ANALYSIS 1–Essay: Smoke Signals
In 2-3 double-spaced pages, use the film Smoke Signals to reflect on how people relate to significant figures in their lives.
Use the following questions to focus your use of the film in this discussion.
- How does Victor’s experience with other characters inform his understanding of Arnold?
- How are Victor’s relationships with other characters changed by his changing understanding of Arnold?
- What makes a person a “significant figure” in another person’s life?
- Is one version of “Arnold” more legitimate than the others? If so, should the other people change their views? Why or why not?
4) Underline, bold, or highlight your thesis.
TIP 1: You might find it helpful to define “legitimate”.
TIP 2: The Chicago Turabian style citations for this film are:
- in text: (Eyre, Smoke Signals.)
- In Works Cited: Eyre, Chris. Smoke Signals. Drama/Indie. ShadowCatcher Entertainment, 1998.
ANALYSIS 2- Outline
1) Choose one of these two articles.
2) Read it thoroughly.
- From the Gila River to Bears Ears, a renewed push to protect public lands in the Southwest (Links to an external site.)
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (Links to an external site.)
3) Then –drawing on concepts and details from your readings and classwork– write an analysis of the situation these news stories draw attention to in 2-3 double-spaced pages. Use the following questions to focus your analysis.
4) Underline, bold, or highlight your thesis.
- What is the bigger picture or wider context of this situation?
- In what ways does this situation concern religion?
- In what ways is this situation about more than religion?
- How do lessons and details from this unit on indigenous religiosities help us understand the needs of individuals and communities who are affected by this situation?
TIP 1: Consider using a talk-to-text app to brainstorm or write your first draft. Be sure to revise and edit that first draft.
TIP 2: Remember to look-up you preferred citation style’s format for citing a film in the essay and listing a film in the Works Cited section.
TIP 3: To list a lecture in the Works Cited (example, Chicago Style)
- Last Name, First Name. “Presentation title.” Presentation Type, Event from Sponsor, City, Date Conducted.
=> Johnston, Isobel-Marie. “Lecture Title.: Religion 321: Religions in America, Arizona State University, Date of class.
ANALYSIS 3- Outline
The religions presented in this unit (Shinto, Hinduism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism) reflect shared roots and significant overlap in their beliefs and practices despite their differences. All are classified as “world religions”
- How do these religions adjust your understanding of “indigenous religion” and “world religion”?
- Use definitions and details from the readings, lectures, and discussion videos to complicate or nuance the way we label religions.
- Underline, bold, or highlight your thesis.
This prompt sets-up the following needs:
- Define “indigenous religion” and “world religion” (see definitions on pages 4-5 in Brodd et al).
- Discuss religio-culture/religions from both Unit 1 on Indigenous Religions of North American (CH 2) and Africa (CH 3) as well as examples from Unit 2 on Hinduism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism (CH 4, 5, 6).
- At minimum choose 1 religion from Unit 1 and Unit 2 for your discussion. Evaluate your thesis to determine how many religions your argument needs for support and what balance of depth is needed for the religions identified in your thesis.
ANALYSIS 4 – Outline or 6-WK ANALYSIS 3
More than half the religions we have studied in this Unit 2 originate in the pre-axial period (Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Shinto). Only three religions studied so far (Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism) are the key religions by which Karl Jaspers (1883-1969) defined the “Axial Age”. All these religions are in the category of “world religions” rather than “indigenous religions” as we studied in Unit 1.
Choose 3 religions from this course so far. One of these 3 may be the religions of North American and African; but you may also choose all three from Unit 2.
In a 2-3 page outline, analyze the categories we sort religions into:
- the ways these labels do and/or do not fit these religions.
- Do the changes from the Axial period help us understand how the labels “world” and “indigenous” work? Why or why not?
Find support for your analysis in the readings, discussion videos, and lectures.
ANALYSIS 5- Outline
In 2-3 double spaced pages, use the definitions of “indigenous religion,” “world religion,” and “Axial religion” to discuss how best to classify the Abrahamic religions of Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What do the Abrahamic religions add to your understanding of these labels?
Underline, bold, or highlight your thesis.
ANALYSIS 6– Outline
Do hybrid religions or local varieties (syncretic) of imported religions count as “world” or “indigenous” traditions? Why or why not? Do the terms “hybrid” and “syncretism” impact your answer? Select 2-3 religions that best illustrate your argument. Use definitions and details from the readings, videos, and lectures to explain your argument.
Underline, bold, or highlight your thesis.
ANALYSIS 7–Essay
VIEW:
You can access the film Kūmāré via “ASU Library Reading Lists” in the navigation bar to your left.
WRITE:
In 2-3 pages, use the following questions to analyze the film Kūmāré. Draw on the readings, videos, and lectures to support and explain your analysis.
- Does the Kūmāré religion qualify for being an indigenous religion, an imported religion, a hybrid religion or something else? Explain.
- How does the Kūmāré experiment impact your understanding of “religion” particularly considering how religion has been presented in this course?
Underline, bold, or highlight your thesis.