnotes).
Then cut and paste the entire paper into an email message. NOTE: Do NOT "attach" your paper as a
separate file. Attachments will not be accepted, I will not open them and your paper will NOT be
considered "turned in" and it will NOT be graded if you send it as an attachment.
You must email the paper to:
banner@camden.rutgers.edu (The subject heading must say: RLW PAPER: Your Name)
NOTE: EMAILED PAPERS WHICH DO NOT HAVE THIS EXACT SUBJECT LINE FOR THE MESSAGE WILL
BE IGNORED.
Graded comments will be made in a copy of your paper and bracketed [[[like this]]]]. As soon as I’m finished
grading it I will email the paper back to you.
4. Please note: The Paper is due on April 19th at the beginning of class.
5. All students must read and sign the statement on plagiarism included with this paper guide and attach it to the
back of the printed copy of the paper before submitting it. If the plagiarism statement is not attached your
paper will NOT be accepted.
Option One: Analysis of an Internet Discussion Group for a Particular Religion
1. Find two online groups which dicuss two of the religions covered in the course. These can bulletin board style
discussions or even Facebook groups if they are setup to discuss a specific religion. Choose groups that are fairly active
so you have material to analyze. Monitor the groups for several weeks checking in occasionally to see what’s being
discussed over time.
2. Although the instructor will have no way to verify this, you are strongly encouraged to choose discussion groups which
are different from your own religion. This will probably provide a much stronger learning experience and you’ll get the
chance to do “phenomenology” learning first hand by observing what people within the religions have to say.
3. If it’s appropriate and the participants don’t mind, you may want to ask questions or otherwise participate in the
discussion rather than just observing. If you do so, be courteous and sensitive to their religious beliefs. Don’t ask basic
questions that you should already know from class. Let them see in your participation that you’ve taken the time to
understand the basics of their religion even though you are an “outsider”.
4. In your paper, analyze, what you observe in the discussion group. What issues are most important to the people in
this religion? How do the discussions illustrate what you’ve learned about the religion in class and in your textbook?
What do you learn about the religion from the discussion group that you didn’t know from class or the textbook? How
does the online experience help you to better understand the worldview of people within this religion? The key here is
analysis. DON’T just summarize what they talked about. Compare and Contrast the discussions in the two groups.
Option Two: Traditional Research Paper
Although I’m trying to give you an alternative I know that some of you will still prefer to do things the hard way! So here
are the requirements if you go with Option Two:
1. In your research you should consult a minimum of 5 sources (not including course textbooks). All sources must be
listed on a separate bibliography page and attached to the back of your paper. Although required, the bibliography page
does NOT count as one of your five minimum pages. You can use whatever style you would like for your bibliography but
you need to include author, title, date and publishing company). Also, your paper must include footnotes, endnotes or
parentheses (your choice) which give the author, title, page number, etc. for any information you are using from a source.
The emailed version of the paper will need to use endnotes or parentheses so you can cut and paste the paper into your
email message as described above. . If you choose Option Two you are required to do research IN THE LIBRARY for this
paper. Consquently, no internet sources are allowed except the electronic databases of scholarly journals available
through the library's web site or the specific web links suggested by the author of your textbook in the bibliography at the
end of each chapter. Student's using internet sources other than these for their papers will receive an automatic "F" for the
assignment with no opportunity to rewrite the paper.
2. The paper can basically be on any topic which allows you to analyze and compare some specific aspect of at least
two but no more than three religious traditions. You cannot do your paper on just Christianity or just Buddhism, etc.
Also note that you have to compare the religions on a SPECIFIC TOPIC. You are NOT allowed to to just compare the
two religions in general. Papers which do not have a specific topic and, instead, just compare two religions in general will
automatically receive the grade of "F". Although not required, you are encouraged to actually interview someone who is
active within the religions as part of your research—normally this would be a member of the clergy or someone else who
is VERY knowledgeable. Grades will be primarily based upon quality of content, analysis, use of resources and how well
you show that you understand the religions you are studying. If you should choose to argue for a particular position or
disagree with an author or religious tradition you will be expected to show a genuine understanding of the other viewpoint
and a thorough consideration of the issues. If you do not feel you can appreciate the different sides of a discussion you
should choose another topic.
Sample Topics (Note-These are ideas designed to help you begin thinking about your topic. Most of them would need to be
narrowed down so that they become much more specific):
Interview: (Interview two or three leaders from different religious traditions about some aspect of her or his viewpoint, ideas and
experience, then analyze and discuss the response to your questions. This requires good preparation of questions before
the interview and consideration of how one approaches a religion as an “outsider” attempting to understand the point of
view of someone who is part of a religion). Note: You can count these interviews as equivalent to two of your five minimum
required resources. However you will still need to use a minimum of three more resources (books, journals, articles, etc. in
your paper.)
Focus on a particular ritual in two or three religions
Examples: Compare Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Judaism with Confirmation in Christianity or compare funeral rituals, purification
rituals, or sacrifice, etc. in two or three religions)
Initiation Rituals -(The means by which one becomes a member)
Rites of Passage-Rituals for moving from one stage of life into another.
New Religious Movements and their Acceptance/Rejection in Society (The “Cult” Controversy)
Focus on two new religious movements, compare them, analyze how they have been ‘received by their dominant cultures.
Ethical/Social Issues-(Choose one) and compare the approach in two or three religions
Focus on the religious issues ONLY. For example: If you choose “Abortion” you should deal only with the religious issuesfrom the point of view of two or three religions. You would not just turn in a paper on abortion.
The Status of Women (How the religion portrays women, religious roles, social roles, beliefs, etc.)
Example: The Question of the Ordination of Women in Judaism and Christianity
Myths/Sacred Stories-Compare and analyze similar myths in two or three religions.
Example: Shinto and Hindu myths of Creation
Compare Beliefs of Two or Three Religions concerning a Specific Issue:
The View of Life After Death
Reincarnation in Hinduism and African Religion
Concepts of God, Goddesses, Gods or the Ultimate Reality
Example: Concept of the Earth as Mother Goddess in Wicca and the Lakota Sioux
Dualism--Example: Compare Zoroastrian concepts of Good and Evil with the concept of the balance of Yin and Yang in
Taoism (Note: Yin and Yang are not simply “good” and “evil”)
The Idea of Sacred Space in two or three religions, i.e. temples, kraal, sacred hoop, etc.
Shamanism among the Yoruba and the Lakota Sioux
Comparison of Founding or Influential Figures (Examples: Jesus and Muhammad, Lao Tzu and Confucius, Moses and
Buddha, etc.)
Figures Common to More than One Religion Example: Abraham: As he is Understood in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Syncretism (The combination of beliefs and practices from two or more religions--Example: The Syncretism of Mayan Religion and
Christianity, Zulu and Christianity, Islam and Hinduism)
Apocalyptic Movements (groups which look forward to the “end of the world”)
Sacred Texts and How they Function in two or three religions.
Historical Relationships
Examples: Jewish/Muslim relationships in Islamic Spain
Hinduism and Islam in India
Religious Aspects of the Israeli/Palestinian/Arab Debate
“Reform Movements”-Such as Caitanya in Hinduism, Pure Land Buddhism, Protestant Reformation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The following description of plagiarism is taken from the Rutgers-New Brunswick "Policy on Academic Integrity
for Undergraduate and Graduate Students":
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic
exercise. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by
appropriate indentation and must be properly cited in the text or in a footnote. Acknowledgment
is required when material from another source stored in print, electronic or other medium is
paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one’s own words. To acknowledge a
paraphrase properly, one might state: "to paraphrase Plato's comment..." and conclude with a
footnote identifying the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted
statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased
material. Information which is common knowledge such as names of leaders of prominent
nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be footnoted; however, all facts or information
obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course
must be acknowledged.
In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, only materials that contribute to one’s
general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography. Plagiarism can,
in some cases, be a subtle issue. Any questions about what constitutes plagiarism should be
discussed with the faculty member.1
The only exception for our course Intro to World Religions is that the instructor will allow you to identify a
reference with parentheses or an endnote rather than a footnote. This is because it would be very difficult to do
footnotes in a paper that is to be emailed as plain text. However you still have to identify the exact place in your
paper where you use an idea or a quote and the source for that idea or quote.
Summary: Whenever you use an any idea or information that is from a source other than your own thoughts you
MUST indicate at that exact point in the paper that you are using a source and what source you are using. The
source can be indicated with parentheses or an endnote. Whenever you quote a source you must place the
quote in quotation marks (or, if the quote is more than five lines, an indented paragraph where the indentation is
on both the left and right sides of the paragraph as in the two quoted paragraphs above and the paragraph is
single spaced--not double spaced). Then you must immediately identify the source of the quotation at that point
in the paper with a parentheses or an endnote.
I have read and understand the above statement regarding plagiarism. I also understand that if I commit
plagiarism in this course the instructor WILL file a complaint with the administration regarding my actions.
Name: ___________________________________________________________________
Endnote:
1Rutgers University Center for Academic Teaching, "Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and
Graduate Students", http://teachx.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html#Plagiarism Accessed Jan 16, 2007.