RELI 10
PARTICIPATION - OBSERVATION PROJECT

WHAT YOU MUST DO:

Attend a religious ritual from one of the religions we are studying that you stand "outside." Attend at least twice.

Then interview someone from EITHER of the rituals you attended. This interview is one opportunity to begin engaging in this dialogue.  Possible questions you might ask are: How do they define themselves (i.e. someone might be more than one religion; or might be Jewish but not necessarily attend synagogue)? How did they become a member of the religion? What does it mean to them to be a member of this religion? How do they understand the role, importance, meaning, etc. of the ritual you attended? What do they consider to be the most important part of their religion? What is the role of community in their experience of religion? How do they live their religion everyday? Which dimension of religion is most important to them: ritual and devotional, ethical and legal, philosophical and doctrinal, emotional and sensuous, narrative and mythic, social and institutional.  As you brainstorm some possible questions, also think about questions that have come up for you as we have been studying different religions but which have remained unanswered--this is your chance!

You can tape the interview, take notes during the interview, or (if these methods seem intrusive) write up notes and observations IMMEDIATELY after the interview is over. DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO WRITE THE PAPER--YOU THINK YOU WON'T FORGET, BUT YOU WILL!

WHAT YOU MUST WRITE: Paper #1 has two parts.
PART ONE: RITUAL ANALYSIS (You must use Geertz!)

*** Describe (briefly!) the ritual that you observed (just the high points!) and your reactions to attending a "different" religion from your own. Think about the physical space, how people are positioned with respect each other, and what people do as well as what they say.

Then ***write 3 - 4 pages analyzing the ritual you observed, using the materials we read in class as your guide – especially Geertz! In your analysis you must explain:

1. What is the story that this group of people (or religion) is telling themselves about themselves? BE SPECIFIC! What kind of world is this story unfolding in? Who are its main characters? What are they struggling with? How does the story end? As you answer these questions, consider not just the ideas, but also the motivations, and moods that are being ritually communicated in this story they tell themselves about themselves. (After all, people are more than their heads! They have hearts and feelings; they commit actions in the world).
2. HOW are they telling this story? Remember: some of our most powerful lessons come not from what people say, but from what they do!

A tip: I am not looking for a research paper, where you reiterate for me what we have learned about this religion in class. You are already being tested on that material. What I AM looking for is for you to take what we have learned in class – both the facts about this particular religion as well as the academic ways of approaching religion in general – and make that book knowledge your own by using it to think critically about what you actually saw and experienced at the specific ritual you attended. For example, in learning about Judaism we learned about the importance of the idea of covenant in the stories that Jews tell themselves. Did your experience at a synagogue confirm this? If yes, tell me “how?” The how question is the crucial one.

PART TWO: INTERVIEW ANALYSIS

***Write a transcript of the relevant parts of the interview. Do NOT spend a lot of time on this: the purpose if for me to be able to follow your analysis of the interview (your next step).

***Write 2 pages reflecting upon the interview. Do not fill up the pages telling me what the person said; that is why you are giving me an excerpted transcript. Do tell me what you learned. Do tell me how their perspective is different from and/or similar to readings and class discussions. DO tell me how their understanding of the ritual was similar to or different from the analysis you wrote. Most importantly, do reflect upon your experience of talking to someone of a different faith: in what ways did this interview broaden your ability to dialogue across differences--and why? (if it didn't--analyze why not!) What was most difficult for you--and why? If you had to do this assignment again, how might you try to address that difficulty? 

Extra Credit Opportunity: 2 points for EVERY class reading that you use to analyze the ritual that you observed. (Note: You will receive no credit for citing an article that gives the dates of Muhammad's life, for example. You will receive credit for using materials--either about one of the three religions or from the introductory section of the course--in ways that will help you analyze and interpret what is being ritually communicated in the ritual that YOU observe).
Checklist for what you hand in: Ritual Description ___; Ritual Analysis ____; Transcript ____; Interview Analysis ____.

OPTIONAL RE-WRITE:
You have the option of re-writing Paper One and giving it to me no later than May 11. If you do decide to revise, I will replace the old grade with the revised version IF AND ONLY IF you hand in the original as well (so that I can see if and how you incorporated my feedback).  
BEWARE: I am looking for more than grammar changes here. You really need to re-vision your paper by working more carefully and specifically with the Geertz lens of “a story they tell themselves about themselves”! Make me see the specific story they are telling – and how that story constructs their world!
To help me see your changes, you must indicate in bold (or highlighting) what you have changed. If you have not changed at least 1/3 of your paper, I will not consider it for a grade adjustment. (This option does not apply if you failed to turn Step One in).