Week 8
Assignment 3 Presentation
Due the Friday of Week 8 under Assignments and to the Discussions
Topic: select one religion that we have not studied this course, or one particular subset, sect, or school within a religion that we have not studied and create a 10-minute presentation on this religion that covers the following
Historical origins
Core beliefs and practices
Geographical spread
Influential scholarly interpretations of the religion, minimum of two
Presentations which do not adhere to these stated topic parameters will not receive a passing grade.
Rubric and directions are below.
Sources and Length: 50 points
The length of the presentation is to be no less than 10 narrated minutes and no more than 12 minutes.
The presentation must use at least 5 sources. Any of the reading selections assigned for class may be used. All outside sources must be of the following types only:
Primary sources, which in this instance refers to the sacred texts or myths of the religion in question.
Select intermediate or upper-level secondary sources. Secondary sources are scholarly publications that represent academic interpretation of the evidence base. The types that may be used in our class are those written by professional historians for other professional historians or for serious students of history. Specifically these are: an academic book written at the intermediate level or beyond, or an article from a peer-reviewed, academic journal (not a book review or a magazine) found in JSTOR, EBSCO Academic Search Premier, or ProQuest (which are the journal databases in our APU library).
What should not appear in your submitted work? Introductory level materials, material directed at the general public, student work of any kind, and tertiary sources. A tertiary source is a source which summarizes other people’s research and/or provides an overview of the primary sources for a given topic and examples would include an encyclopedia, dictionary, or an open web article.
Lecture materials, videos, or audio recordings assigned for class may also be used in the paper but do not count toward the required number of sources.
Structure and Content: 30 points
Structure: The presentation must make it clear at the outset religion is going to be taken up and what will be covered in the presentation. The presentation should have distinct “legs,” or talking points, each of which is taken up in turn. There should be a conclusion.
Content: The presentation should demonstrate deep engagement and a high level of analysis. The paper should demonstrate a good understanding of both the religion being analyzed and scholarly approaches to the religion. Each main point should be supported with illustrating details and examples.
Writing style and citation formatting: 20 points
Chicago Manual of Style, notes-bibliography formatting, is the required citation method. We have the latest Chicago Manual of Style in our library. There is a Quick Guide online at: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
Use the notes section of each slide for the notes or use endnotes. Endnotes how-to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgqat6OounE
Each bit of information that is taken from a source must have a citation.
Any quotes from readings must be indicated as such on the presentation slides. Reading from a source without attribution is plagiarism. Too many quotes will run the risk of pastiche or aggregate plagiarism. Put the information in your own words; use quotes sparingly.
The presentation should be formal in style and wording: no first or second person, no thinking/feeling language, no hyperbole, personal anecdotes, or “in-house” references to our class. Correct English grammar and spelling are also required.
**use of Generative AI is prohibited for this assessment**
COPYRIGHT 2023 APUS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
