The goal of this longer research paper is to encourage students to think broadly and deeply about
an aspect of Sikhism.
Use of other sources will be necessary, but take care of websites: if you are using a
website associated with a religious community, that is a source you can use to analyze the
representations of that religious community, not as an objective factual source on the
community nor of another community.
Sample Possible Topics for Final Research Paper. Possibility 1: Comparing Sikhism with another religion
For this topic, you will compare and contrast Sikhism and another religion. How are the traditions
similar and what distinguishes them? Please note: you MUST locate your discussion in fact, not
generalizations about any of these religious traditions. Take care to avoid stereotyping, and use
academic sources to shore up your argument. Outside research will be required to enable you to
comment effectively on traditions that are not covered in this class; you can also rely on sources
in the class.
The goal however is not for you to do extensive research. The goal is to have you consider one or
at most two aspects of these traditions and how they are similar and/or different, and discuss
them. This will help you to avoid very general stereotypes (Islam is like this, Hinduism is like that…). Ground your paper in the specific. Ultimately, this assignment is about the importance of
choosing good source, and how to manage sources from within a faith tradition, and those which
do not espouse a faith position.
For example, dhikhr is an important element in Islam, and one can make parallels between it and
the practice of Nam Simran. A paper could address the similarities and differences between these
two practices. One could utilize websites that provide Islamic perspectives on the practice (e.g.
http://www.sunnah.org/ibadaat/dhikr.htm, and in a footnote you would note that this is the
website of the As-Sunnah Foundation of America, about which one can learn at
http://www.sunnah.org/about/Default.htm). And one could also utilize general academic works
on Sufism, such as those by Bruce Lawrence and Carl Ernst. Then one could utilize the readings
we have done on Sikh tradition to characterize Nam Simran, and in so doing, attempt to discern
similarities and differences, what is distinctive about each practice and approach and what they
share. If one uses Sikhiwiki or another source from within the Sikh (or any other religious)
tradition, note that you are using it as expressive of a religious perspective, not as an academic
source, which has different criteria that regulate publishing and does not adopt a particular faith
position (scholarly work does adopt a particular scholarly or critical position—it is not without its
own position or approach, of course—but there are regulatory mechanisms in place to ensure a
level of objectivity).
Other things one might compare: the idea of guna in Hinduism and Sikhism, the approach to
“seeing” in these two traditions, the importance of the nām in relation to similar features of either
Hinduism or Islam, the role of prayer across many world religions, the role of women, the role of
poetry and the word, etc.
If you utilize websites, you must cite them correctly and fully in the Bibliography. When citing
the Guru Granth Sahib, please indicate page number and note the source of the translation (if you
are utilizing a translation that does not provide the page number in the Guru Granth Sahib, just
give me the page number in the translation). You must make sure you tell me who is translating.
If you give me just the page number within the SGGS (Sri Guru Granth Sahib), because you are
translating, you must also note that you are doing the translation yourself. Otherwise, give me the
full citation information for the translation you are using.
Possibility 2: Media analysis.
Find an article online that discusses Sikh tradition, preferably one by a mainstream media outlet
(not one from within the Sikh community, such as SikhiWiki or another like it) and analyze it.
How is Sikhism as a religion presented? If you perceive any shortcomings in the account
presented, what suggestions might you make to the author, to provide for a more
textured/accurate/appropriate engagement with Sikh tradition? Reference scholarly work in
support of your argument.
Note:
This class is on the early period of the Sikh tradition, so essay topics must focus on themes,
issues, events, and histories related to that period. Essays on topics that address a later period
(such as the migration of Sikhs to Canada, the farmers’ movement, or contemporary
culture/politics) can only be addressed if they engaged substantially and centrally with this early
history
