Topic: Investigate a Religion
The purpose of the Investigate a Religion assignment is to gain in-depth knowledge of the cultural aspects of a religion.
The instructor will assign each student a religion from the following list to research. If students wish to study a religion that is not included in the list, they can do so, with the instructor’s permission.
Bahá’í Faith
Buddhism
Christianity – Catholicism
Christianity – Protestantism
Hinduism
Islam
Jainism
Judaism
Mormonism
Native American Spirituality
Santeria
Scientology
Shintoism
Sikhism
Taoism
Tengriism
Umbanda
Wicca
Zoroastrianism
Students will collect the information and format a 10- to 12-slide presentation (MS PowerPoint or Prezi). Your presentation should include your research on all the following prompts, in the given order.
Cultural Treatment
Describe 3-4 salient features that make this religion distinct from other religions.
How is spirituality understood in the religion? Are there any specific spiritual pathways that allow the growth of deeper human values and profound personal growth? If so, describe them?
What are the rules and guidelines in terms of personal freedoms in the religion you researched? How strictly do the followers adhere to the rules laid down in the scriptures?
Describe the status of gender and gender identities in the religion and discuss any gender oppression or gender discrimination that is based on faith. Discuss the religion’s policy on LGBTQIA communities. Did the policy change in the recent past? If so, describe the shift.
Internal and External Religious Discrimination
Are there different factions of this religion? If so, what is the consensus in terms of how each faction views the other? Is there discrimination between the factions? If so, in what form?
Explain any historical and recent discrimination that the religion and the religious group experienced. Do you think discrimination will increase or decrease in the future? Research and find an article (within the past 5 years) on religious discrimination incident that this specific religious/spiritual group experienced, and briefly describe the incident. Do you think discrimination will increase of decrease in the future?
How do you think these types of incidents involving religious discrimination can be avoided in our society and the workplace?
PowerPoint Submission Guidelines