November 20th, 2020 
Final research paper: 20% of the overall grade. Late papers will drop 5 pts. automatically on the same day and 10 pts. off each day it passes by (check under Calendar). Also please dont forget to send an electronic copy of your final research paper to BlazeView.
Students will write a short comparative paper (between 6 pages minimum and 8 pages maximum) based on a specific topic mentioned in our textbook (for instance, poverty, mysticism, love, devotion, religious art, war and peace, nonviolence, education, religious beliefswhich one?, rituals or practices, etc. but narrow them down and be specific!) using one major Eastern/Asian (Hindu, [Zen] [Tibetan] Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Daoist, Confucian, or Shintoist) religious thinker and one Western (Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian or Muslim) religious thinker mentioned in our textbook. Choose a specific topic that you are passionate or curious about it!!! Narrow it down and avoid overgeneralizations.
Important Note: You must use the topic approved in the Proposal paper or send me a new Proposal paper if you change your mind for approval many days ahead before the deadline.
Rubric: You will lose half a point for each mechanical error that it is not repetitive both in the final research paper and in the Works Cited page. You will lose 5 pts. for missing a clear similarity and/or 5 pts. for missing a clear difference, 3 pts. for each missing quote, and 1 pt. for each missing source. You will drop up to 10 pts. off if there is no use of personal pronoun I as part of the personal input.
A) Write a thesis statement at the beginning of your paper explaining why you chose this topic and what you found interesting about it. One good paragraph will do it. Have a good conclusion at the end explaining what you have learned anew after doing research on your topic.
B) Students will select one major religious or spiritual theme or motif (See Sample). Find out one major similarity and one major difference between one Eastern/Asian (ex. The XIV Dalai Lama as a Tibetan Buddhist) religious thinker and one Western (ex. Elie Wiesel as a Jewish) religious thinker based on your researched topic mentioned in our textbook. Cite good examples and rational arguments to back up your opinions with scholarly sources throughout your paper. I recommend at least 4 quotes (at least 2 of them must come from our textbook) for the similarity and 4 quotes (at least 2 of them must come from our textbook) for the difference (so at least a total of 8 scholarly quotes must be used throughout your final research paper).
All answers must be in print. Use the new MLA style. The minimum of pages is 6 and the maximum of pages allowed is 8. Use pagination numbers (ex. Serrn-Pagn 1). Use double spaced. You are required to use the pronoun I (such as I think, I agree, I disagree) in all your papers. Combine facts, personal input and scholarly sources throughout your paper. Select at least 8 scholarly quotes and cite the sources in parenthesis throughout your paper. For instance, .. (Fisher 112). Then cite at least 6 complete sources (at least 1 from our textbook, 2 from scholarly books, and 3 from scholarly articles in the Web written by religious scholars or found in religious peer-reviewed journals published online) in the Works Cited page (on the back of final paper).
6 pages minimum and 8 pages maximum. The first page should include the introduction of your topic (thesis statement) and the history of the problem you are trying to tackle. The second/third page should address the similarity (give an example with 4 quotes and 4 sources, and your personal input). The fourth/fifth page should focus on the difference (give an example with 4 quotes and 4 sources, and your personal input). And the sixth/seventh/eight page should be the conclusion. Have a paragraph at the end indicating what it was the most interesting thing you have learned about your researched topic. Explain it in your own words.
**Please find other secondary sources as well and if you can acquire the textbook Living Religions by Mary Pat Fisher 8th Edition (chapters on Buddhism and Christianity that’s a bonus)**
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