The Faith(s) of Abraham:
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
RL 299A-51 (D)

Final Project:
An Experiential-Learning Research Paper

NB: RL majors and minors, see instructor to negotiate another option

WHY?

    The purpose of a University education is to help students learn to read both literature and life in a critically engaging way.  It is not enough simply to read through a book, nor to sit in a lecture as the words wash over you, nor to passively endure the events of
daily life.  As Aristotle once said, "the unexamined life is not worth living."  The foremost benefit of a University education is not
factual knowledge ("what to think"), but rather the analytical ability which one gains from pursuing University studies ("how to
think").
    This final assignment is designed to help each student synthesize the various resources for learning in this course -- texts, discussions, lectures, field trips, the Library, the religious communities of Cleveland, etc. -- and to focus them on analyzing one current religious question or challenge for U.S. society.  To do this, students will have been engaged with a small group of their colleagues in field research with a particular Jewish, Christian, or Muslim group in the greater Cleveland area (the target group to be approved by the instructor).  The field research provides benefits to both the students and "object" group in that the students have real life experiences and interviews with the religious community under study, breaking down communication barriers and challenging stereotypes of that religious community.  Students learn first-hand about the religious group's life situation, needs and values, providing the possibility of collaboration toward common goals. In turn, students gain the impetus to re-think their own values, to analyze the social impact of their own religious community (both good and bad), and to evaluate their efficacy in promoting the common good.
    This paper, as the final product of the experiential-learning project, provides the rest of the class with the opportunity to learn about this current religious challenge, and to pool their intellectual and moral resources to decide what key strategy or strategies would serve best to respond to this challenge.
 

FOR WHOM?

The primary audience of this assignment is the class, instructor and, eventually, the wider Cleveland community.  Keep in mind
this wider audience when designing your paper and presentation, particularly when outlining your remedial strategy.
 

WHAT?

This paper has both descriptive (#1-2) and prescriptive (#3-4) elements:

1. Describe your project.  Be as concise as possible, while still conveying the essential elements of the research activity.
2. Describe the social reality of the "subject" population.  The object is to engage the audience in the concrete reality of the life/lives of the religious group you studied.  This requires thorough and vivid description of the group with whom you worked, joined with photographs, illustrations, charts, demonstrations, or whatever other audio-visual materials are pertinent.  It also requires enough documentation of current research to provide a perspective on where your local group fits with the wider religious community which it represents.
3. Outline the central religious, social and moral issues for contemporary U.S. society which are raised by the daily realities of this religious group as described in #2.
4. Present a persuasive case for one concrete strategy to remedy the problem(s) which precipitate the aforementioned social and moral issues.  (NB: In making your case, it is wise to convey your knowledge of the strategies which have been tried in the past, and how well or poorly they worked.)
   
   

HOW?

Once you have gathered all these data, organize your paper according to the basic three-part formula:  Introduction, Body, Conclusion.

• the Introduction includes your thesis (i.e., what are the issues at stake and the concrete strategy you will propose to address these issues), followed by a basic outline of how you will argue your case.
• the Body is where you lay out your argument, step-by-step, showing your audience why your thesis must be correct; this is where you will work in your responses to #1-3 above, using this information to support your thesis.
• the Conclusion contains your summary of how you have shown your thesis to be the best interpretation of the data at hand, and the best response to these religious, social and/or moral issues.
  
  

FORMAT

When referring to outside sources, use footnotes; parenthetical notes (short_title, page_no.) are acceptable for references to course texts.  If you consult internet resources, be sure to cite the web page address, including the date and time you accessed it.  When referring to specific entries you accessed, cite the full address the first time; for successive entries, you need only include the sub-address (e.g., .../vjt/bread).
 

LENGTH

This project should be submitted both in hard copy and digital format.  The hard copy will comprise fifteen typewritten pages,
double-spaced, using a 10-12 point font and 1" margins all around.  The digital copy should include single-spaced text, and may be in WordPerfect, MS Word, ASCII or HTML format; this digital copy may be submitted via e-mail (or on disk, if e-mail is not available).  Pertinent audio clips, photographs and/or illustrations are welcome -- indeed, strongly encouraged -- but they should not take the place of the text.
 

EVALUATION

An "A" paper will follow a linear development, from the introduction through the body to the conclusion.  It will engage the
audience in the concrete reality of the life/lives of the religious group being studied.  This will be accomplished through thorough and vivid description joined with photographs, illustrations, charts, demonstrations, or whatever other audio-visual materials are pertinent to the topic.  The excellent paper will document current research findings on the subject population (at least six sources, at least half of which are in print media). It will highlight the central religious, social and/or moral issues for contemporary U.S. society which are raised by the daily realities of this religious community.  Finally, it will present a persuasive case for one concrete strategy for how the class members might address one of these contemporary religious, social and/or moral issues.