Hidden Meaning behind Yin and Yang

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-hidden-meanings-of-yin-and-yang-john-bellaimey#review

Tao of Pooh Video

Tao of Pooh for the Seniors

my wife says I pronounced "contemplative" incorrectly. My apologies.

Taoism Reading Questions

The Dao (pp. 1515-1519 & 1526-1530) (Book 1)
page 1514

•Define, in detail and your own words, the Dao.

•Compare and contrast the ideas (not the ease of reading) of Laozi & Zhuangzi.

•Evaluate the meaning of the seemingly abstract and contrasting poems in the Dao De Jing. (Pick one or two good examples and analyze them, specifically.)

•Discuss the importance of animals and their interactions in the understanding of Daoism.

•Examine the commentaries of both works on the relationship and role of humans and the natural world

•Deduce the importance of parables in the work of Zhuangzi. To what extent do this make Daoism less classical and what are the ramifications of this?

De & the state of perfection (pp. 1521-1525 & 1530-1531) (Book 2)

•Explain the difference between Dao and De.

•Evaluate the impact of how Laozi’s more concrete commentary on virtue effects Classical Daoism.

•Some scholars have argued that originally the work was written/orally told with Book 2 (De) first and then later changed so that the book on the Dao would come first. To what extent would this change one’s understanding of Daoism?

•Explain the “Parable of Knives” in the context of virtue and its oneness with the Dao.

•Define heaven in the terms of Classical Daoism

•To what extent is Zhuangzi a better textual source for the religion than Laozi; but, why is Laozi considered more authoritative?

Exam Format

Paper 1:

• Answer 5 Questions total 
• At least 1 from each section (3 sections)
• These are the questions that quote sacred texts and have a 
• knowledge and understanding component (3 marks)
• analysis and application (7 marks)
• Paper 1 part b Rubric

Part 2

• Answer 2 Questions Total 
• 1 from each section 
• These are the free response questions that will look at:
• incorporating as many of the 5 themes (rituals, sacred texts, doctrines and beliefs, religious experience, &ethics and moral conduct ) as possible 
• **There is an open-ended question that is also an option for each section 
• Paper 2 Rubric

Past Exams

You want review? I got your review right here.....

Taoism PowerPoint

Judaism: an Introduction

Hinduism: an Introduction

Buddhism: an Introduction

Buddhism: In Depth

Islam: In Depth

Christianity: a history

Christianity: an introduction

Buddhism Review: Student Project

Hinduism Review: Student Project

Judaism Review (Student Project)

Islam Review (Student Project)

Religion in the News

The Divide over Islam and National Laws in the Muslim World

Tao of Pooh and Other Resources

Tao of Pooh

The Basics of Taoism (supplemental reading - for booklet)

Taoism Initial Reading  (supplemental reading WITH questions)

Taoism Vocabulary

Taoism: Basics and Intro

Taoism: Questions and Practices


Juniors: 
1. Initial Reading
2. Tao of Pooh 

• In the format of "Paper People"  - explain from your reading and understanding of The Tao of Pooh what the major principles of Taoism are. Use examples and quotes from the book to aid your explanation. Then, to what degree do you accept or reject the major principles of Taoism? 

3. Paper People Project (Friday)

Seniors:
1. Taoism Initial Reading
2. Taoism: Basics and Intro
3. Applying Taoism (see Basics and Intro PPT)
4. Taoism for Dummies Booklet (see Basics and Intro PPT - FRIDAY)

Homework: due 4/27

Read Huston Smith's chapter on Taoism. Be prepared to discuss the following questions:

Reading: Chapter V

Opening Words

Without opening your door,
you can open your heart to the world.
Without looking out your window,
you can see the essence of the Tao.
The more you know,
the less you understand.
The Master arrives without leaving,
sees the light without looking,
achieves without doing a thing.
—from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu,

translated by S. Mitchell

Questions for Discussion

1. What do you find most appealing or intriguing about Taoism, based on your reading? What

do you find difficult to accept or understand?


2. Huston Smith says that Tao is “the way of ultimate reality” (p. 198). It is also “the way of the

universe” and “the way of human life.” What is your understanding of the Tao? How is the

Tao different than, or similar to, the idea of God?


3. Ch’i is the generic Chinese term for vital energy, and Taoism advocates various techniques

for increasing the flow of ch’i, for example, through nutrition, tai chi chuan, and acupuncture.

Is there any Western equivalent for the concept of ch’i? How do diet, exercise, and health

practices affect your own spiritual well-being?


4. Popular Taoism, according to Smith, includes many elements that might be considered

magical, for example, astrology, divination, and psychic healing (p. 205). Do you believe in

magic? Why or why not?


5. “Creative quietude” or wu wei is at the essence of philosophical Taoism (p. 207). What is

your understanding of wu wei? Can you offer examples from your own experience of the

power of “creative quietude”?


6. Define yin and yang. Is it a help or a hindrance to speak of “masculine” and “feminine”

spiritual energies?


7. Smith says that “in the Taoist perspective good and evil are not head-on opposites. The West

has tended to dichotomize the two, but Taoists are less categorical” (p. 215). Are some

actions intrinsically good and others intrinsically evil, or are all values relative and

contextual?


8. According to Smith, the symbol for Taoism is a circle, suggesting that “life does not move

onward and upward toward a fixed pinnacle or pole. It bends back upon itself” (p. 215). Is the

life journey one of forward progression toward a goal, or one that ventures outward only to

return to its own origins?


9. Humor and play seem to be an important part of Taoist teachings (p. 217). Can you think of

any other religious traditions that place a high value on being lighthearted?


10. What other questions do you have about Taoism?

Closing Words

There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.

—from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu,

translated by S. Mitchell

Religion in the News....

Abraham Lincoln's Seder Dinner

Chinese Robot Monk

Passover: Customs and Rituals

0. 1. What is the human condition?
   Humans must strive to submit themselves to the will of God for, without divine guidance, they are likely to stray from the path of prescribed and prohibited actions that God has set out in order to prevent moral error.
   2. Where are we going?
   
• For the faithful, to eternal janna (paradise), by obedience to God’s will
  
• By disobedience to God’s will, to jahannam (hell), which is reserved for those whom God has decided to punish for a time for committing grave sins and not repenting
  3. How do we get there?
  We attain salvation via submission to God’s will. This may be achieved by:
  
• acknowledging tawhid (the oneness of God) and submitting to his will, as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and his prophets
  
• believing in God, the scriptures, angels, jinns and akhira (life after death)
  
• living according to the Qur’an and the divinely inspired sayings of the Prophet Muhammad
  
• practising the Five Pillars of Islam, the obligations prescribed in the Qur’an for individual Muslims. 
  

Paper 1 Quotes

“This is the Book [al-kitab], in it is guidance, without doubt, to those who are righteous, who believe
in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer [salat] and spend of what We have provided for them, and who
believe in the revelation sent to you and sent before your time, and in their hearts have the assurance
of the Hereafter.”  Qur’an 2:2–4


“O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His messenger, and the scripture which He has sent to His messenger, and the scripture which he sent to those before him. Any who denies Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Day of Judgment, has gone far, far astray.”

Qur’an 4:136

Wow..

Iran and Saudi Arabia meet to discuss Hajj

HW 4/18 - Islamic Law

Sharia Handout

article - Sharia Law (answer questions #1-7)

Origins of Islamic Law

Islam Test - Friday, April 22

Format:

• 3 Fundamental Questions  fill in the blank  /18 points 
• Vocabulary matching/32 points
• "Paper 1" Questions  2 Questions/20 points
• "Paper 2" Question (handout from last week on controversial issue)written response /20 points 

Total: 90 points

Sharia Law HW: 5 points 

Participation in Islam Hexagon Board Narrative: 5 points 

Koran By Heart - A Documentary

Focus Question: In what ways is recitation of the Qur’an a spiritual experience?

additional resources - Current Events - conflicts in Middle East

http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/programs/islam-and-world-politics/list/essays

Sufism

Question: Analyse the mystical experience of the Sufi dancers.

Sufism Excerpt 1

Sufism Excerpt 2

Sufi Dance 1

Sufi Dance 2

Sunni-Shia Divide

*Note: I found an updated resource (the NPR series was from 2007)

Objective: To understand the origins and key events  of the Sunni-Shiite split. Aim to develop an appreciation for the controversy that surrounds this topic in the world today

Task: Create a basic outline that includes the details. Outline should follow the following format:

I. Title

A. Subheading

1. info info info

2. info info info

Sunni and Shia (optional to include)

Council on Foreign Relations (mandatory)

Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam (pgs)334-337 (optional to include)

We will aim to use these outlines to discuss the following question: 
The origin of the Sunni-Shia conflict in early Islamic history was a difference of opinion on how leaders of the Muslim community should be selected. Do those origins relate directly to existing Sunni-Shia conflicts today? If so, demonstrate the connections between the origins and the current conflicts. If not, discuss what Sunni and Shia identity have come to mean in those conflicts today.

Vocab List for Islam

Vocab List

Huff Post Article - Place in India where religions coexist and gender equality is unmatched

For your reading pleasure

Qur'an and Hadith - Sacred Texts Homework and Koran by Heart link

Handout

Please do the following:
1. Complete the handout
2. Pick one of the 5 areas discussed in the handout and find a current events article which touches on your respective topic. Bring the article (or send me the link) to class to share.
3. Due the first A day back!

Koran By Heart (view for pleasure -optional)

Approaching the Qur'an - due Tuesday!

Reading Handout

Instructions: Please read the handout and feel free to take notes that could contribute to our discussion of important concepts and relationships among the different themes.

Islam Sources

Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam

Huston Smith - Islam (from your supplemental reading)

Internal Assessment Rubric

Rubric

Paper 1 Quotes (March 4th)

“And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, ‘Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth’.” Genesis 1:27–28

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you
today in your heart.”
Deuteronomy 6:2–4

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some
to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky,
and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12:2–3

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the
commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your
God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall
live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering
to possess.”
Deuteronomy 30:15–16

One thing have I desired of the YHVH, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the YHVH all the days of my life, to contemplate/meditate on the beauty of the YHVH, and to inquire in his temple. (Psalms 27:4)

Reminder: Due Dates!!

March 2: Criteria D of IA

March 4: Paper 1 Questions (in class)

March 4: Textbook Page Design due!

March 18th: Paper 2 Group Questions due for Judaism (see previous post)

March 22nd: Final IA due!!!



Judaism Test Breakdown:
20 points - Vocabulary
30 points- Paper 1 - responses will be graded using the Paper 1 Rubric
40 points - Paper 2 (Group Grade) **responses will be graded using the Paper 2 Rubric
10 Points - 3 fundamental Questions

New Videos - What is the Human Condition, Where are we going?, How do we get there?

Video 1

Video 2

Internal Assessment - Final Due Date

all FINAL copies of the Internal Assessments are due March 22nd!!

Judaism Assessment - due March 18th

from Job (pp. 139-143);

from Ecclesiastes (pp. 144-146);

from Jerusalem by Mendelssohn (pp. 522-524);

from The Religious Significance of the State of Israel by Leibowitz (pp. 690-694);

“A History of Antisemitism”—this is not in the textbook, but can be found on my website

Prepare for the following command prompts on this assessment:

• ·         Christian theologian C.S. Lewis explored the idea of why bad things happen to good people, or what he called, “the problem of pain.” In his essay by the same names he says: “If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain? And what of the suffering of animals, who neither deserve pain nor can be improved by it?” Explain the commentary on this subject in the books of Job & Ecclesiastes. To what extent do they attempt to reconcile this problem?
• 
  
•      Discuss the importance of the fact that Job is not an Israelite and the impact of that fact on Judaism. Examine Job’s relationship with YHWH and His response.

·         Examine a detailed exegesis on the book of Ecclesiastes. Explain why and how this book may seem out of sync with other ideas in Judaism?

• Compare and contrast the ideas found in the Tanakh with those of Mendelssohn’s a few thousand years later. Deduce how and why Judaism changed within that period.

·         Carefully examine and comment on the progression of Zionism throughout the centuries. To what extent is this a reflection of history compared to hagiography?

·         Examine how Leibowitz roots his argument about the state of Israel in the Tanakh, the Talmud and other Jewish and rabbinical thinking. Evaluate the strengths and weakness of this argument from both a religious and historical/political point of view.

·         Examine the idea that Judaism is a culture as well as a religion. Compare and contrast the founding, ideas, and differences between the two. To what extent does this seem to be  a necessary fabrication based in 2,000+ years of antisemitism?

Hey alright!

Check it out!

Harvard Launches Free Online Class to Promote Religious Literacy

Criterion C: Summary of Significant Findings

I have posted comments in powerschools. FYI.

Matt Harris - did I receive your Summary of Significant Findings? Please email/share another copy.

Max????

Moses Sources

Moses in the Bible and Beyond

The Torah of Moses

Inspiration

Homework 2/17 (due 2/19 in class)

Topic:What is the human condition? Samuel, Saul, David, & Solomon

Focus Question: To what extend is David more important to Judaism than Moses? Explain and defend your answer in detail with specifics.

Context: 
•After receiving the promised land, a series of great Jewish leaders emerges

•This is where hagiography and history merge:

–Samuel, a prophet, is told to find David to become king of the Jews

–David beats Goliath to earn the respect of the Jews and becomes king

–David is considered the great king of the Jews and ushers in a golden age; conquered Jerusalem and made it the holy city  of the Jews

–After a series of events, he is succeeded by the wise Solomon, who built the first Jewish temple

•We know for a fact that Solomon and David were real people 

Assignment: Select an article to read.  When reading, take notes in the form of one of these methods (please do not do "telescopic topics"). 

Exodus Historical Research

Handout

NC Museum of History Alternative Assignment Opportunities!!!!

Film and Discussion: Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten

Sunday, February 7, 2–5 p.m.

Not rated; run time: 120 min.

Cash Michaels, Wilmington Journal, and Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President/CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

The Wilmington Ten: eight black students, a white female community organizer, and civil rights activist Chavis—convicted of firebombing and burning down a grocery store as well as a variety of shootings during 1971 protests for equal education in New Hanover County. This is the story of battles to clear their names that lasted for three decades. Staff writer Michaels will lead a panel discussion featuring Rev. Dr. Chavis after the film.

Jamming with Melvin Parker: Life on the Road with James Brown 

Thursday, February 11, 6 p.m.

Melvin Parker, Drummer

Parker, a native of Kinston, started playing with singer—and founding father of funk—James Brown during the 1960s. Among the music Parker will perform in this special one-hour jam session are “Out of Sight”; “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”; and “I Got You/I Feel Good”—all recorded in 1964 and 1965. 

African American History Highlights Tours

Saturday, February 13 or 27, 1:30–2:30 p.m.

These docent-led tours visit exhibits throughout the museum to highlight some of the contributions made by African Americans to North Carolina history. 

Music of the Carolinas: Amythyst Kiah 

Sunday, February 14, 3 p.m.
Free tickets for this concert are distributed while they last beginning at 2 p.m.

Kiah is an alternative-country blues singer and songwriter who fuses traditional old-time music with R&B and country sounds from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s to create a contemporary style that leaves the original song’s integrity but results in a new powerful, soulful rendition. 

Film Screening: Rosenwald

Sunday, February 28, 3 p.m.
Not rated; run time: 90 min.

Julius Rosenwald never finished high school, but he became president of Sears, Roebuck & Company and gave away $62 million in his lifetime. Much of his philanthropy went to communities across the South to build African American schools during Jim Crow. A discussion with alumni from some Triangle-area Rosenwald schools will follow the screening.

Exhibit Closing: Hey America!: Eastern North Carolina and the Birth of Funk

Sunday, February 28, 5 p.m.

See the roles that some African American musicians from eastern North Carolina played in the creation of funk—a genre of highly danceable music that helped integrate dance floors across America during the middle and late 1960s. The lobby case exhibit closes at the end of the day. Visit the webpage for Hey America!

To earn credit: students must come back with evidence that they went to the event and participate in a reflection with Mr. Beller

15 Minute History - Podcasts

How Jews Translate the Bible and Why

*Hang tight - this will probably turn into an alternate assignment* Until then, this is for your listening pleasure.

Vocabulary Quiz

Friday 2/12

HW: due 2/8

Covenant Passages

Students should finish Midrash presentations - be ready to present MONDAY!! (Presentations are 40 points)

We will push our Paper 1 assignments to a FLEX period.

After presentations, we will continue to examine the question, "Why are we here?"

Sample IAs

sample IAs (best and worst)

Practice Scoring

IA Upcoming due dates!

2/4 : Criterion A and B due!

HW due 2/2

We will have our fundamental questions quiz.

We will discuss The Creation readings.

Homework due 1/29

• Fill in the Blank Quiz (3 Fundamental Questions)

• Vocabulary Due 

• Creation according to the Midrash - please READ this selection - we will use the discussion questions from The Creation handout on 1/25 and discussion questions centered on The Midrash to drive our discussion. 

3 Fundamental Questions (Quiz and Vocab Due on Friday!)

 1. What is the human condition? 

• God created humans in his image and endowed them with free will, which leads to a constant choice between yetzer ha-ra (bad inclinations) and yetzer ha-tov (good inclinations). 

2. Where are we going? 

• Judaism emphasizes observance in this life rather than elaborating on the hereafter. 
• There is, however, the expectation of a Messianic age of peace and justice for humankind in this world and a belief in Olam Ha-Ba (the world to come). 

3. How do we get there? 

• We accomplish this through living a life in accordance with God’s will and in readiness for the coming of the Messianic Age. 
• This will be achieved by: 

• being the House of Israel or Chosen People 

• obeying all the mitzvot (commandments) of the Covenant that God has revealed in the Torah 

• living according to the Shema.

Free Will in Judaism

There was some discussion regarding free will and an all knowing, powerful God in Judaism. I have posted the hits I got from myjewishlearning.com (suggested by Rabbi) and the first article suggested.

Search Results

Article 1

1/25 Classwork

Use the following handouts (they have been scanned - they aren't perfect, but they'll do) to answer the questions below. Note please use one of two accepted formats:

a) Answer in complete sentences 

b) Write out question and answer in bullet point 

History of the Jews

1. Comment on the importance of the origins and culture of Jewish society in relation to the religion.

2. Distinguish between being an Israelite and being Jewish. 

3. Outline the differences between the first temple period, the second temple period, diaspora and modern times. 

4. Explain the impact of Israel's history on the development of Judaism. 

5. Analyze the importance of the Ashkenazic Jews to Judaism. 

6. To what extent have the other Western Religion's (Christianity and Islam) acerbic interactions with Judaism contributed to the formation of its religious identity? 

Creation

1. Compare and contrast the two different creation stories and their emphasis at the beginning of Genesis

2. Analyze the social and historical relevance of Eve's creation in comparison to Adam 

3. Explain God's covenant with Abraham

4. Deduce the importance of circumcision to the covenant.

5. To what extent is God's covenant with Abraham similar to deals made with Adam and Eve?

Reminder!!

Make sure you have gone to the online forum ( http://2015-2016-wr.freeforums.net/thread/1/welcome-new-forum) and posted your answers to the 3 fundamental questions by Monday!!

Scholarly Resources

Helpful link: http://guides.library.cornell.edu/c.php?g=31867&p=201759


 How about reference works like Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica? Let's take Wikipedia first. A wiki is a community-edited document, one which anyone can add to or change. That's not exactly peer review, because the reviewers aren't necessarily people who have studied an area. Wikipedia might, though, give you ideas to follow up elsewhere, and that's fine. But I wouldn't use it as a scholarly source. Encyclopedia Britannica: It has a real editorial staff, and high quality articles. It is, however, a general encyclopedia, and so its purpose is to meet the needs of a general audience, not a specialist audience. For philosophy, for instance, it is a better idea to use either the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, or one of the two major on-line encyclopedias of philosophy (which are, by the way, reviewed), theStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and theInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.  (https://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~janzb/courses/scholarly1.htm_)

Warm Up: Judaism: 3 Fundamental Questions

Go to: http://2015-2016-wr.freeforums.net/  and join the forum

Take out your HW (both text and Huston Smith) How would a follower of Judaism answer the following questions?:

1. What is the human condition?

• human nature? position in the universe, metaphysical position, is human nature good or bad? what is the struggle? why are we here? What does it all mean? (when I feel pain what does it mean?, etc.)
• who are we? what are our human flaws?
• good vs. evil
• what is the nature of our character?
• what is our relationship to divine, transcendence

2. Where are we going?

• what are we striving for? What is our destiny based on our understanding of the human condition?
• is it a group journey? is it an individual journey? What is “I”?
• In order be “be one of those” you got to do this
• what the heck am I supposed to be doing in this world to make me worthy to be in some relationship to God?
• Goal of the journey

3. How do we get there?

• the “to do” list
• how do we fix problem we encountered in the first question?
• the method
• if this (#2) is going to happen to me when I die, what do I need to do to get there?

For each response, provide a short rationale - (For example: what evidence are you using? Where are you placing your emphasis/What is important to understanding Judaism?, etc.)

Judaism: Vocabulary due January 29th

Task: Note cards should be completed for each unit.  Pick from both the textbook vocabulary, those provided by IB, or your own. The front should include the key concept or term, religion, and source.  On the back first list some evidence, then analyze why the term or concept was significant.  All the cards need to be handwritten and initialed in ink.

We will have a vocabulary and fundamental questions quiz on January 29th

Key Concepts

Text

• Torah
• Kosher
• Anti-Semitism
• Talmud
• Exodus
• Mishnah
• Holocaust

IB

• B'rit or Covenant
• Mitzvah (pl: mitzvot)
• Halakhah (pl: halakhot)
• Mashiach
• Israel
• Kedushah
• Teshuvah
• Shekhinah
• Tikkun olam
• yetzer ha-ra
• yetzer ha-tov
• Olam Ha-Ba
• Shema

Huston Smith Judaism Chapter

Begin your reading of Smith. You task is to focus on the main ideas of each of Smith’s sections. For each section (the Bolded Titles within the chapters) you are to come up with the FIVE main ideas of that section. To do this you are to make a question out of the heading – the five points should address the question or help answer the question. When you complete the section, you are to develop a thesis statement / summary of the section. 

Internal Assessment - additional information (quoted from IBO teacher support material)

Purpose: The internal assessment task is integral to the world religions course as a whole and reflects the development of the student throughout the course. The internal assessment task is a small-scale piece of individual research derived from a combination of personal quest and preliminary reading that requires critical reflection and evaluation. 

Using internet sources: The internet is a valid research tool, however, the sources used must be sound academic ones and demonstrably relevant to the key research question. They must also show that the student is aware of the broad academic context within which the key research question is located. Internet sources used must be cited correctly in the body of the text of the written analysis and fully referenced in the references (section E). Recent publications may not be available on the Internet. Therefore, students are advised to research beyond the Internet for publications relevant to their student. 
World Religions Subject Guide

Suggested Word Count per Criterion:
* Criterion A = 8 marks 475 words +/- 
* Criterion B = 3 marks 180 words +/- 
* Criterion C = 6 marks 355 words +/- 
* Criterion D = 10 marks 600 words +/- 

These figures are for an IA that is 1600 words long. 

IB Tips/Suggestions (per heading)

A. Rationale and preliminary research: The rationale should include discussion as to why the topic chosen is of significance as an area of inquiry. The discussion of the preliminary research should include the works you have consulted that will provide the basis of the literature review for your inquiry. These should include a full range of resources including scholarly works and, if appropriate, scripture.

B. Plan for Study: The plan for study should provide the reader with an account of how you planned your inquiry and give a step-by-step description with a justification for the plan devised.

C. Summary of significant findings: The summary of significant findings should reflect evidence gathered in the fieldwork and its relationship to the literature reviewed as part of the preliminary research. Thorough referencing to both the fieldwork and the literature should be made by citation to support the findings.

D. Critical reflection and evaluation: The critical reflection section needs to show a conceptual awareness of the area of study and how the inquiry undertaken contributes to that. It also needs to present a reflection on how you planned your study, to what extent that was appropriate, how you might now have done it differently and what further questions your findings have raised.

E. References and compliance with format: Titles, citations/references, bibliography and appendices are not included in the word count. Any system of referencing can be used but it must be consistently used throughout the written analysis. Unacknowledged references may lead to a charge of plagiarism. It is expected that a comprehensive list of references that reflects wide preliminary reading will be presented. Appendices can be used to present questions asked at interviews, for example.

Tips from Dr. Osgood (IB World Religions Guru)

• purpose: for you to find out why people do what they do or struck by something you really yearn to learn more about
• what religion are you interested in learning more about?
• start with that and move deductively
• Judaism
• what’s interesting to you?
• is there something that Jews DO that is interesting to you? Something in the Torah that is ………
• so what do you want to know about .________
• tattoos - to what extent do jews think that tattoos are bad
• access to resources
• cannot do history and world religions
• Types of Thinking
• personal - rationale (got to work out what this means)
• metacognitive-yearning -- why is it that this is so personally important to you
• organizational
• foundational
• scholarly research
• interpersonal
• practice asking the interviewer to cooperate, sending a thank you note, etc
• summative
• critical reflection
• evaluation
• was my research, data, collection strong?
• You can write in first person
• authenticity and voice at each part
• preliminary research - what you have to do before you go out and do your fieldwork
• take the vocabulary in your question and define it
• encyclopedias, dictionaries, lower level reading
• establishes clarity and definition or a term or terms
• it’s a report
• Part A is two parts - your relationship to the question and what you know about the vocabulary in the question
• 3-5 scholarly sources
• requirement: minimum 1 quote from sacred text and interpretive commentary
• interview of a person of authority
• Criterion B: Plan for Study
• what are you doing
• why are you doing it
• how are you doing it
• **think about resources and how they are going to encounter them**
• scope= how broad am I going with it//boundaries
• Criterion C: Summary of significant findings
• summarize what people have said to you
• David said………. Bobby disagreed………….Overall, it seems that the group…
• no emotion- narrative voice
• Criterion D:
• critically reflect - one paragraph
• provide more evidence that you have come to understand
• identify misconceptions and inconsistencies as a result - evaluation
• evaluate what you actually did
• understand the degree - one paragraph
• justifying future research - what next??
• In ABCD you type and bold  the research question