Ira Chernus  
PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER

 

 

EXAM # 1

 

RLST 4800:                                                                                             SPRING, 2007

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.  If you study the history of nonviolence in the U.S. from the 17th to 19th centuries and the writings of Gandhi, you see that nearly all the people we have studied (except some anarchists) relied on religious faith and belief to justify their principles of nonviolence.  But you also see that this religious justification is not necessary.  Taken together, all their teachings and writings present a persuasive argument for nonviolence on a strictly rational basis. The religious basis fits in logically, but it is not necessary to convince a reasonable person that their commitment to nonviolence is quite reasonable.

 

2.  Although Gandhi’s writings show strong influences of his Hindu tradition and his own original thinking, the essential and most important elements in Gandhi’s teachings about nonviolence can already be found in the 18th and 19th century American writings about nonviolence that we have studied. In other words, if Gandhi had read only those American writings, and read them thoroughly, he could have found nearly everything that became fundamental in his own approach to nonviolence.  

 

This exam covers material studied in class through February 26.  It  is due in class on March 5.   

 

Essays should be about five (5) 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 4800:                                                                                             SPRING, 2007

RELIGION AND NONVIOLENCE

 

 

Choose one (1) of the following  topics.   Be sure to identify which question you are answering. 

 

 

1. Reinhold Niebuhr was a Christian. Most of the advocates of nonviolence in the U.S. from World War I to the mid-20th century were also Christians. All these people based their views about violence and nonviolence on their Christian religious faith and commitment. How can you explain the disagreement between Niebuhr and the nonviolence advocates?  What are the fundamental differences in the way they interpret Christianity? What conclusions do you draw from this (if any) about the relationship between people’s religion and their views on violence and nonviolence? 

 

2.  Write an essay evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments presented by Gandhi and Niebuhr about nonviolence.  Which of Gandhi’s points are most convincing, which least convincing, and why? Which of Neibuhr’s points are most convincing, which least convincing, and why?  Overall, do you think Gandhi or Niebuhr makes a more convincing case about violence and nonviolence? Why? 

 

 

This exam covers material studied through April 2.  You may include the material assigned for April 9 (on M. L. King and the civil rights movement), but that is not necessary. 

 

NEW DUE DATE: 

The paper is due in my mailbox in Humanities 273 on Wednesday, April 11. 

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DUE DATE. 

Humanities 273 is just a few steps up the long hallway from our classroom. 

I will also be glad to accept papers in class on April 9. 

 

Essays should be about five (5) 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. 

 

EXAM # 3

 

RLST 4800:                                                                                                    SPRING, 2007

RELIGION AND NONVIOLENCE                                       

 

Answer ONE (1) of the following.  Please indicate which question you are answering.

 

1.        Write an essay evaluating the following statement:

            Since World War II, diversity has become the main fact of the nonviolence movements in the U.S.  We can speak only of nonviolence movements in the plural, not of a nonviolence movement in the singular.  There is religious and secular nonviolence, black and white and Latino and Native American nonviolence, patriarchal and feminist nonviolence, etc.   But there is no single unified movement.  What makes each of these groups distinctive is more central to them than the vague similarities that seem to tie them together. 

            What arguments could be presented to support and refute this statement?  Which set of arguments do you find more convincing; i.e., do you agree or disagree?  Why?

 

2.  James Douglass has written:  “We all share the responsibility today of choosing either the end dictated by our age, annihilation, or a nonviolent beginning.”  Many advocates of principled nonviolence have contended that it is the only alternative to a very terrible future for humanity.  They seem to suggest that either one fully embraces nonviolence as a way of life or one sides with the destructive forces in our society.  Explain their arguments, then evaluate them critically. What good arguments for it have we studied in this course?  What are the arguments against it?  Which do you find more convincing?  Why? 

You may draw on material we have studied throughout the semester.  However, be sure to show substantial understanding of the material we studied since the last exam.        

 

            Please refer to previously distributed guidelines for essays, which should be followed for this essay too. 

 

Essays should be about five (5) double-spaced pages.

 

The exam is due in my mailbox in the Religious Studies department office, Humanities 273 on Thursday, May 3, by 4:00 PM. 

 

I will be glad to discuss your essay with you at any time, as you are preparing it.  If you want the final version  returned to you with my comments after it is graded, please attach a stamped self-addressed envelope, or get in touch with me after June 4.