Reflection paper, Religion and Environment class.

RELI/ENVT 239 Fall, 2015

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Reading Reflection Papers Assignment Guide Introduction: Your central written work in this class will a series of five papers in which you wrestle with challenging questions, connecting them to our readings, our discussions, and other experiences or texts. These assignments ask you to thoughtfully, carefully, and creatively develop your own views about the intersection between religion and the environment. What You Should Write About: Each paper is based upon a broad question, you should thoughtfully respond to the question and its implications. In each paper, work to develop a clear and straightforward answer to the question (a thesis), and to support that answer. The questions are open-ended, and part of what this assignment tests is your ability to thoughtfully and manageably reflect on each one for at least three pages. There is no single correct answer, and you should consider multiple possibilities before choosing and defending one.

A well-written portfolio will not only answer the required questions, but also make connections to other relevant subjects. This might include ideas you have encountered in other classes, thoughts from previous academic experiences that connect to our work, topics from texts or lectures you encounter this semester, or reflections on mass media and popular culture. The Prompts:

Initial Reflection: (Due 9/22) Is it important for environmentalists to pay attention to religion? Using a specific example of an environmental problem and a religious tradition to defend your answer, explaining why or why not. Reflection 2: (Due 10/6) Based on at least one of the definitions of religion and nature we’ve discussed over the last two weeks, is it valid to think of environmentalism as a religion, as suggested by Thomas Dunlap? Explain your reasoning, being sure to consider multiple possible answers in addition to defending your own. Reflection 3: (Due 11/17) What, above all else, is worth sustaining? In the face of environmental degradation, what aspect of the natural world and/or civilization do you believe should be conserved most urgently? Drawing on at least 3 readings from Grounding Religion, including the one you chose for 11/13, justify your answer and explain how such conservation might take place. Reflection 4: (Due 12/8) What would you articulate as the core teaching of Zen Buddhism as you have come to understand it? How does this core message connect and/or conflict with the goal of resisting environmental degradation? Final Reflection: What are two ideas you hope to remember from this class? How did they emerge from our readings, our class conversation, and your written work?

RELI/ENVT 239 Fall, 2015

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Logistics: Each paper should be at least 3 full pages in a 12 point font with 1-inch margins on all sides of the page. You need to reach this minimum to receive full credit. You may require more length to fully answer the question, which is fine.

You should carefully edit what you write. These are academic papers, and you should ensure that you write with correct grammar, spelling, and syntax to express yourself as clearly and well as possible. This will not happen if you simply write papers once and never look at them again; good writing requires careful review and revision. Such editing will also help you to track your own ideas, to carefully articulate and highlight your thesis, and to defend it well. Submit the papers online via Sakai assignments, in a word processor format (Microsoft Word or compatible), so that I can return the paper with comments electronically. It is your responsibility to ensure that the paper is submitted; you may e-mail me the paper or bring a printed copy to class if Sakai is not working. How This Will Be Graded: All told, these papers are worth 50% of your course grade. I will grade each based on the following questions:

! Do you meet the basic requirements of the assignment, answering the question asked with a clear and defended thesis statement?

! Do you demonstrate that you have read the relevant assignments of this class, and have thought about them and developed your views?

! Does your paper include responses to class discussions and the broader topics raised about environmental and religious issues?

! Does your paper make connections to other courses and/or experiences in an academic, thoughtful way?

! Is your paper well written, expressing your ideas clearly and well?

Here is a rough guide to the grades you might earn:

A paper earning a grade in the A range will be thoughtfully written and constructed, demonstrating careful attention to the reading and the class and showing care and creativity in the way ideas are expressed. It will explore original connections between our course and other classes, lectures, and texts.

A portfolio earning a grade in the B range will be carefully written and edited, and will show thoughtful engagement with the readings, questions, and topics of the course. It will show attention to the big themes of the course, and identify these themes in materials outside the course.

A portfolio earning a grade in the C range will express ideas clearly, answering the questions asked and showing a record of responses to each week’s readings. It will show some engagement with material outside the course.

A portfolio earning a grade in the D or E range will not fulfill the assignment by ignoring the basic requirements or making no effort to show thoughtful engagement with course material.

Please note that simply fulfilling the assignment will ensure that you pass, but not earn an A or B. These grades require careful, diligent, and thoughtful work throughout the semester.