Monday, March 31, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Second Essay Topics
1) Describe
the origins of the split between the Sunni and Shi’i branches of Islam. What caused this split? What are some of the modern differences
between the two groups?
2) Compare
and Contrast the way that two different religious groups use art or dance in
their approach to the divine (e.g. some traditions embrace pictorial
representations of the divine while others forbid such representations). These groups do not need to be from different
broad religious traditions. How do the
groups explain their stance on the arts, especially if they both draw upon the
same textual traditions (e.g. both Judaism and Christianity use many of the
same sacred texts)?
3) Compare
and contrast the original nature of humanity (also called “original sin”) in
two of the Abrahamic Traditions. How
does that understanding influence, or is influenced by, the theology of the
religions? Provide examples for the last
part.
4) Interview
someone, from a religious tradition other than your own, concerning a
particular ritual (e.g. birth, puberty, marriage, death). Briefly describe the ritual and discuss what
the ritual meant to him/her.
Conduct research on that ritual, and describe the way in which the
ritual did or did not convey the same meaning (as described by the person you
interviewed).
Thursday, February 20, 2014
This seemed appropriate
The Dalai Lama spent the day with hundreds of conservatives in Washington, D.C.:
http://news.yahoo.com/dalai-lama-happiness-american-enterprise-institute-230853925.html
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit grades will replace the
lowest quiz grade that is not dropped. If two extra credit assignments are
completed they will replace the lowest two quiz grades. If your quizes are all
above a 7 the extra credit will add 4 points to the final exam grade (for a
possible total of 8 points)
Read one of the following books or watch
one of the following movies and then write up a two to three page response
paper to that book or movie.
BOOKS:
Sidartha by Herman Hesse
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Chosen by Chiam Potock
Monkey by Wu Ch’eng-en (Trans. Arthur
Waley)
Q by Luther Blissett (highly
recommended)
MOVIES:
Gandhi
Black Robe
The Little Buddha
Malcolm X
Seven Years in Tibet
Kundun
The Cup
The Message
Monday, February 17, 2014
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