Diversity in Religion

S 131 (World Religions/Religious Worlds). Click on 2023/24 Fall/Winter and click on RELS 131. To access course content, please click on the “Modules” tab and there you can access each module. The graders can tell the extent to which arguments are supported by the assigned readings and course material. Detailed examples from course materials and readings MUST be used. Please follow ALL instructions very carefully.

Instructions:
In this exam you will write two short essays in response to the questions posted below. For the first essay you will have the choice between two questions: please choose only one on which to write. For the second essay you
will not have a choice.

The purpose of this exam is to think critically about a question in the context of what you have learned in this course. You can draw on your course resources such as your textbook, electronic reading list, module notes, podcasts, and any links to sources within the module notes
themselves. However, do not search for external resources for your essays – doing so will result in your submission being penalized. If you have any questions about the exam after reading through it carefully, please email me as soon as possible.
What are we looking for in these essays?
• Evidence of understanding the course material (many detailed examples!)
• Critical thinking
• Making connections between different themes raised in the course Requirements for essays:
• Be sure to answer all parts of the essay question.
• Each essay should be about 1000 words long (so you should submit 6-8 pages total, not including references and title page).
• Double-spaced, 12 point font
• References cited throughout the essays (please use MLA, APA, or Chicago)
• Complete bibliography
• Submit both essays in one Word file.
• Careful editing (as you would in any essay). Style and presentation will factor into final grade.

Final Exam Questions

1. Please answer one of the following questions in essay format (10 marks):
   a) What roles do sacred texts play in Islam? What counts as sacred text in Islam, and how do they shape Muslim life?
   or

b) How do the Four Noble Truths function in Buddhism? How do they shape Buddhist understandings of liberation and how do they inform Buddhist ways of life?

2. Please answer the following question in essay format (20 marks):
   Religions have a profound influence not only on how believers relate to the divine but also how believers relate to the material world. In our present moment of climate change, ecological collapse, and exploitation of the more- than-human world, many scholars have looked to religions as potential problems that have led to our contemporary ecological situation and as potential sources for positive ecological thought. Now that we have gained an understanding of the histories of the world religions, we can begin to do this kind of analysis ourselves and apply religious concepts to the real world.
   For this essay, read the chapter “Emergence of the Field of Religion and Ecology” from the book Ecology and Religion by John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker (linked below) and answer the following question: how might the religious traditions that we have surveyed in this course be used to support (or to hinder) positive relationships with the environment, nonhuman animals, and/or the broader natural world? Use one of the methods that Grim and Tucker outline (retrieval, reassessment, reinterpretation) and compare the potential eco-friendly religious practices, texts, and/or ideas from two religious traditions that we’ve looked at in this course. Be sure to cite specific parts of the readings, textbook, or module content as you go about proving your comparative thesis true.

Citation for Question 2:

Grim, John and Mary Evelyn Tucker. “Emergence of the Field of Religion and Ecology.” In Ecology and Religion, 85-95. Washington: Island Press, 2014

I really appreciate everything you are doing to help me! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you!