term paper

Term Paper Guidelines

 It should be 8 pages long.

  

This is a research paper, so you should be sure to include a works cited page.

  The best term paper project to work on is one that excites and interests you. 

 Below is a list of suggested topics; you may choose from this list or come up with a topic on your own. 

 This is a research paper.  You should cite at least three non-internet sources (books, academic journals, encyclopedias).  

Citing internet sources is allowed, but don’t confine yourself to these.  Try to find sources that have been prepared for

 publication in a peer reviewed setting.  

  

Monasticism: its nature and its place as a path to sanctity in Christianity.

Prayer: its purpose, the ways it is practiced, and its role in everyday life.

The Sacred: how it is conceived and experienced in different religious traditions

Mysticism: its nature and the different forms it takes.

Art: the role it plays in developing religious feeling and tradition.  (e.g.: Eastern Orthodox icons)

Symbols: their origin and meaning in different religious traditions.

Authority over tradition: how it is established, and the role it plays in different religious traditions.

Saintliness: how human piety and sanctity are conceived and recognized.

Salvation: how it is conceived and how an individual achieves it. 

 

Sacred Law: how it is established and the role in plays in religious life.

Prophecy and Revelation: their nature and the role they play in religious traditions. 

 

Science and Secularism: how have religious traditions reacted to these modern movements?

Music: the role it plays in worship.

Diet: the role played by dietary restrictions in a religious life.

Sin: how it is conceived and overcome in the monotheistic traditions.

Caring for the community: the role Rabbis, Priests or Ministers, and Imams play in community life

Cults: their relationship to mainstream religious traditions.  

Architecture: how the design of sacred space reflects different religious beliefs.

Sexuality and gender roles in religious traditions.  

Miracles: their significance in the monotheistic traditions.  

Reform of traditions: how this arises and how it transforms religious traditions and communities. 

 

War: the attitudes taken by religious traditions towards conflict and violence.  

God: how the divine is conceived and worshipped in different religious traditions.

Fundamentalism in the monotheistic traditions: what it means and how it is expressed. 

 

These figures might make interesting subjects for biographical papers:

Abraham Malcolm X Martin Luther King St. Paul  

King David Mother Theresa Ibn Arabi Elie Wiesel

Martin Luther Saladin The Baal Shem Tov Rumi