I’m trying to learn for my English class and I’m stuck. Can you help?
1
Pick a religion with American
roots
The great American experiment with religion is off to a start. We find in American history a precedent
of
experimentation, hope, and
“utopianism.”
Benjamin Zablocki
—
professor of sociology at Rutgers
(possibly retired)
—
specialized in the sociology
of
religion. He categorized
communities
rather
extensively, as we will see. Bear in mind that there can
be
and often is an overlap of these categories in
terms of a communit
y’s scope, goals, manifest,
ideologies,
etc. His categ
ories of communities include
the following
descriptors
:
a
lternative
p
sy
chological
cooperative
r
ehabilitational
c
ounter
–
cultural**
r
eligious
egalitarian
s
piritual
p
olitical
e
xperimental*
*I would argue that to an extent all of these community
–
formation enterprises are
“experimental
.
”
However, Z
ablocki’s
category
of “experimental” may apply to
miscellaneous
ideologies being put to
the
test in a community structure that do not easily lend th
emselves to
classification. **Please note
that
Hippies and the great counter
–
cultural experiments of the
1967 Summer of Love in San Francisco will
be
a later focus in our
course.
For the purposes of the Pick
–
a
–
Religion assignment, we will restrict ourselve
s to religious
movements
with American roots from earlier American “religious” history. In the mélange of
religions
folder,
students will find a number of media links to suggested traditions to research
such as the
Amish,
S
hakers, Mennonites, Mormons, the
Onedia community
etc.
And of all
resources! The National Park Services offer
“
Utopias in America.
”
https://www.nps.gov/articles/utopias
–
in
–
america.htm
Form
criteria:
Title page
(abstract is helpful)
Introduction; body of paper; conclusion; reference list:
minimum
4
–
5 pages typed double
space
Use conventional
(
“
normal
”
)
margins (1
”
top/bottom/right/left);
the default
Calibri
font is fine, though I prefer
Times
New Roman; keep typeface to 11 or 12 point
—
not
larger!
Footers/Headers depending on chosen format. Don
’
t forget to paginate!
Use subtitles, or subheadings to guide readers (
To locate a sample paper
on
our BB
course
menu select:
Important Resourc
es
.
Scroll down to
The Write Place.
)
Content criteria: Guiding
questions
We have seen in our readings and study, for instance, how the Puritans dissented and left the
(Anglican)
Church of England; we can trace on our
Mindomo map
how dissension resulted in
sectarian
divisions,
new, “nontraditional” movements, and in some cases,
became part of the
fledgling American
approach
to religious diversity: the denomination. Besides bearing in mind
defining concepts such as
dissension,
separatism, sect, movement, denomination, etc.,
consider key founders or organizers, and the
ideas
upon w
hich their community or religious
movement is largely based. Answer these guiding questions
in
the body of your
paper.
2
1.
Identify
the essential root causes for the development
of this religious kernel
—
this
seed of
an
idea
—
that either caused a sectarian division from a larger group, or birthed
from
grass
–
roots
level a new religious movement. What were
the issues that motivated
its founder(s)
to start
this
particular
model?
2.
What aspects of this sect, group, commun
ity, or denomination do you find most
appealing
and/or unusual? Be clear and
concise.
3.
Identify
some two or three particular problems
that might arise from practicing this
faith or
sect.
In your analysis, consider briefly if the problems were recognized,
ad
dressed, and resolved, or,
if
these problems brought about more dissension,
splinter, or failure of the
movement.
4.
Have any of its members fallen into trouble with the authorities, or experienced
harassment
or
persecution? Describe briefly but be sure to incorporate 1
–
2 specific
examples. If the
answer
was no, then consider how outsiders might have critiqued
the group, sect, community,
or
religious
movement.
5.
Given the historical era and circumstances, would you
have joined this group? Why or
why
not?
Conclusion:
As you wrap up your short paper, loop back to your introduction with a brief restatement of
what
you
had intended to accomplish. (Of course this gives you the opportunity to review and
ensure that you
did
indeed give to the reader what you had
proposed.)
Engagement with the material
—
Students must demonstrate thorough
research,
analytical skills, depth of treatment, and competency in topic treatment.
Justify,
interact with, and explain the interrelatedness and relevancy of any and all
direct
quotes used, and ensure proper citation of references. (0
–
25
points)
This also applies to any media viewed as part of your research on your choice of
a
religious movement
with American roots, or your analysis of a religious
community
“experiment.”
0
–
25
points
Clarity and creativity
—
A critical thinker is also a clear and creative thinker. Strive
to
formulate and articulate original ideas. The viewpoints you present in your
own
writing must be clearly conceived and well articulated or argued. A professor
of
religion noted this is particularly true in the humanities
—
“Interpretation of
religious
phenomena requires that you come to some meaningful relationship with your
object
of
study.”
0
–
15
points
Mechanics, organization
—
Your writing style should be straightforward, easy
to
read, and should be clearly related to the issues you wish to address. Topic
sentences
at the beginning of each paragraph are helpful in establishing premises or
major
ideas. Package your ideas with an eye to easy
–
to
–
follow organization and
conciseness.
Be mindful of grammar, spelling, and paragraph
divisions.
