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Course Project Overview and Guidelines The overarching goal of this course is for students to develop awareness and skills to sustain and advance the communities in which they live. To that end, over the six weeks of the course, you will analyze a world religion in the context of addressing the question of why it is important to study world religions. Through a series of project assignments, you will prepare to develop a Final Project in which you will argue for why it is essential to develop an awareness and understanding of the world’s religions. General Education Learning Outcomes The assignments in this course integrate the following General Education Learning Outcomes. Discovery: Students will locate and identify appropriate sources of information using multiple sources and methods, including bibliographic, textual, experiential, and experimental research Evaluation: Students will critically assess texts and arguments in multiple forms and contexts using quantitative and qualitative logic, the scientific method, ethics, and pragmatics. Expression: Students will effectively and ethically communicate information and opinions verbally and nonverbally using written, oral, behavioral, and visual methods adapted for diverse audiences and purposes. Perspective: Students will be able to articulate the consistency and flexibility of knowledge as it is experienced across time, space, and culture. Change: Students will articulate how their ability to discover, evaluate, and express ideas from different perspectives is instrumental in their progress toward achieving personal goals and effecting positive social change. © 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 5 The following assignments comprise the Final Project: Final Project Week 2 Milestone For your final project, due in Week 5, you will pick one of the three pillars of analysis and complete a research paper on how that pillar can help us understand a religious tradition of your choosing in the context of our globalized culture. Your research paper will be the culmination of smaller projects you will work on in each week of the course. As you work through these small milestones, you will be asked to consider and respond to questions such as: What elements of your chosen tradition or pillar of analysis are most important? How has this pillar changed over time? How does this pillar relate to some of the key themes we’ll look at throughout the course? To help you prepare for your Final Project, throughout the course you will be asked to complete sections of the Final Project Worksheet. You will return to the worksheet during various Discussions and other activities as you progress through the course. By the end of Week 4, you will have a complete worksheet, which will be a solid foundation for the development of your final research paper that is due in Week 5. In Week 2, you will complete the following: 1. Retrieve the Final Project Worksheet from this week’s Resources. 2. Select the religious tradition on which you will focus. Identify the religious tradition in the worksheet. 3. In the worksheet, write a paragraph explaining why you chose this religious tradition. 4. Submit your worksheet by Day 5 of Week 2 with the Week 2 sections completed. (You will receive your worksheet back from your Instructor so you can complete subsequent sections in the weeks ahead.) Final Project Week 3 Milestone For your Final Project, due in Week 5, you will pick one of the three pillars of analysis and complete a research paper on how that pillar can help us understand a religious tradition of your choosing in the context of our globalized culture. Your research paper will be the culmination of smaller projects you will work on in each week of the course. As you work through these small milestones, you will be asked to consider and respond to questions such as: What elements of your chosen tradition or pillar of analysis are most important? How has this pillar changed over time? How does this pillar relate to some of the key themes we’ll look at throughout the course? © 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 3 of 5 To help you prepare for your Final Project, throughout the course you will be asked to complete sections of the Final Project Worksheet. You will return to the worksheet during various Discussions and other activities as you progress through the course. By the end of Week 4, you will have a complete worksheet, which will be a solid foundation for the development of your final research paper that is due in Week 5. In Week 3, you will complete the following: 1. Retrieve the Final Project Worksheet from your Instructor. 2. Select the pillar of analysis on which you will focus. Identify the pillar of analysis in the worksheet. 3. In the worksheet, write a paragraph explaining why you chose this pillar of analysis. 4. Submit your worksheet by Day 5 of Week 3 with the Week 3 sections completed. (You will receive your worksheet back from your Instructor so you can complete subsequent sections in the weeks ahead.) Final Project Week 4 Milestone For your Final Project, due in Week 5, you will pick one of the three pillars of analysis and complete a research paper on how that pillar can help us understand a religious tradition of your choosing in the context of our globalized culture. Your research paper will be the culmination of smaller projects you will work on in each week of the course. In Week 4, you will explore a single social issue that participants in your chosen religious tradition have grappled with. To help you prepare for your Final Project, throughout the course you will be asked to complete sections of the Final Project Worksheet. You will return to the worksheet during various Discussions and other activities as you progress through the course. By the end of Week 4, you will have a complete worksheet, which will be a solid foundation for the development of your final research paper that is due in Week 5. In Week 4, you will complete the following: 1. Retrieve the Final Project Worksheet from your Instructor. 2. Select the social issue on which you will focus. Identify the social issue in the worksheet. 3. In the worksheet, write a paragraph explaining why you chose this social issue. © 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 4 of 5 4. Submit your worksheet by Day 5 of Week 4 with the Week 4 sections completed. (You will receive your worksheet back from your Instructor so you can use it as a reference document as you complete the Final Project due in Week 5.) Final Project — A Comparison of World Religions The Final Project that was first presented to you in Week 1 is due by Day 7 of Week 5. Please be sure that your project meets the specified criteria before submitting it. For your Final Project, you will write a persuasive essay in which you will discuss why the study of world religion matters in our world today. In Week 2, you chose the religious tradition to explore in detail. In Week 3, you selected the pillar of analysis from which to base your point of view. In Week 4, you thought about how your religious tradition approaches a specific social concern. Now, step back and examine the role the pillar of analysis you selected plays in a global world, from the perspective of your chosen religious tradition. From this perspective, explore, answer, and defend your response to the following questions: Why do people participate in religion? What were their motivations thousands of years ago? What are their motivations today? What’s the point of studying religion? What important lessons can we take from the study of religion? Given what you’ve covered in your weekly milestones, what role does your selected religious tradition play in contemporary society? Can your selected religious tradition, or any religious tradition, be a positive cultural presence? In Week 5, you will complete the following: 1. Retrieve the Final Project Worksheet from your Instructor. 2. Review your completed Final Project Worksheet. 3. Consider your answers to the questions outlined above. 4. Draft a persuasive essay of 5–7 pages in length responding to and defending your answers to the questions outlined above. 5. Be sure your essay is formatted according to the specifications shown below and contains appropriate citations using APA format. 6. Submit your final essay by Day 7 of Week 5. Support your assertions by making at least two references, in proper APA format, to relevant academic sources. , Inc. Page 5 of 5 available. Refer to the “Ask a Librarian” resource located in the weekly resources area for assistance. If you have questions about this Assignment, post them in the Contact the Instructor area. That way, everyone in the class will see, and benefit from, the Instructor’s response. You can also use the information in this area to e-mail your Instructor if something comes up that might prevent you from submitting your assignment on time. Submit your Final Project by Day 7.