Ira Chernus  
PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER

 

EXAM # 1

 

RLST 4820/5820:                                                                                                FALL, 2005

RELIGION AND NONVIOLENCE

 

Choose one (1) of the following statements.  Write an essay explaining why you agree or disagree with the statement, and explain WHY.   Be sure to identify which question you are answering. 

 

1.The history of nonviolence movements in the U.S., from colonial times to the 1930s, can easily give the impression that nonviolence must be linked with left-wing egalitarian politics. It may seem that people who are truly nonviolent will also want to narrow (and perhaps eliminate) the differences in power and wealth that separate people.  But this history does not prove that any that nonviolence must logically involve such an egalitarian trend.  It just turns out that many people drawn to nonviolence also held egalitarian political views. The history of the ideas of nonviolence shows that there is no necessary connection between the two.

 

2. The history of nonviolence movements in the U.S., from colonial times to the 1930s, shows the many different ways in which people have tried to argue logically that principled nonviolence is the best way to live.  What is most striking in this history is the diversity.  There is no single argument or approach to the subject that all these adherents of nonviolence shared in common.  If they could not agree among themselves, this shows that there is no single, coherent, convincing argument for nonviolence.  Therefore, it does not make sense to try to convince someone logically to adopt principled nonviolence. 

 

In each case, in your answer to the question, be sure to explain which of the sentences in the paragraph you think are true, which are not true, and WHY. 

 

This exam covers material studied in class through Sept. 22.  It  is due in class on Sept. 27   (NOT Sept. 28, as syllabus confusingly says). 

 

Essays should be about four (4) typed pages or the equivalent in neat handwriting; all papers double-spaced, please. 

 

I will be happy to discuss your paper with you as you prepare it, either in office hours or by appointment. 

 

 

 

(OVER)

 

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING ESSAY EXAMS

 

There is no "correct" answer to the questions in this course.  The questions are merely a springboard to give you an opportunity to show what you have learned in the course. As in any other academic course, you are being tested on your ability to understand, organize, synthesize, and think logically about the ideas presented in the course.  Therefore, in answering the question, you should show that you have read the assigned readings, attended class, and grasped the main ideas presented in readings and class.  But please remember that your grade is always based on your demonstrated understanding of the course material.  Your primary responsibility in every essay is to show what you have learned in this course.  The more course material you include in your essay, presented accurately and logically, the better your grade will be. 

 

A good essay is written clearly, concisely, and precisely.  It offers a series of general ideas, with each one supported by more specific ideas or evidence, and all the general ideas are arranged in a logical order.  Make sure your essay has a clear logical flow of ideas within each paragraph and from one paragraph to the next.  If your paragraphs could be rearranged in a different order and make just as much sense, your essay is not yet well organized!  A good way to avoid this problem is to write a draft, make an outline of it so that you can see the organization of your essay clearly, then reorganize the outline in more logical form, then write a final draft following the revised outline.  Make every word count, from the very first word; avoid needless introductions and repetitive conclusions.  Make every sentence add a new thought or a new way of supporting a main idea.       

 

You should always show that you can express the main ideas of the course in your own words.  A good way to do this is to assume that you are writing for someone who knows nothing about the subject; imagine you are writing to a parent, a friend, etc.  Do not use lengthy quotations (though you may want to refer to specific pages in the readings in parentheses or footnotes). 

 

THE SAME GUIDELINES WILL APPLY FOR EVERY EXAM.

PLEASE SAVE THIS SHEET FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. 

 

 

EXAM # 2

RLST 4820

RELIGION AND NONVIOLENCE                                                    Spring, 2005

 

 

CHOOSE ONE (1) OF THE FOLLOWING. 

Be sure to identify which question you are answering.

 

A.      In order to have a productive debate, two people must first fully understand each other as fully as possible.  Without such understanding, each person may be criticizing an idea or view that the other person does not really hold.  Gandhi and Niebuhr never met.  If they had, could they possibly have had a productive debate?  Could they have understood each other fully?  Or were their basic assumptions and premises so different that they would simply talk past each other and never really understand the other’s point of view?

To answer this question, identify the most basic or most important points on which Niebuhr and Gandhi disagreed.  In each case, explain each one’s position on that point, then analyze the sources of their disagreement.  Were they actually understanding each other and disagreeing about the same thing?  Or were they starting out from such different premises that they simply failed to understand each other?  After analyzing the examples of disagreement, draw some general conclusions to answer the questions in the first paragraph above. 

 

 

B.        Write an essay evaluating Niebuhr’s critique of Gandhian nonviolence.  Explain the most important (in your opinion) objections or doubts that Niebuhr raises about Gandhi’s nonviolence and evaluate each of the three:  Does Niebuhr treat Gandhi’s ideas fairly and accurately?  In what ways are his criticisms persuasive?  In what ways are they not?  How would Gandhi respond to them?  Be sure to show how Niebuhr’s main points are logically related to each other in the overall context of Moral Man and Immoral Society.  And show how Gandhi’s responses are logically related to each other.  In conclusion, say which one you think makes a more persuasive case, and why. 

 

 

This exam covers material studied in class from September 27 through November 3.  It  is due in class on November 8 (though you are welcome to turn it in earlier). 

 

Essays should be about five (5) typed pages or the equivalent in neat handwriting; all papers double-spaced, please. 

 

Please refer to the guidelines on the back of Exam # 1.  The same guidelines apply for all essays in this course.