Assignment Prompt: As with their first writing assignment, students are asked to approach this second essay as an exercise in comparative analysis. Once again, the focus of the second essay should be on formulating a viable thesis statement which forms the basis and justifies the main reason for engaging in this comparative exercise. Pick no more than two or three of the religious traditions covered throughout our course—i.e., Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, and/or Taoism—and use the assigned reading material to develop a thesis which permits your essay to compare and contrast them responsibly in support of your main argument. Students who are struggling with formulating a thesis are strongly encouraged to limit themselves to two religious traditions. Furthermore, only one of the two traditions covered in the first writing assignment may be used again for this second essay. As always, keep in mind that the point of this assignment is not to make personal or opinionated claims about which religion is “better” or “superior”; on the whole, students are advised to refrain from loose or unsubstantiated value judgments. Instead, the basis of the comparison should be largely factual, descriptive and/or analytic in nature. In other words, the primary epistemological framework employed should be historical and sociological, demonstrating an empirical understanding of the two traditions and their relevant cultural expressions—comparing and contrasting their respective belief systems, practices, etc. Try to keep the main argument in focus as you structure and substantiate your thesis so that the reader does not lose sight of the primary reason the essay is examining the two or three religions being covered; there is no need to address every aspect of a religious tradition, as this will likely just distract from a tight, cogent argument. The conclusion of the essay should therefore try to reiterate why the comparisons and/or contrasts made in the main body of the essay vindicate and support the overarching thesis as put forward in the opening paragraph. Resources from our opening lecture material on theory and method in the academic study of religion may also prove useful in helping students to frame and explore the deeper philosophical underpinnings of their comparative analysis.
Basic Formatting Expectations: All submitted essays should be formatted appropriately, approximating MLA style guidelines. The body of the essay should be double-spaced, with all direct quotations from the assigned material placed in “quotation marks” and given in-text citations (Slide 12). Proper names should be capitalized (e.g., Muhammad, Muslims, Mecca), book titles should be italicized (e.g., Upanishads), margins should be justified, etc. As a general rule of thumb, the Title of the essay should reflect the thesis or main argument. The Heading of the paper should be aligned on the left side, and include the student’s name, the instructor’s name, the title of the course, as well as the date of submission. These may seem like minor aesthetic concerns, but students are responsible for presenting their written work in a professional manner. Needless to say, all college-level essays are expected to show a basic mastery of English grammar, syntax and sentence construction.
