Hide Assignment InformationInstructions
For this assignment, choose a particular religious institution (church, mosque, temple, community center, etc.) and visit for a service or ritual. During the pandemic, online services are strongly encouraged (see Appendix One in the Syllabus for a list of online services). The paper is not a mere recitation of what you witnessed (though I should be able to grasp the main events in the ritual from the description). Instead, the reflection paper should include:
A. A brief description of the service, ritual or event
B. A critical interpretation of the service, ritual or event making use of at least one of the theories of religion that we studied at the beginning of the course,
C. A description of the meaning(s) and effect(s) of the service, ritual or event for the religious community, and
D. A brief personal response to the experience. This personal response should name preconceived ideas about the religion or group, things you learned, found moving or surprising, and the most important thing you took away from the visit.
