The midterm will be an essay exam or short paper. A final, comprised of 3 short essay questions will be given at the end of the course. In addition to a final, you will also work on a term paper which can be on any subject approved by the instructor. This term paper should incorporate interpretations from at least three theoretical perspectives discussed in the course. You will turn in a paper topic midway through the course and meet with a small writing group during the semester to discuss your paper topic and to receive criticism of your rough draft.
Ideas develop through discussion and re-writing.
The point of the term paper is for you to develop your own opinions and present them clearly in a written form. The small groups are meant to enhance your writing and argumentation by providing feedback and criticism from your peers. Students will fill out a survey about what they think are facts about American religion. The surveys will be collected and analyzed outside of class by the instructor and used to begin the second lecture comparing student responses and data collected by the General Social Survey. They will then be asked to read this aloud and their responses will be used in a class discussion about our assumptions about the definition of religion.