- Why/How does this institution fit Smith’s (2017) definition of religion?
- Were you able to intuit or learn about any notions of the “superhuman power” on which the organization centers?
- What activities did you observe that you believe constitution the “practices of religion” that are core to Smith’s definition?
- Were you able to grasp some of the organization’s ancillary religious beliefs?
- What demographic characteristics appear to predominate among the organization’s members?
- How might some of the practices or beliefs you observed reflect or potentially influence social dynamics of class, gender, race/ethnicity, or politics?
- Did anything you observed provide insight into the core questions that structure our course meetings?
- What aspect, belief, or practice of the visited organization most struck you as sociologically interesting or noteworthy, and why?
