1. An Introduction to World Religions 2012-10-302012-10-30

2. Slide 2. Typical Agenda Attendance :15 Announcements / Administrativa :17 Student Presentations: :17 In the Religious Calendar and :22 Religion in the News :27 Discussion of the scripture reading :35 Explaining a concept – for the exam’s paragraph answer section. :50 Video with focus questions and discussion – for the exam’s objective answer section, or review game. :04 Homework for Next Time

3. Slide 3. 2012-10-30 Agenda Attendance Administrativa Religion Today In the News In the Calendar Buddhism Video Expansion Homework

4. Slide 4. AnnouncementsAnnouncements Mindfulness…. as a way of easing stress Stress is part of our daily lives. Mindfulness Awareness Practices can be a helpful way to engage us in caring for ourselves and finding greater balance and ease when exposed to stressful situations. Six Mindfulness Awareness sessions will be offered at Wellspring Centre. These sessions are an introduction to mindfulness practices in our daily life. The sessions include input, guided instruction and mindfulness meditation. Where: Wellspring Center When: Tuesday evenings 7:00pm-8:15pm October 2 nd, 9 th, 16 th, 23 rd, 30 th and November 6 th Contact: Sr. Marion @ Wellspring by Sept 24 th, 2012 867-3739 msherida@stfx.ca

5. Slide 5. In the calendar In the calendar In the calendar In the calendar Jilissa Skinner

6. Slide 6. ReligionReligion in the News in theNews Religionin theNews ReligionReligion in the News in theNews Religionin theNews http://uk.reuters.co m/article/2012/10/2 2/uk-iran-religion- un- idUKBRE89L1I920 121022http://uk.reuters.co m/article/2012/10/2 2/uk-iran-religion- un- idUKBRE89L1I920 121022

7. Slide 7. Class Presentation Purposes: Connect religious studies with today’s world Practice oral presentation skills What to do: Introduce a news item or a holiday for 5-10 minutes Explain what are the most important things to understand about this event You may use any tools you want, e.g., Powerpoint slides Handouts Visual aids. Props Discussion / brainstorming For a holiday, do some research, e.g., from: Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Religion, Oxford Reference OnlineOxford Reference Online Books, e.g., an introduction to that religion or topic Textbook and scriptures Even Wikipedia, if you’re careful (check the footnotes for reliability)

8. Slide 8. Proposal, due November 1, 2012 1.A title page (if Chicago style) 2.Write a paragraph stating your choice of topic, and why (what you hope to learn or show) 3.Include a bibliography (following the instructions on the preceding page), including at least one of each of the following: Website, Encyclopedia article, Book or chapter in a book, Journal article.

9. Slide 9. Making Sense in Religious Studies “Finding and Using Academic Resources” is on MoodleFinding and Using Academic Resources Read it.

10. Slide 10. USING A RESEARCH LIBRARY Start with the library Sign up for a tour of the library or seminar on how to use library resources

11. Slide 11. Locating sources in the library begin with the library's catalogue. I prefer the Worldcat option refine your search to specific topic such as "medieval Judaism" or "Judaism, Canada." Another way to locate resources is through indexes and databases. JSTOR (short for Journal Storage) ATLA (American Theological Library Association). check reference material. dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. Often they will have a bibliography at the end of each entry E.g., "Karma, kamma" in the Oxford Dictionary of World Religions lists important works on the subject. then check the library catalogue to see if the StFX has them

12. Slide 12. Locating sources outside of the post-secondary library Google Scholar http://scholar.google.ca/http://scholar.google.ca/ Amazon (search inside) Google Books (preview)

13. Slide 13. IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING ACADEMIC SOURCES Types of sources 1.Primary sources: original, non-interpreted, or non-evaluated information a sacred text within a religion the Bhagavad Gita the surviving writings from the Reformation period 2.Secondary sources: interpret information from primary sources. most books, articles, and other writings by modern scholars Robert N. Minor's Bhagavad-Gita: An Exegetical Commentary, will be secondary sources. Henry Chadwick's East and West: The Making of a Rift in the Church: From Apostolic Times until the Council of Florence. 3.reference or tertiary materials: compile & summarize secondary sources encyclopedias and dictionaries. "Karma-Yoga" entry in the Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions Article on "The Great Schism" in the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church primary sources are the most reliable. use all three types

14. Slide 14. Evaluating sources Ask: Who wrote it? Qualified on this topic? Employed in an academic context? Check the book's jacket, or look the author up Who published it? reputable? academic publisher? Is it academic? or popular? What topics are in the table of contents? Relevant to your research? When was it written? For Primary sources, old is good. For Secondary and Tertiary sources, newer is better What style is the writing? objective and formal? What books are in the bibliography? The important ones? Are there footnotes (or endnotes)? number of sources not as important as relevance and helpfulness of sources.

15. Slide 15. Finding quality academic sources online Internet sources lack regulation and quality control Use the same kinds of questions to judge online resources Check: source of the site: university webpage? academic site? may be suitable for research. personal webpage or blog? probably avoid it author's background: Is the author a reputable scholar or specialist? (have a PhD? teach at a university?) whether the source has a print counterpart. has it been in print before going online? That’s good. if you found it through the library, it is probably a print resource with an electronic copy. endnotes, bibliographies, Avoid relying on articles that can be edited by anyone

16. Slide 16. READING ACADEMIC SOURCES note-taking can use: note cards, notebook, loose-leaf paper in a folder, notes on a computer … etc. Make sure you take down all the source's bibliographic information. author(s) or editor(s), title, series or volume, name of publisher, and date and place published. E.g., Wael B. Hallaq, The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law, Themes in Islamic Law (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005). references in your own notes should be clear. for instance, Hallaq, Origins and Evolution, 75 Don't write down everything. Keep notes short. Either paraphrase or quote your source. distinguish these Be accurate with quotations. Copy verbatim and note the exact page number(s) Highlight key words.

17. Slide 17. PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC HONESTY Why document your sources? show academic honesty acknowledge what has influenced your research and writing. So your reader can follow up for more details Plagiarism is stealing ideas using someone else's words expressing others’ ideas without making it clear that they were taken from another source Penalties range from a grade of 0 to expulsion. give credit where credit is due. provide a notation when you have quoted, paraphrased, or alluded to a work or part of that work. always document any fact or claim—statistical or otherwise—that is unfamiliar or open to question Not for things that are common knowledge. Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 Muhammad is the founder of Islam. err on the side of caution When in doubt, be overly cautious and offer plenty of citations.

18. Slide 18. Differences among Quotations, Paraphrases, and Allusions Quotation: As William James remarks, "Were one asked to characterize the life of religion in the broadest and most general terms possible, one might say that it consists of the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto." Paraphrase: Religious life, as William James notes, can be understood as a belief in an unseen order, and living in response to that reality. Allusion: Some understand religious life as living in response to the belief in an unseen order. In all of these cases a notation would be required because we are referencing William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature [1902] (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997), p. 41. James is being quoted, paraphrased, or is the source of an allusion, even if not named.

19. Slide 19. Buddhism What are the two main schools of Buddhism? Describe the three baskets. What is the Theravadin ideal? What is worshipped and celebrated in Buddhism, and how?

20. Slide 20. HomeworkHomework For Thursday, 12:15 Read “Writing Essays” (on Moodle) Proposal Due For Monday, 11:15 Read Living Religions chapter 6 on Confucianism & Daoism Write quiz on Moodle.