• Why have religion scholars tended to focus on belief? Why is this a problem?

• What are three reasons why you should document your sources when writing an academic paper?

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3. Writing

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• Visit religious site with one or two other students from your tutorial

➡ Must be site no one is familiar with

➡ No one in group can belong to that religion

➡ Contract on Blackboard (“Field Research”)

➡ Info and advice on Bb for finding a site

➡ Due February 9 (worth 2%)

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Field Research Contract

• Buddhism

• Christianity

• Hinduism

• Indigenous traditions

• Jainism

• Judaism

• Islam

• Paganism

• Scientology

• Sikhism

• Taoism

• Unitarianism

• Wicca

• Zoroastrianism

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Field Research Contract

• Maximum 6 marks (one mark / comment)

• Blackboard forum (your TA’s groups)

• Due dates on course website (first: Jan 22)

• 125 words related to course content➡ Graded for completion, not quality

➡ Be specific (not: “I liked chapter 5”)

➡ Don’t post questions for me or TAs!

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Online Comments

• TAs’ office hours tomorrow (Wed):

➡ 2:30-4:30pm in Colman Commons

➡ Amy, Ashoor, Patrick

• Email addresses on website (“Contact”)

➡ p.stangeATmail.utoronto.ca

• Tutorial readings + homework + reflections

➡ Email and link on website (“Tutorials”)6

TAs + Tutorials

7

Historical Studies

Society Celebrates

the 200th

Anniversary of

Mary Shelly's

Frankenstein  

Ib 150 from 5-8 p.m

Thursday, January 25th

@HSS.UTM

@HSS.UTM

@HSS.UTM

utmhss.weebly.com

8

Today

• Finish “Belief”

➡ Cognitive approaches

➡ Belief + the study of religion

• Analytical writing

➡ Film Paragraph assignment

• Visitor: Dr. Michael Kaler

➡ Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre

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Belief!

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1. Meaning of “belief”?

2. Theories of belief (+ Lion King!)

3. Belief + the study of religion

Theories of Belief

• Cognitive vs. affective beliefs (p. 117)

• Habitus (p. 125-6)

• Reductionist theories (p. 108-9)

• Non-reductionist theories (p. 111-5)

• Belief and common sense (p. 119-123)

• Cognitive approaches (p. 109-11)

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Reductionist

• Religion is “really” about something else(of THIS world)

• “humans make up images of god for human purposes”

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• Reductionist theories: objects of religious beliefs are constructed by people

➡ “Reduce” god(s) to products of human beings

Study of Religion

• Focus on people, not god(s)

➡ Study of what people do

• EXCEPT . . .

➡ NON-reductionist theorists!

➡ Assume religious beliefs point to reality or “essence” beyond humans

➡ Try to understand that reality (by looking at many people’s religious beliefs, rituals, etc.)

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Cognitive Approaches

• Study of the brain

• Luther Martin ≠ Martin Luther!

• Non-reductionist (Whitehouse)

• Reductionist (Guthrie, Boyer)

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17 18

pareidolia

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21 22

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25 26

Belief and the Study of Religion

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• Protestant Reformation (Christianity)

• Martin Luther: 95 Theses (1517)

➡ Catholic church: institution b/t person and God; “over-emphasis” on rituals

➡ New Testament (Paul): Faith over works:

“You have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

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Belief + Religion

• Tylor: Religion is belief in spiritual beings

• Why this focus?

➡ Protestant Christian view(NOT universal view)

➡ Faith over works

• Scholars of religion from Protestant cultures

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Belief + Religion

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Belief?

• Problems with thinking that religion is all about belief?

1. Language issues involving “belief”

➡ Various meanings in English

➡ No equivalent word for “belief” in some languages

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Belief + Religion

• Problems with thinking that religion is all about belief?

2. Sometimes belief is not (that) important

➡ Different traditions

➡ Different people within the same traditions / communities

Religion + Belief

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Analytical Writing!

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Analytical Writing!1. Film Paragraph

2. Academic integrity

➡ Turnitin.com

3. Grading rubric

➡ Assignment components

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Writing = learning

Use your voice

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Writing is difficultSong!

• “Just about ‘The Only’ Blues” by Lowest of the Low (1991)

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And I don’t know if I’m comingAnd I don’t know if I’m going

There’s a letter I can’t openAnd there’s a song that I can’t write

And there’s a book that I can’t put down

Here comes another sleepless nightWell, sure I’d like to work this all out

But I know I’m not that bright

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Let’s take a walk down to The OnlyAnd drink until our kidneys fail

And you can tell me that you want meAnd I can think about betrayal

You can leave me thinking, drinking all night‘Cause that’s the sharpest nail

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1. Film Paragraph

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• Audience

➡ Knows the film

➡ Does NOT know the theory

➡ Imagine you are writing to a reasonably smart high school student

➡ Importance of clarity

➡ Write to communicate, NOT to impress!

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Film Paragraph

• Analyze film from TA’s list using theory of belief

➡ Cognitive vs. affective beliefs / reductionism / habitus

➡ Question: when you look at the film using a theory of belief, what message do you think the film is promoting?

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Film Paragraph Film Paragraph

• Why this assignment?

➡ Learn a theory by using it (=apply to data)

➡ Learn that religion theories can help us understand stuff not obviously “religious”

➡ Learn to see something familiar (film) in a new way

➡ Have fun!?

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• Assignment documents on Bb (under “Film Analysis”)

➡ Instructions

➡ Grading rubric (include with your assignment)

➡ Advice + sample paragraph

➡ Film Analysis Theories-Belief

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Film Paragraph

• Deadline: 11:59pm on Jan. 26➡ Submit to Bb and turnitin.com

➡ Submission instructions on Bb (under “Film Analysis”)

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Film Paragraph

• Late penalty: 1 mark (out of 20) per day

• Illness, crisis, etc.

➡ Submit assignment as soon as you can

➡ THEN submit documentation to me

➡ Make sure you get help! (e.g., UTM Health & Counselling)

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Film Paragraph

• Due February 16

• Will discuss in class next week

• Will post instructions on Bb soon (and email you when they’re up)

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Final Film Analysis

2. Academic Integrity

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Documenting Sources• When to document sources:

➡ Direct quotes (need quotation marks and citation)

➡ Ideas from texts → i.e., paraphrasing(need citation)

• This course only: when referencing an author that Nye discusses, just cite Nye

• See sample Lion King paragraph for all of the above

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• Use Chicago Manual of Style for citations and bibliography

➡ Author-date

➡ Only source: Nye’s text

➡ Look at sample Lion King paragraph

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Documenting Sources Documenting Sources• Why document sources?

➡ Students: to avoid getting in trouble

➡ Scholars: a) to show that you’re part of a conversation

(“breadcrumbs”); b) to give proper credit to other scholars for

their workc) to tell readers where to find more info on

the topics you’re discussing50

Academic Integrity

• Not okay:

➡ Sharing your written work

➡ Using another student’s written work

➡ Using your work to obtain credit in more than one course

➡ Using another’s ideas without citations

➡ Using another’s words without quotation marks

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Quotes / Paraphrases

• See “Readings on Writing” (RLG101 site)

• Don’t write your paraphrase while looking at the original text

1. Read original

2. Make notes

3. Put original and notes away

4. Write paraphrase

• When in doubt, quote52

Turnitin.com

• Finds matches, gives % overlap

• NO acceptable % of plagiarism allowed

• Can see your own “Originality Report”

➡ Click the “Originality” tab

➡ Can view your report and re-submit your essay UP UNTIL the deadline

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Turnitin.com

• Some kinds of overlap are NOT plagiarism

➡ E.g., quotes (in quotation marks), bibliographies, course titles

➡ Use double quotation marks (like “this”)

➡ Use heading “Bibliography” (w/o quotation marks)

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Examples of text overlaps that are NOT

a problem

3. Grading Rubric

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Grading RubricA. Quantitative (bottom half)

➡ Specific penalties

➡ Objective

➡ Follow instructions

➡ E.g., title page, font, citations, etc.

➡ Use rubric as checklist!

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Grading RubricB. Qualitative (top half)

1. Theory

2. Analysis

3. Support

4. Message

5. Paragraph

6. Writing

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1. Theory1. Explanation of theory

➡ Clarity and accuracy

➡ Quote or paraphrase Nye’s text

2. Use of theory

➡ Demonstrate understanding of theory

➡ Appropriate connection to film

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2. Analysis

• Use of theory to interpret film

➡ Make (and show) discoveries about the film

➡ Go beyond what is obvious

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• Analysis = ARGUMENT

➡ Needs to be supported by evidence and reasoning

➡ Someone could disagree with you

➡ Not about “proving” or “disproving” anything

➡ Say what you really think (follow the data!)

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3. Support

1. Evidence

➡ What happens in the film

➡ Must be objective: e.g., what characters do or say

➡ Be careful re: characters’ feelings or thoughts

➡ Not objective: “Simba doesn’t want to go home.” (Question: how do you know?)

➡ Objective: “When Nala asks Simba to return home, he says no.”

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3. Support2. Reasoning

➡ Do your arguments make sense?

➡ Don’t overstate your conclusions!

➡ Don’t just look for points that support your argument and ignore contradictory evidence

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3. Support

4. Message

• Must have one!

➡ State clearly

➡ Support with evidence from the film

➡ Question: what lesson do you think the film is teaching us?

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5. Paragraph1. Structure:

➡ Introduction (=topic sentence[s] = brief statement of link between theory + film)

➡ Body (=explanation of theory + use of theory to analyze film)

➡ Conclusion (=message of the film)

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5. Paragraph2. Focus:

➡ Use one theory only

➡ Use only relevant points (from Nye and from the film)

➡ Do not summarize the film’s plot

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6. Writing

Trust yourself!

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• Clarity (see Calvin + Hobbes)

➡ Point is to communicate➡ Read sentences out loud

➡ Simplify!!

6. Writing

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6. Use of “I”

• Totally fine!

• If relevant and appropriate!

• I will examine Simba’s transformation in The Lion King . . .

• I think that Scar is a huge jerk.

• In this analysis, one will examine Simba’s transformation during The Lion King . . .

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6. Biased Language

• Mankind / man

➡ Humanity, people

• Man-made

➡ Artificial

• If a person likes ice cream, he should get some

➡ If people like ice cream, they should get some

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• Errors, typos (PROOFREAD!)

• Use present tense

• Colloquial language (“stuff”; “whatevs”; etc.)

• Mechanics (e.g., punctuation)

➡ Book + film titles in italics!

6. Writing

Religion: The Basics

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The Lion King

Good luck with your assignment!

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