- 12 Mar, 2021
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Any Religion mentined
Select 2 (and only 2) specific sacred spaces (places) outside of the United States to explore.
□ Do not explore a whole city, this is too broad.
□ Your selections should represent at least 2 different religions from the first half of this course: Hinduism,
Jainism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, or a specific Indigenous Religion.
□ Each sacred space is discussed in terms of religious purpose, meaning, features, and usage.
□ Research sources are academic, scholarly, or primary sources (scriptures or doctrines of the religion).
□ Include an MLA formatted bibliography of at least 3 sources.
□ The structure is that of a standard college essay.
□ Submission is at least 600 words, but no more than 1200 words (bibliographies are not a part of the word count).
□ Contains appropriate sentence and paragraph formats, proper grammar, and correct spelling and punctuation.
□ Demonstrates original writing skills.
□ Quotes are limited to primary source materials only and are no more than 10% of the paper content.
□ Submission is provided in the Writing Assignment 1 dropbox by the due date posted in the Time Schedule.
Parameters: Here are the complete parameters of this research assignment:
LOCATIONS – You will select to visit two (2) different religious sacred spaces (landmarks, structures, terrain,
etc.) that are not found in the United States. Do not visit more than two (2) as the tendency is to deal with them
superficially. Instead, demonstrate depth of discussion by focusing on only two. Along these lines, do not
explore a whole city as one of your spaces as that is too broad. For example, do not cover Jerusalem as a single
sacred space. Instead, you should focus your attention on one specific sacred structure or landmark within
Jerusalem. You can start your search for locations using the textbook and some simple online searches (such
as https://sacredsites.com/).
RELIGIONS – Each of the two (2) sacred spaces you identify must represent two (2) different religions covered
in the first half of the course: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, or a specific
Indigenous Religion. For example, one of your spaces is used by Hindus and the other by Buddhists.
CONTENT – You should describe each sacred space in terms of religious purpose, meaning, features, and usage.
This conversation should focus on how the sacred space is an example of the religious tradition that utilizes it.
For example, what does one see, feel, hear, smell, and maybe even taste at this sacred space? What do these
things mean to the people of the religion? Why and how do the adherents of the religion use it? Are there
specific activities, props, and/or dietary aspects associated with this space? Are there certain times when this
space is utilized? To what extent do the people participate in events at this space? You do not need to address
all of these questions; rather, the idea here is that you have demonstrated extensive cross-cultural knowledge
through a description of the space, its use, and its meaning for the adherents of a particular religious tradition.
Deductions of up to 30 points will be made for errors related to Location, Religions, and Content.STRUCTURE – This paper should be done in a traditional essay format: Introduction paragraph, two to three
content paragraphs, a conclusion paragraph, and then a bibliography of sources consulted.
RESEARCH – You are expected to do academic research for this assignment. This is not an opinion paper, it is
a research paper. To that end, consult and cite multiple sources (at least 3) to illustrate depth of research.
These academic or scholarly sources should be peer-reviewed journal articles or books (library resources),
primary sources (sacred literature and official religious documents), or authorized publications of recognized
religious organizations. The research sources consulted are to be provided in a Bibliography conforming to
the MLA (Modern Language Association) format. For more information about the MLA format
visit: spcollege.libguides.com/content.php?pid=98920&sid=742314. For useful research information, see:
spcollege.libguides.com/world_religions. There will be deductions of up to 10 points for errors in this category.
WORD COUNT – Your submission is required to be a minimum of 600 words, but no more than 1200 words
(Bibliographies do not count as a part of the word count). Submissions larger than 1200 words or fewer than 600
words will receive no points. A college paper needs to demonstrate the skill of being thorough, yet concise.
ACADEMIC WRITING – Your submission is expected to conform to academic writing standards (i.e.,
demonstrate the use of proper sentence and paragraph formats, proper grammar, and correct spelling and
punctuation). Up to 20 points will be deducted for these errors based upon their frequency and severity.
ORIGINAL WRITING – Your paper is to demonstrate original writing (see this conversation in the Syllabus). In
short, do not use the words of another as this can be considered plagiarism and may result in a failing grade
and possible honor code disciplinary action: https://www.spcollege.edu/current-students/studentaffairs/student-right-to-know.