Observation
The Proposal should be at least 600 words and include all of the 8 points listed below.
This is a PROPOSAL for your project, in which you will be providing details on the project you PLAN to do later in the term. It is NOT the actual project; rather, it is what you PLAN to do.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID-19, the observation required in this course will be conducted online; no observations will be conducted in person, regardless of where you are located.
In this course, you will be conducting an Observation of a religious service or other event sponsored by a religious/spiritual/atheist group of your choice. The purpose of the observation is to experience and analyze a religious event or service of a religion, congregation, or community that you have NOT experienced before. For example, if you are a practicing Roman Catholic (or were raised Roman Catholic, you can choose to visit another Catholic church (a different Catholic parish or community) OR you can go to a Buddhist temple (a different religion).
Many religious groups are now livestreaming their services/events, and such services/events would be perfect to propose for your observation.
Most such programs are open to all, and thus you do not need to seek permission to observe. However, if you wish you attend an online meeting or program that involves or presumes individual participation (such as a religious chatroom, meet-up, or online interactive webinar), then you will need to have the organization's permission to participate.
You have many options! I encourage you to choose a group that, in addition to having an online service or program open to the public, has a strong online web presence overall, so that it is relatively easy to find information about the group. Here are a few specific ones that I've identified. You are welcome to use one of these suggestions for your Observation, or you can choose any other religious group that you prefer. I am just offering these as examples.
Unitarian Univeralist:
Church of the Larger Fellowship. (n.d.). Homepage. Retrieved from https://www.questformeaning.org/clfuu/
Roman Catholic
CatholicTV. (n.d.). Homepage. Retrieved from http://www.catholictv.org/
Zen Buddhism
San Francisco Zen Center. (2020). Online zendo. Retrieved from https://www.sfzc.org/online-programs/online-zendo
Islam
Islamic Association of Raleigh. (n.d.). Homepage. Retrieved from https://raleighmasjid.org/
Please Include The Following In Your Proposal:
1. The specific religious (or atheist) organization you plan to study. You need to choose a religious (or atheist) group that has a substantial internet presence. Include: the name/location of the organization, the website of the organization, and at least 2-3 links to services/programs provided on video by the organization. (Total video time should be about 2 hours.) Write a brief explanation (1-2 sentences each) about the general content of the videos. If you would like to instead watch Livestream programs, please explain what you anticipate they are about (i.e., what kind of services or events are they)? (NOTE: You do not need to watch them now -- just a brief sentence or two description is fine.)
2. Write a paragraph about the organization (i.e., church, temple, center, etc.) sponsoring the service or event. Please cite and include a reference where you found your information.
3. Write a paragraph about the broader religion of which this religious group is a part. For example, if it is a Methodist church, write a paragraph about the Methodist denomination. Or if it is a Buddhist temple, write a paragraph on the particular strand of Buddhism that this temple follows. Please cite and include a reference for where you found your information.
4. Write a paragraph about what respectful actions you would take if you were to visit this group in person. View the webpage at https://tanenbaum.org/tanenbaum-resources/houses-of-worship/ . (Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. (2019). Entering Houses of Worship.) Are there any particular actions on this list that you might need to pay attention to? If so, what are they? If not, why not? Be sure to cite and include a reference for this source in your proposal.
5. Write 2 paragraphs about at least two concepts and/or theories from the Learning Resources (the articles by R. Wienclaw) that you plan to incorporate into your Participant Observation Report. Define each of the concepts/theories and explain why each concept/theory may be important to your project. Please be sure to include citations for the sources of these concepts/theories and to include the sources in your reference list.
6. Write a paragraph about a resource from Pew Research Center, Religion and Public Life that you plan to include in your final project (visit https://www.pewforum.org/). It can be an article from Pew Research Center that is assigned for our course, or a different one. Please be sure to cite it in the text and include the complete reference in your Reference List.
7. Write a paragraph about why you chose to study this group, how you stand "outside" this religious group, and some initial thoughts about what you hope to learn from the experience.
8. Include a reference list of all sources cited in your Proposal. All sources cited within your Proposal should be included in the reference list. Your reference list should include the following:
You MUST include At least one of the following Learning Resources:
WATCH: One of the PBS Sacred Journeys listed below. The following 4 videos are available on YouTube for free:
PBS. (2014). Sacred Journeys: Lourdes. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga7QTHhh3ZI
PBS. (2014). Sacred Journeys: Kumbh Mela. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA5JUUhYhNU (Has closed captioning)
PBS. (2014). Sacred Journeys: Shikoko. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNLZsRkgM6o
PBS. (2014). Sacred Journeys: The Hajj. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liPFurz5Rn0 (Has closed captioning)
You MUST include At least one article from Pew Research Center.
Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. (2019). Entering Houses of Worship. https://tanenbaum.org/tanenbaum-resources/houses-of-worship/
A resource that provides info about the church/temple/organization/etc, that you will be visiting.
A source about the religion with which the church/temple/organization/etc. is associated.
The two or more videos that you will be watching (if you are watching videos)
Any other resources that you have cited in your paper.