Description
Use the book world religions western traditions by amir hussain. Place your thesis statement or main argument as the LAST SENTENCE of your introductory paragraph so your reader (me!) knows exactly what your argument will be at the start of the paper. Your thesis should be an argument about the significance of the ritual, not a value judgment or personal assessment. Your thesis will be based on your source materials. Avoid making generalizations in your essay and be specific (ie. avoid using phrases like “All Christians believe…” or “Muslims all go…”). Try to use your direct quotes affectively and do not use too many. Most of your in-text citations should come in sections where you paraphrase your sources (ie. explain the content in your own words). Each paragraph should have at least one in-text citation, since the information in the paper should be coming from your sources, not your personal experience or knowledge. If you are using APA, please include page numbers in your in-text citations where relevant. You can use primary sources (like the Bible or Quran) but these are NOT academic sources and do not count toward your total number of required academic sources. Additional web sources like church/mosque/synagogue web pages and encyclopedias can also be used IN ADDITION to the academic sources. Students can integrate description and analysis (they don’t have to be in separate sections of the paper) but this is a more difficult approach. And you can organize the essay into as many paragraphs as you wish (but avoid having very long paragraphs, which tend to ramble AND avoid having a lot of very short paragraphs, which tend to interrupt the flow of ideas). Include all sources in your bibliography as a separate page at the end of the essay and do not include an abstract (regardless of which citation style you are using). Look for source materials through the library and if you have trouble, contact the helpful folks at the library. You want to try different search terms (ie. descriptive content can often be found in introductory books on a religious tradition whereas more specific analysis on a ritual can often be found in journal articles). For example, if you are looking for material on Hanukkah, try search terms such as ‘Maccabees’, ‘Second Temple’, ‘Seleucids’, etc. Don’t just look for your chosen ritual. Make an outline and articulate a provisional thesis statement after you complete your research. But remember that you might wish to change or alter this argument after you write the paper. All citations need to be peer reveiwed.