this review is from: a guide to writing academic essays in religious studies paperback i have two degrees from private christian institutions in north america and am currently engaged in phd studies in a public university in the uk. I recently came across this book when i was surveying my library's collection of texts on academic writing and critical thinking. This book highlights many of the traps that a person of religious conviction as myself would have when writing essays or theses for a secular, pluralistic institution. In fact, i would say that it is very helpful even for many students in bible colleges and seminaries. The hallmarks of bad scholarship: considerations for advanced students there are many things that are assumed to be universal truths about academic writing, but there are very few places that really identify and articulate those assumptions.

The next chapter helps to highlight the critical eye for texts that are sacred and traditionally understood as authoritative. The third has a really helpful section on differences in writing styles between british english, canadian english and american english another excellent guide for american english is the elements of style: 50th anniversary edition . The author closes his final chapter with helpful guides for avoiding those no no's that we all do in our writing. Another book that i find as incredibly helpful, but that comes from a different angle is: a little exercise for young theologians. This other book trains students of christian theology to humbly bring what is learned in the academia into the pews. Please choose whether or not you want other users to be able to see on your profile that this library is a favorite of yours.

Economic Paper on Outsourcing

Schema:about religious literature authorship schema:about religious literature authorship schema:about religious literature authorship schema:creator scott gregory brown schema:description the essentials of essay writing, for students new to religious studies approaching ancient texts some finer points of writing, for more experienced students the hallmarks of bad scholarship. @en schema:description scott brown explains to undergraduates what they need to know about writing research essays pertaining to religion. Topics include theoretical and methodological assumptions, how to locate appropriate scholarly literature, types of research essays, developing a thesis, the essentials of essay form and content, and much more. @en brown's a guide to writing academic essays in religious studies is not only a readable and reliable guide that one can put into the hands of undergraduates his concluding chapter on the hallmarks of bad scholarship could be read with profit by all those who are concerned to avoid a litany of mistakes in argumentation. Brown is equally attentive to the mechanics of research, drafting and polishing prose, matters of style and format, bibliography and footnotes, punctuation and quotation, and the ultimate goal of producing careful, well documented, and compelling essays. Kloppenborg, professor and chair, department amp centre for the study of religion, university of toronto, canada this handout explains several common writing assignments in religious studies and discusses what is unique about writing in this discipline. Before starting on your writing assignment, you should know that religious studies is an interdisciplinary field, a fact which will shape how you approach your coursework.

Essay Writing Icse

The interdisciplinary nature of religious studies is part of what makes the study of religion so interesting. However, it also makes writing in religious studies challenging because your instructors will expect you to use diverse theories and methods. At the same time that religious studies uses many of the same theories and methods as other fields, it is still its own discipline with unique conventions for writing. Writing for religious studies takes place within a secular, academic environment, rather than a faith oriented community. Religious studies papers, therefore, should not try to demonstrate or refute provocative religious concepts, such as the existence of god or the idea of reincarnation. Such issues are supernatural and/or metaphysical as such, they cannot be proven with evidence that is available to everyone. Religious studies, in contrast, aims to understand religion from a perspective that can be shared by all.

Dissertation Program Evaluation

You may be wondering, how do i go about investigating religious material without employing a religious perspective? remember religious studies is interdisciplinary, so there are multiple modes of investigation, including literary, historical, cultural, sociological, and anthropological. These approaches tend to contextualize religious phenomena, such as beliefs and rituals. You might, therefore, investigate how nietzsche questioned the existence of god or a particular buddhist’s conception of reincarnation. In other words, your reader will likely be more interested in what a particular historical figure, community, or text reveals about these beliefs than in what you actually believe. Every religion arises within a particular context, which affects the development of that religion. When you explore a religion’s context, seemingly mystifying aspects of the tradition can become more comprehensible. This distinction is especially important when analyzing evidence and making arguments.

While personal bias is unavoidable, it is critical to be alert to your own preconceptions. If you base your argument on personal beliefs rather than reasoned evidence, then it will not convince readers who do not share your assumptions. Thus, neither faith nor received tradition such as the lessons you may have been taught in a religious institution constitutes a valid basis for an argument in academic writing.

If you do your best to set aside personal convictions, your final product should be a reasoned argument that gives no indication of your own religious beliefs. The interdisciplinary nature of religious studies is reflected in the diversity of writing assignments. If you are not sure about the nature of your assignment, you can consult our handout on understanding assignments or speak with your instructor you might be working on a project that is not discussed here.

Critical Essay Checklist

Here are some common assignments: comparative essays require that you discuss similarities and differences between the topics you compare, and that your discussion relates to particular theory. In other words, your comparative essay must be more than a list of similarities and differences. Your comparisons should support a theoretical point or issue that is broader than the items under examination. For example, if you decide to compare chinese folk rituals for honoring ancestors and hindu rituals for honoring deities, you could explain that each ritual is similar in that they usually involve food and candles or lamps.

Chinese rituals, however, usually occur without an altar, while hindu rituals require one. In addition to describing these similarities and differences, you should also discuss what your comparison reveals about food and altars relative to a particular theory of ritual. The theoretical issues of food, altars, and rituals can form the analytical core of your paper.

A thesis sentence for the example above might read: even though chinese rituals for honoring ancestors and hindu rituals for honoring deities both involve food offerings, the differences between these rituals regarding their need for an altar demonstrate that rupert hemingway’s theory of ritual sacrifice cannot account for cross cultural variations in ritual practices. In sum, a good comparative essay should: describe each thing that you compare in terms of the social, historical, and cultural environment to which it belongs. Explain the larger theoretical point or issue that forms the analytical core of your essay. Compare each thing with the others at the descriptive level to identify their similarities and differences, and individually compare each thing with your paper’s larger theoretical issue. Conclude your paper by explaining what your comparisons at both the descriptive and theoretical levels reveal about the broader theoretical point. Writing for religious studies may also involve critical analyses of sacred and/or traditionally authoritative texts. While a critical reading of a sacred text might seem irreverent, the point is not to criticize the text, but to respectfully discern the different aspects of its meaning.