ASSIGNMENT: In each of the three units in this course, you have learned about the role of religions in our world. You have already reflected on some of the major approaches to studying religions and compared and contrasted two religions. In Unit 3, you have investigated the impact of religion on individuals and society, including learning about religions role in shaping morality and ethics, as well as ritual and material culture. Finally, you also thought about religions influence on government and global affairs.
For your final Touchstone, you will evaluate the impact of religion on individuals, society, and the world.
In a 400600 word short essay, you will evaluate some of the ways in which religions both unite and divide, using specific examples from the lessons in Units 1, 2, and 3 to support your conclusions, by responding to this question: How do religions both unite and divide humanity?
Helpful Links:
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Write a short essay of 400600 words that responds to this question: How do religions both unite and divide humanity?
As you develop your response, you should choose two of the following areas of religious influence from Unit 3 to analyze:
- Religion & the Individual
- Religions & Society
- Morality & Ethics
- Ritual & Material Culture
- Religion in Government
- Religion in Global Affairs
Your short essay should include four parts:
- Briefly introduce your topic and develop a clear and succinct response to the question: How do religions both unite and divide humanity?
- Support your response by analyzing the first area of religious influence that you have selected from Unit 3. Use at least two specific examples from the lessons in any unit in your analysis.
- Support your response by analyzing the second area of religious influence that you have selected from Unit 3. Use at least two specific examples from the lessons in any unit in your analysis.
- Briefly summarize and conclude your short essay.
You will use information from the Sophia tutorials to support your response. Please do not use any sources from outside the class.
HINT
To build the skill of correctly citing your sources in academic writing, you will cite the Sophia tutorials you use in your essay and include a reference page. Because all of your sources will be Sophia tutorials, the in-text and reference page citations will look like this:
- In-text citation: (Sophia Learning, n.d.)
- Reference: Sophia Learning. (n.d.). The Religious Impulse [What is the Impulse?]. Approaches to Studying Religions.
You will adjust your reference page citations to identify the specific tutorials you are referencing. Visit the resource for more assistance.
Refer to the completion checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
- Have you chosen two areas of religious influence from Unit 3 to analyze?
- Drawing on these areas of influence, have you written a clear and succinct response to the question: How do religions both unite and divide humanity?
- Have you supported your response by using at least two specific examples from the lessons in any unit, related to the first area of religious influence that you selected?
- Have you supported your response by using at least two specific examples from the lessons in any unit, related to the second area of religious influence that you selected?
- Have you ensured that your evidence supports your initial response? If not, now is a good time to go back and revise your response.
- Is your short essay between 400600 words, double-spaced, and formatted in 12-point font?
- Have you cited examples from the class tutorials with in-text citations?
- Have you included a reference page?
- Have you proofread your short essay for mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization?
B. Rubric
| Advanced (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Acceptable (75%) | Needs Improvement (50%) | Non-Performance (0%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Question ResponseEssay provides a clear and thoughtful response to the prompt. (26%) |
Essay develops a clear and insightful response to the question prompt, and considers how religions both unite and divide. | Essay develops a response to the question prompt, and considers how religions both unite and divide. | Essay develops a response to the question prompt, but the response may lack clarity or demonstrate a limited understanding of the content. | Essay develops a response to the question prompt, but may only consider how religion unites or divides, lacks clarity, or demonstrates a limited understanding of the content. | Essay does not respond to the question prompt, or response is highly irrelevant. |
First Evaluation of Religious InfluenceEssay evaluates area of relig. influence: Relig. & Individual, Relig. & Society, Morality & Ethics, Ritual & Material Culture, Relig. in Government, Relig. in Global Affairs. Any citations must refer to course material. (No outside sources.) (27%) |
Essay evaluates an area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. The analysis fully supports the response. | Essay evaluates an area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. The analysis generally supports the response. | Essay evaluates an area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. The analysis may weakly support the response. | Essay minimally or inaccurately evaluates an area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. | Essay does not identify or evaluate an area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. |
Second Evaluation of Religious InfluenceEssay evaluates a second area of religious influence from the areas listed above. Any citations used must refer to the course material. (No outside sources.) (27%) |
Essay evaluates a second area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. The analysis fully supports the response | Essay evaluates a second area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. The analysis generally supports the response. | Essay evaluates a second area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. The analysis may weakly support the response. | Essay minimally or inaccurately evaluates a second area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. | Essay does not identify or evaluate a second area of religious influence selected from Unit 3s list and its effect on uniting or dividing humanity. |
Use of EvidenceEssay includes specific examples from the course. Citations must be used and must refer to a specific course tutorial. (No outside sources.) (13%) |
At least 4 specific examples from the course are used to support the response. These are thoughtfully chosen and explained. Citations are accurate and refer to specific course material. | At least 4 specific examples from the course are used to support the response. Citations are accurate and refer to specific course material. | 23 specific examples from the course are used to support the response. Citations are accurate and refer to specific course material. | At least 1 specific example from Unit 3s lesson is used to support the response. Examples may be missing, cited incorrectly, or refer to sources outside of the course material. | No examples from the course are used or cited to support the response. |
ConventionsEssay follows conventions for standard written English. (7%) |
There are almost no errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization; all length and formatting requirements are met. | There are minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization that do not impede readability; length and formatting requirements are nearly met. | There are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization that somewhat impede readability; length and formatting requirements are nearly met. | There are consistent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization that significantly impede readability; length and formatting requirements are not met. | Submission does not meet the minimum threshold for points to be awarded. |
C. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
- Composition must be between 400600 words.
- Double-space the composition and use one-inch margins.
- Use a readable 12-point font.
- All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
- Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
- Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
- Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
- Include all of the assignment components in a single .doc or .docx file.
- All cited examples are from the class tutorials.
Requirements: per instructions
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