REL 100 Religions of the World
Concept Map 4: Judaism – Tirosh-Samuelson
This map will be done in two layers.
- Layer one:
Show how the natural environment fits into Ancient Israelites’ religio-cultural cosmology. How are the relationships in this cosmology maintained? - Layer two:
In a different color, and on the same map, show two examples of how later Rabbinic Judaism’s cosmological relationship changed from that of the Ancient Israelite’s. Because there were many changes of time, be sure to note the time period of this change.
TIP: If needed, return to Intro and Unit 1 modules for definitions of “cosmology”.
Concept Map 5: Hinduism
BASIC/ REQUIRED: Map samsara: the lifecycle of a Hindu, birth (or pre-birth) through to death (or afterlife), beginning-middle-end-?. This will integrate information from the section “The Teachings of Hinduism” with the section “Hinduism as a Way of Life”.
OPTIONAL VARIATION: If you wish to show multiple choices in different Hindu life-paths, you can make the map more like a choose your own adventure flowchart OR show two of three types of Hindus moving through different life-paths.
Concept Map 7: Zorastrianism
- Map out the Zoroastrian spiritual cosmology, including spirits, spiritual forces or concepts, and the cosmic process that define the Zoroastrian religiosity.
- Then, show what the role of a Zoroastrian human is in this cosmology (stick figures are okay!).
Concept Map 12: Christianity
Christianity is an “umbrella category”, a broad category of closely related religious traditions that share a central core of beliefs but that also differ from each other in major ways.
Map three layers:
- Map 2-3 features common to all major branches of Christianity (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant).
- Then for each of these three major branches, identify 2-3 characteristics (beliefs, practices, institutional organization) that make each branch unique from the others.
- Identify one aspect of each religion that is specific to “the Modern World”.
If you need a visual to get you started let me know. My first thought is an umbrella with three people or raindrops under it, one for each branch.
CONCEPT MAP 14: Pieterse on hybridization and g/Globalization
Through this chapter, we approachthe idea of cultural interaction and cultural exchange through the current way that most cultures come into contact with each other today: globalization. On the one hand, Dr. Jan Nederveen Pieterse argues that some degree of globalization has been happening for millenia, ever since long-distance trade routes were established. I call this globalization with a small ‘g’. However, Pieterse also brings our attention to a newer, specific form of Globalization with a capital “G” that involves the specific trade practices of modern capitalism, colonialism, and current communications technologies.
THINK: Pieterse defines hybridization on page 86, but the rest of the chapter explains how hybridization happens: the conditions (context) in which cultures are coming into contact with each that encourages the mixing and recombining of “cultural forms”.
DO: MAP-OUT
- Three different ways that different cultures can come into contact with each other.
- ADD at least one note about how differences in power or control can affect how cultures interact with each other, that is: how power or control can impact what results from hybridization. (two versions of the same question).
Concept Map 15: Sikhism
THINK: Throughout India, boundaries between religions have traditionally been blurry, in a manner similar to Chinese religio-culture. Though compared to China, religious boundaries are more firmly defined in India. Guru Nanak’s deliberate cultivation of non-partisan religio-cultural space between and apart from Hindu and Muslim traditions suggests that sectarianism was strong in the Punjab-Pakistan region of India at the time of his divine revelation. Part of what makes Sikhism remarkable, then, is that it formalized a certain variety or approach to merging these two religio-cultural worlds while at the same time transcending the differences that divided these communities. Map out:
1) which aspects of Sikhism draw on other religio-cultures (Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity) AND
2) which aspects appear more unique to Sikhism.