Here is the prompt:
Assignment:
Each of you will be responsible for writing a research paper on a subject related to the topics and conversations of our class. Over the next several weeks, each of you will develop this topic in consultation with me. I would like each of you to think first about a “case study” of your own. Throughout the semester, as we’ve developed our understanding of various theories and orientations to “religion and politics,” we’ve put these into “conversation” with videos, documents, or texts from the lived worlds of religious people. So think as broadly as you can about a religious expression – a tradition, a pressing social issue, a community, or a theory – that you’d like to write about. And if at all possible, try to stray from your comfort zone (whether this is your own religious practice or topics you might have written about previously).
As you think about and begin your research on this topic, it will then be important for you to think about which of the interpretive languages we’ve explored might best help you to capture the depth and complexity of whichever topic you choose. Keep in mind a couple of ideas here: 1) it may be that one orientation works best (e.g. focusing on the contested relation between the private and public spheres), that a particular line of interpretation (such as Sullivan’s focus on law and religion) helps tease out the complexities of your topic, or that a combination of approaches works (e.g. political theory and ritual studies), and 2) some of the most appropriate materials may still lie ahead of us chronologically, so you should consider reading ahead on the syllabus in some cases.
Whatever topic you choose, you will be expected to consult a range of supplementary materials to substantiate your research. Each paper must include the following: a full thesis statement where you introduce your chosen topic and “justify” it as a matter of importance in the study of American religion and politics; a clear organization; abundant citations from appropriate sources; and clear, focused writing.
You are expected to conduct your own research independently. A research paper of this scope will of necessity require consulting multiple sources. The vast majority of these should not be generic websites, encyclopedias, or Wikis. Consult academic books, primary sources, journal articles, newspapers, etc.
The format will be 15-20 pages double-spaced (20-25 for REL 523), with footnotes and a bibliography. MLA or Chicago Manual format are both acceptable in terms of manuscript style.
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This paper is meant to ” define and interpret a problem, movement, or issue in postwar American religious history that captures the entanglements of religions and politics.” I would like the paper topic to be on the relationship between religious fundamentalism and homeschooling
