You will pick one of the three pillars of analysis and complete a research paper on how that pillar can help us understand a religious tradition of your choosing in the context of our globalized culture. Your research paper will be the culmination of smaller projects you will work on in each week of the course. As you work through these small milestones, you will be asked to consider and respond to questions such as: What elements of your chosen tradition or pillar of analysis are most important? How has this pillar changed over time? How does this pillar relate to some of the key themes we’ll look at throughout the course?

To help you prepare for your Final Project, throughout the course you will be asked to complete sections of the Final Project Worksheet. You will return to the worksheet during various Discussions and other activities as you progress through the course. By the end of Week 4, you will have a complete worksheet, which will be a solid foundation for the development of your final research paper that is due in Week 5.

Retrieve the Final Project Worksheet from your Instructor.

Select the pillar of analysis on which you will focus. Identify the pillar of analysis in the worksheet.

In the worksheet, write a paragraph explaining why you chose this pillar of analysis.

Resources:

Kurtz, L. R. (2016). Gods in the global village: The world’s religions in sociological perspective (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Chapter 1, “Religious Life in the Global Village”
  • “Religious Rituals” (pp. 30–42)
• Chapter 2, “A Sociological Tour: Turning East”
  • “Hindu Rituals” (pp. 62–67)
  • “Buddhist Rituals” (pp. 74–75)
• Chapter 3, “The Tour: Western Religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam”
  • “Jewish Ritual” (pp. 99–101)
  • “Christian Rituals” (pp. 106–108)
• Chapter 4, “Indigenous Religions”
  • “Indigenous Rituals” (pp. 141–150)