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Midterm

8 PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS:

1. Information: Iana Parong

2. Posts: How many posts did you complete? Give the “exact dates” of each when you posted them on the discussion group. (Make sure to copy/paste your post work onto your website; number and date them.)

3. Reading: What reading did you complete in full in this course thus far? Be specific? What reading did you NOT complete? Be very specific.  Do you highly recommend a particular reading…and is there a reading that you think should be replaced?

4. Films:

      Week 1: Baraka, Nicholas of Cusa, Evolution without God, God is Dead, The Myth of Eternal Recurrence, Susan Blackmore on Memes, and Islam and Memes.

      Week 2:

      Week 3:


5. Lectures: Yes, I listened to all of the audio lectures. I would listen to the audio lecture first, then read the material. I believe that listening to the audio before reading gives me a little idea on what the reading is about. Therefore, not all readings will seem that new to me. Yes, your audio lectures are very helpful.

6. Field Trip: What field trip do you plan to complete? Where and when? (Remember that week 4-6 you should be working on your field trip to an Eastern religious center and attending a service of some kind; make sure you have a picture in the report of you at the religious center.)

7. Hours: Honestly, I wasn’t able to put that much time and effort on the first two weeks of class due to some personal issues. So I’m procrastinating on this third week to finish most of the readings, posts and the midterm.

8. Favorite: Of all of the Eastern religions (5 total) which religion do you identify with the most and why? Is there a specific idea or reason why? Explain. Offer insight.


8 ESSAY QUESTIONS:

Midterm Question 1: 

From an academic view point (utilizing the reading week one) answer the following (you might want to write it up in sections):

A. Reading: 

According to the reading for Lesson Plan 1:
  • what is “religion?” (offer 3 definitions and then which is the best one we will use in this class; also very briefly compare cult, sect, established religion)
  • how should we study it? (be clear and use terms from book; which method(s) does the reading advocate?)
  • how did religion start? (discuss and define the main theories of the origins of religions as presented in the reading; this is covered in post 1 as well)
  • what is the social function of religion?
  • and, finally, what is the future of religion? (discuss how do baby boomers and modern religions trends impact religion and its future)
B. Film: 
Did the Baraka film inspire you in any way? Explain which images impacted you and why?


Midterm Question 2: 

A. Reading:

According to the reading for Lesson Plan 2,

  • what are cults, who joins them and why? how should scholars study them?
  • what are memes: define meme theory, the rules of how it works, the implications of it for religion?
  • how does developmental psychology apply to meme theory?
B. Film: 
What does Susan Blackmore argue in her Ted Talk and give some examples she uses.

Midterm Question 3:

A. Reading: Among the eight Indian gurus in the text (read about all of them) choose five to discuss. 

  • Explain in depth who these gurus were (one paragraph for each). 
  • Do you see similarities among them? 
  • Any significant differences? 

B. Films: Now discuss the films on the two gurus: as presented in the videos what is the message of Faqir Chand and of Ramana Maharsi? Discuss what you learned from their film clips? What other guru video did you watch…who was it and and describe it.


Midterm Question 4: 

A. Readings: For this essay you will be offering  a “summary”of the material from the Hinduism reading (sections A-F). The key is that I need to determine based on your writing if the material was read and analyzed in some way. Use Indian terms in writing your essay.This essay takes a bit more time than the other exam essays. 

  • First, define what Hinduism means?  
  • What are the origins of this religion? 
  • What are the beliefs and religious and societal practices of this religion? 
  • What are the main scriptures of this religion? 
  • What are the views of the Divine and the various forms? What is the view of the self and how it relates to Brahman? 
  • Who are the major players or teachers of Hinduism?
B. Films: In this part of the essay outline in essay form the main ideas of the Hindu films assigned. Start with the Michael Wood (concentrate on this one) and tell me what you garnered from this 40 min film.  (Make sure to take notes as you watch this film and be sure to include material from the beginning, middle and end of the film)Next, what did you learn from the other three shorter films on Hinduism?  Among these last three do you have a favorite film….explain why? 
 

Midterm Question 5:

A. Reading:  Utilizing the BBC website on Jainism, give a brief description of this religion:

  • what do Jains believe and what are their ethics; 
  • what is their spiritual goal and who are their religious heroes; 
  • what are the main branches/subdivisions of this religion;
  • what is its history;
  • what is the role of women;
  • what are the customs, worship, etc.;
  • offer any other details and Indian concepts from the BBC website assigned that caught your attention;
  • finally, does this religion seem similar to another Indian religion…briefly explain how.

B. Films: Finally, discuss briefly each of the four short films assigned on the Jain religion. Do you have a favorite…explain.


Midterm Question 6: 
A. Reading: In this essay, drawing from the text SIKHS, I want you to discuss in depth the history and beliefs of Sikhism from a scholar’s perspective:
  • first discuss why it is important to study Sikhism despite a bias against covering it;
  • how did Sikhism start (from a scholar’s point of view, specifically McLeod’s);
  • what are the main beliefs 
  • offer a few of the key historical events of this religion. 
  • next, give a few examples of how a scholar’s view point can challenge a more traditional view. Specifically, offer some examples of how McLeod’s research challenged a more orthodox perspective. 
B. Film: Finally, as an end note to your essay, discuss what you learned about Sikhism from the online video produced by Mt. SAC. 
(Note: I am looking for evidence that you read the assigned text on this religion and I am not interested in a short blurb about Sikhism that is obtained from another outside source.)

Midterm Question 7:
A. Readings: Utilizing the material on Buddhism from the websites assigned discuss the following:  (use any Indian terms and ideas from the reading to illustrate that you read it):
  • from the website the BigView discuss the life of the Buddha, the four noble truths and 8 fold path, main precepts, and other key Buddhist ideas in this essay;
  • next, use the BBC website on Buddhism to discuss all of the subdivisions in Buddhism; 
  • also, choose two more links to investigate on the BBC website (different topics than covered in “the bigview”) and discuss them.
B. Film: Cover the main ideas and insights of the Buddha PBS film (make sure to include ideas from the beginning, middle and end of the film assigned). Finally, what does Karen Armstrong say about the Axial Age and how religions like Buddhism fit into it; more specifically, how might understanding this time period give us insight into the origins of Buddhism?

Midterm Question 8:

A. Reading: Having read Smith’s work on Taoism,  discuss the following (define and use all of the Chinese terms (e.g., wu wei, chi, etc.) offered in the text):
  • what are the different meanings of the Tao;
  • what are the three types of Taoism and give examples and specifics of each;
  • and what are Taoist values.   

B. Films: For the film part of the essay discuss what you learned from John Greene on Chinese thought,  and a little bit about what you learned from film 2.

Post 7: Buddhism

The Buddha discusses the Four Noble Truths. Apply these four truths to your own life or to the modern world.  Next take the 8 fold path….how can you follow this path or a modern person today follow it? Explain. Finally, between Buddhist philosophy and Hindu philosophy which do you philosophically connect with more and why? Explain with some depth.

Post 5: Jainism

In this post topic discuss Jain ethics and then how it impacts their lives at a fundamental level. How might it alter their diet, career choices, social interactions, politics, etc. Next, having read the article on vegetarianism briefly discuss what is the neuro-ethical argument for vegetarianism as presented by Lane and how might match or differ from a Jain’s perspective?  (I need to see that you read the Lane material so give some “specifics and examples” from the article and film….utilizing analogies and examples from the article and film help demonstrate that they were completed in full.) Do you think that a Jain with agree with the article’s premise? Did the article make you think differently about this topic? Explain.

Post 4: Hinduism

In this post essay, imagine you are Hindu. Which concept of the Divine would you follow? Explain why? Which yoga would you practice? Explain why? Which of the six teachers in the article on Hinduism would you follow and explain why? Which religious text would you read and why? Being a Hindu today, what would your daily life be like? Note that the reading assigned for this Lesson Plan can help you answer each of these topics….read it completely before answering this post question.

Post 2: New Religions and Memes

Two topics to discuss: will religion die as Nietzsche predicted and how religion spreads.

Nietzsche argued that religion as we know it was dying. Having read this text what do you think? Is religion on its way out?  Also, the reading discusses meme theory. Do you think meme theory explains the numerical success of some religions. Justify your position with specific ideas from the readings. Use terms/concepts from the book assigned to demonstrate that it was read.

Post 3: Eastern Teachers

There are two topics to discuss: mysticism and favorite religious teacher from text.

According to this reading, what is an Eastern mystic all about? Why are they viewed as important in Eastern thought? Why do they practice meditation and yoga? Does the author think that they are tapping into a mystical realm? Do you think so? Justify your position from ideas from the reading. Finally, do you have some favorite gurus in the book…explain what about them attracted you.

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