Writing Assignment 2 Parameters and Standards Summary : All religions have places (or spaces) that are considered important for their adherents

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Writing Assignment 2 Parameters and Standards

Summary : All religions have places (or spaces) that are considered important for their adherents. Often cal led

“sacred or religious spaces ,” these locations can take many forms and serve a variety of func tions. They

can be structures that are utilized by the faithful in ritual and/or ceremony, shrines to commemorate

special places, landmarks of religious significance, or areas of terrain consi dered important . For this

writing, compose an essay in which you explore one of the religious spaces (or p laces) provided below.

Describe the place and its history , explain ing why and how the adherents of a particular religion use it .

Be sure to pay attention to all the details in the rest of this document before writing . Here are the options

from which you will choose only one to explore:

• The Western Wall (Judaism )

• Rock -Hewn Churches of Lalibela (Christianity )

• Al -M asjid an -Nabawi (Islam )

• Harmandir Sahib (Sikhism )

Quick View Checklist (all of this is discussed in greater depth in the Parameters section that follows) :

? Select only one (1) of the sacred spaces listed above as the subject of your essay.

? The sacred space is discussed in terms of history, purpos e/meaning , features, and usage .

? The paper structure is that of a standard college essay.

? Research sources are academic, scholarly, or scriptures and doctrines of the religion .

? Include an MLA formatted bibliography of at lea st 3 sources .

? Quotes are limited to religious scriptures or doctrines only and can be no more than 10% of the paper con tent.

? Submission is at least 600 words (bibliographies are not a part of the word count).

? Contains appropriate sentence and paragraph formats, proper grammar, and correct spelling and punctuation.

? Demonstrates original writing skills.

? Submission is pr ov ided in the Writing Assignment 2 dropbox by the due date posted in the Time Schedule.

Parameters : Here are the complete parameters of this research assig nment :

 

SACRED SPACE - Select only one (1) of the following sacred spaces to explore: The Western Wall

(Judaism) , Rock -Hewn Churches of Lalibela (Christianity) , Al -Masjid an -Nabawi (Islam) , or Harmandir

Sahib (Sikhism) .

 

CONTENT - You should describe each sacred space in terms of history, purpos e, meaning, features, and

usage . This conversation should focus on how the sacred space is an example of the religious tradition

that utilizes it. For example, think about the follow questions during your research: Why was this structure

made ? Why is it in this specific spot? Who was responsible for building it? What does the space mean to

the people of the religion? Why and how do the adherents of the religion use it ? Are there specific

activities, props, and/or dietary as pects associate d with this space? Are there certain times when this space

is utilized? To what extent do the people participate in events at this space ? You do not need to address

all these questions; rather, t he idea here is that you have demonstrated extensive cross -cultural knowledge

through a description of the space, its history, its use, and its meaning for the adherents of a particular

religious tradition . Deductions of up to 30 points will be made for er rors related to the categories of Sacred

Space and Content.

ACADEMIC WRITING - This paper should be done in a traditional essay format: introduction paragraph,

two to three content paragraphs, a conclusion paragraph, and then a bibliography of sources consulted.

Additionally, the essay is expected to conform to academic writing stand ards (i.e., demonstrate the use of proper sentence and paragraph formats, proper grammar, and correct spelling and punctuation). Up to 20

points will be deducted for these errors based upon their frequency and severity.

RESEARCH - You are expected to do academic research for this assignment. This is not an opinion paper,

it is a research paper . To that end, consult and cite multiple sources (at least 3) to illustrate depth of

research. These academic or scholarly sources should be pe er-reviewed journal articles or books (library

resources), primary sources (sacred literature and official religious documents), or authorized

publications of recognized religious organizations . The research sources consulted are to be provided in a

Biblio graphy conforming to the MLA (Modern Language Association) format. For more information about

the MLA format visit: https://spcollege.libguides.com/MLA_8th . For useful research information you

should see spcollege.libguides.com/world_religions . There will be deductions of up to 10 points for

research and citation errors .

 

WORD COUNT - Your submission is required to be a minimum of 600 words , but no more than 1200

words (Bibliographies do not count as a part of the word count). Submissions larger than 1200 word s or

fewer than 600 words will receive no points . A college paper needs to demonstrate the skill of being

thorough, yet concise.

 

ORIGINAL WRITING - Your paper is to demonstrate original writing (see this conversation in the

Syllabus). In short, do not use the words of another as this can be considered plagiarism and may result

in a failing grade and possible honor code disciplinary action . Additionally, it is unacceptable to submit

your own work (in whole or in part) from another class or a previous attempt of REL 2300 . For more

information, visit https://www.spcollege.edu/current -students/student -affairs/student -right -to-know .

 

QUOTING - Quotes are limited to primary source materials only (such as a verse from sacred literature) and

should constitute no more than 10% of the paper content. In other words, quotes can only come from

religious scriptures or documents, and should be used sparingly. You need to develop the ability to take

the in formation that you would quote and express it in your own words as this is how to demonstrate

understanding. Any quotes will need to have internal documentation done to MLA standards:

owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ . Deductions will be assessed based upon the severity of the

errors, with the points coming out of the “subject and content” section above.

 

DUE - The essay is due by the date posted in the calendar. Any assignment submitted late for any reason is

subject to a 5 point per business day late deduction, up to an assignment maximum of 30 points deducted.

After the paper has been graded based on the categories above, the lat e points will be deducted.

 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS - Students are required to submit the paper electronically to the “Writing

Assignment 2” dropbox in MyCourses. Submissions to this dropbox are subject to an ori ginality check

through TurnItIn, a website that scans papers for signs of plagiarism and issues a report to the student and

instructor. Please note that the allowed file types are MS Word, WordPerfect, Postscript, Acrobat PDF,

HTML, RTF, and plain text. No other file types are accepted. I will grade and provide a response to you

within seven to ten days of the assignment due date.