1) Reflection Paper – Lesson 1
What SPECIFIC aspects of Native American religion do you find most interesting? Write a paper consisting of at least 250 words that reflects on the Native American understanding of religion and what you find most interesting in it. Give specific details from Native American traditions and use the best grammar and paragraph organization you can. NOTE: Do not pack an entire essay, even a short one, into a single paragraph. Use multiple paragraphs to structure and organize your thinking
2) Lesson 1 Alternative Journal Entry: The Dark Feminine
You have latitude on determining the length, but given that each entry is worth 45 points, your entry should be enriched Each entry should be at least 250 words. Anything less would not do justice.
Harvard-educated, world religions instructor Vera de Chalembert offers this fascinating power-point on her website, combining text and images of the “Dark Feminine,” discussing the transforming power of the Feminine aspect of God in many world traditions. Just scroll down to the picture and click on “Teachings from the Dark Feminine by Vera de Chalembert.” Incidentally, as a little girl she was a Jewish immigrant from the Ukraine, fleeing Antisemitism, then receiving her graduate degree in theology from Harvard.
3) Lesson 2 Discussion Assignment
NOTE: Discussion Board writing should be checked for grammar and spelling, and organized into multiple paragraphs,
just like your Reflection Papers. Use specific examples to support general ideas.
Choose only 1 of the following two discussion assignments:
Q1: Both Hinduism and Buddhism involve an element of Liberation. Discuss the differences between Hinduism and Buddhism in terms of 1) what it is that the individual is being liberated from, and 2) how that liberation is achieved. Use your best writing and be sure to respond to another students post. You should have a minimum of 200 words for your initial post and a minimum of 100 words for your response to another student.
Q2: A Breathing Practice for Stress Reduction and Clarity
Practice the following instructions for Buddhist mindfulness relaxation. This is NOT a religion or a form of worship, but a practical stress reduction technique used by many stress counselors and psychologists, but it is an example of how practices from another culture can be part of our own. Practice this at least twice for ten minutes before writing about it. Do not write about the instructions without practicing them! In your journal:
*Please describe effects both in body and mind.
* Please note the relationship between mind a breath.
* End by explaining how this practice could or could not be helpful as a regular stress-reduction practice.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Find a comfortable sitting position. Do not lie down, but you may sit relaxed in any position as long as your spine is upright.
2. Do not resist noises. if external noises come up. Let them be.
3. If thoughts come and go, do not try to control them or push them out. Do not attempt to ‘make the mind a blank.’ Just let them pass as they come, without clinging to them or resisting them.
4. Without strain, gently observe your breath. Let the mind keep returning the breath in the present moment every time it wanders off into the past or the future.
5. Follow the breath as it rises and falls. Breathing in, let your attention flow from your belly to a point between your eyebrows. Breathing out, let it flow back down to the belly. Let the breath become slower, gentler, finer.
6. Allow the muscles of the chest, the solar plexus, and the belly to relax with each exhalation.
7.If physical sensations arise, whether in the forehead, the chest, or anywhere, simply feel them. Welcome and absorb them into your breath. Do not resist sensations or try not to feel them.
8. Letting thoughts go, sink into silence. Feel the power of that inner silence.
Ending the Session: Don’t mind the time or watch the clock. When you feel that about 10 minutes have passed, deepen your breath, feel the whole body at rest, and bring your attention to your chest, your face, your eyes. Then slowly open the eyes.
4) Lesson 2 Journal Entry-Chapters 4 and 5
At the end of each lesson you will make an entry based on your observations of the religions studied within that lesson. You have latitude on determining the length, but given that each entry is worth 45 points, your entry should be enriched by specific details from text and traditions, and contain some substantial discussion. Each entry should be at least 250 words. Anything less would not do justice to the lesson.
You will answer the questions: *What special features of this religion do I find most critical, most exemplary, and most fascinating? Suggestion: you might cover each of these three questions in a paragraph: (1) critical, (2) exemplary, (3) fascinating. Each lesson entry is worth 45 points. Make sure that you label each journal entry with the lesson it corresponds too.
5) Reflection Paper – Lesson 3
Describe the similarities and differences between the way women are treated within Jainism and the way they are treated in Sikhism. Provide specific examples from each religion to support your claims. Consider the overall attitude toward women – is it due to the religion or to wider cultural practices? In other words, do Jains (or Sikhs) have the attitude toward women because of the religion or is the attitude part of the prevailing attitude toward women? Is it possible that one or both of these religions actually improve the status of women? Use your best writing and the paper must be a minimum of 250 words.
Please note: Do NOT use the same subject for your journal that you used in the Discussion Board or Reflection Paper. If you merely repeat this material, you will lose points.
6) Lesson 3 Journal Entry-Chapters 6 and 7
At the end of each lesson you will make an entry based on your observations of the religions studied within that lesson. You have latitude on determining the length, but given that each entry is worth 45 points, your entry should be enriched by specific details from text and traditions, and contain some substantial discussion. Each entry should be at least 250 words. Anything less would not do justice to the lesson.
You will answer the questions: *What special features of this religion do I find most critical, most exemplary, and most fascinating? Suggestion: you might cover each of these three questions in a paragraph: (1) critical, (2) exemplary, (3) fascinating. Each lesson entry is worth 45 points. Make sure that you label each journal entry with the lesson it corresponds too.
7) Lesson 4 Discussion Assignment
Discuss the difference in focus between Confucianism and Taoism. Here are some suggested approaches for your discussion: Does one focus more on social roles and the other on immortality? Explain, using specific details to support your general conclusion. Are these religions complementary or conflicting? Explain. Are there components of your own belief system that may agree with any of these themes? At least 200 words for discussion post and 100 words for response to another student.
8) Lesson 4 Journal Entry-Chapter 8
At the end of each lesson you will make an entry based on your observations of the religions studied within that lesson. You have latitude on determining the length, but given that each entry is worth 45 points, your entry should be enriched by specific details from text and traditions, and contain some substantial discussion. Each entry should be at least 250 words. Anything less would not do justice to the lesson.
You will answer the questions: *What special features of this religion do I find most critical, most exemplary, and most fascinating? Suggestion: you might cover each of these three questions in a paragraph: (1) critical, (2) exemplary, (3) fascinating. Each lesson entry is worth 45 points. Make sure that you label each journal entry with the lesson it corresponds too.
9) Reflection Paper – Lesson 5
Write a minimum of 250 words paper to compare and contrast Shinto and Zoroastrian concepts of good and evil. Note specifically any deities that may be associated with either concept. Be sure to show similarities and differences, using examples and details to support your general conclusions.
10) Lesson 5 Journal Entry-Chapters 9 and 10
At the end of each lesson you will make an entry based on your observations of the religions studied within that lesson. You have latitude on determining the length, but given that each entry is worth 45 points, your entry should be enriched by specific details from text and traditions, and contain some substantial discussion. Each entry should be at least 250 words. Anything less would not do justice to the lesson.
You will answer the questions: *What special features of this religion do I find most critical, most exemplary, and most fascinating? Suggestion: you might cover each of these three questions in a paragraph: (1) critical, (2) exemplary, (3) fascinating. Each lesson entry is worth 45 points. Make sure that you label each journal entry with the lesson it corresponds too.
