journal evidenced based analysis 1
PRE-CLASS JOURNAL:
Every week, in preparation for class, students will write a pre-class journal entry between 300 and 500 words written in paragraph form using proper sentence structure and grammar. This entry is not as formal as an academic essay, but it should demonstrate a clear effort to organize one’s thoughts.
The journal entry for each week should do the following:
- Summary (1-2 paragraphs depending on the number of readings): Provide a comprehensive summary for each of the readings (primary and secondary). The summary should explain the main idea of the reading.
2. Analysis (1-2 paragraphs): Offer an analysis on the readings that identifies one major themes in the reading as it relates to questions of religious imagination or worldview. Name specific events, characters, tone, setting, and/or other elements of the reading as evidence that clearly supports your reading.
EVIDENCED-BASED ANALYSIS: After class weeks 1-7, students will complete an analytical reflection in which they identify one idea for further exploration or research. The reflections should be approximately 500 words, written in complete sentences and properly formatted. Students must complete 4 analyses.
(1) identify a common element or theme in two or more of the readings for the week
(2) explain where this element/theme occurs in each of the readings
(3) cite one passage or quotation from one of the readings that clearly provides evidence to support your claim that this element/theme is held in common. Use in-text citations with page numbers to document evidence.
(4) in your own words, reconnect the quotation cited to your main idea, making it clear why this quote or passage is good evidence to justify your claim
(5) repeat steps 3 and 4 for each reading you are examining
(6) despite the above commonality, briefly identify one fundamental difference in the way this element or theme emerges in the readings (such as the way a different historical or cultural context engenders a different emphasis on the theme)
Readings 1-2
Hinduism is the primary religious tradition of India. It is often considered one of the world’s oldest religions, as the hymns of the Vedas (its set of sacred texts) date back to at least 1000 BCE (and in some cases earlier). This week, read the hymn of Pursha the Cosmic Man under the title “Creation of the Universe” in the attached excerpt from the Rig Veda (arguably Hinduism’s most sacred text) Rig Veda selections.pdf. Also read the Book 10.129 hymn of creation/ Note, there are multiple hymns about creation in the Vedas that inform the Hindu cosmology (order of the cosmos) and its pantheon (group of gods). https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10129.htm (Links to an external site.) https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10129.htm
Reading 3
This week, we will also explore the later creation story of Shintoism. Shinto is the religion of Japan. It emerged from a combination of Japanese ancestral religion and Buddhist thought (which developed out of early Hindu beliefs and practices). While the Japanese Creation Story is much “newer” than the Vedas, pay attention to what makes this creation story different and what makes it similar from the Rig Veda and/or other creation myths you have read thus far. https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/11/14/japanese-creation-myth-712-ce/ (Links to an external site.) https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/11/14/japanese-creation-myth-712-ce/
