| Ira Chernus PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER |
Scroll down for Exams # 2 and 3
EXAM # 1`
RLST 4800: RELIGION AND NONVIOLENCE SPRING, 2008
Imagine that you are Gandhi and that you have just read Niebuhr's Moral Man and Immoral Society. Now you want to offer a rebuttal. But since you are Gandhi, you must first be sure that you have clearly heard and understood your opponents viewpoint. Choose the three (3) most important points of Niebuhr's argument that you (Gandhi) would most want to refute. Explain Niebuhr’s argument on each point clearly. Then offer your best Gandhian arguments against Niebuhr.
In conclusion, stop being Gandhi and become yourself again and explain which view, Gandhi's or Niebuhr's, you find most persuasive, and WHY.
Essays should be about five (5) pages, double-spaced.
This essay is due in class on Thursday, February 21.
I will be happy to discuss your paper with you as you prepare it, either in office hours or by appointment.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING ESSAY EXAMS
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. On some occasions you may be asked to write about your own personal experiences or feelings. 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 make an outline before you write your final draft, so that you can see the organization of your essay clearly. 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).
Your essay exams will be graded by your recitation instructor. It will be to your advantage to discuss the course material as fully as possible with your instructor, both in class and outside of class. It makes a lot of sense to discuss the ideas BEFORE you write the essays, though you are also encouraged to discuss the essays after they are returned to you with comments. We will be happy to discuss your exam with you, or go over a preliminary draft, during office hours or at other times by appointment. See the syllabus for office hours and phone numbers.
THE SAME GUIDELINES WILL APPLY FOR EVERY EXAM.
PLEASE SAVE THIS SHEET FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
EXAM # 2`
RLST 4800: SPRING, 2008
RELIGION AND NONVIOLENCE
Write an essay of about four (4) pages, explaining why you agree or disagree with the following statement:
Whenever Martin Luther King, Jr. encountered two opposite intellectual views, he tried his best to find a way to accept both views and put them together in a synthesis, without making any fundamental change to either of the alternatives. In his sermons, speeches, and writings, King applied this approach successfully to the thought of Gandhi and Niebuhr. He was able to reconcile ALL of the truly important differences between those two thinkers, who influenced him so greatly.
Essays should be about four (4) pages, double-spaced.
This essay is due in class on Thursday, April 3.
Please refer to the Guidelines distributed with Exam # 1. They apply equally to this exam.
I will be happy to discuss your paper with you as you prepare it, either in office hours or by appointment or via email.
RLST 4800: SPRING, 2008
RELIGION AND NONVIOLENCE
We have studied five important theorists of religion, exploring how each set of theories might (or might not) be fruitfully applied to the life and work of Gandhi and King. Write a brief essay explaining some of the most useful insights about Gandhi and King that you have gained from this section of the course. You may also wish to reflect on the ways that the theories we have studied fail to be useful in understanding Gandhi and King.
Be sure to show a clear understanding of at least three of the
five theorists we studied (Eliade, Long, Smith, Geertz,
Here are some ways to improve the quality of your paper and your chances for a good grade:
1. Find one idea or issue to use as the thesis for the paper and unify the whole paper around that thesis.
2. Organize your paper around particular themes or issues in nonviolence, showing how different theorists would address the same issue (rather than just discussing the various theorists one by one, which is somewhat easier).
3. Show how the ideas of two or more of the theorists can be combined to deepen our understanding of nonviolence.
Essays should be about five (5) pages, double-spaced.
Please refer to the Guidelines distributed with Exam # 1. They apply equally to this exam.
This essay is due on Monday, May 5 in the Religious Studies Department mailroom, HUMN 273
I will be happy to discuss your paper with you as you prepare it, either in office hours, by appointment, or via email.