Summer 2006 Internet Research Project
Dr. Eric Canin Point value: 20
This project has 2 goals: to learn about religion from an anthropological perspective, and to use the internet’s World Wide Web (the web) as a research tool. After choosing a religious group, you will find information about them on the web and then assess that information and consider its source. This project is broken down into phases, so keep track of the due date for each phase. Feel free to turn in your work early. If you email your work, it must be followed up by a hardcopy to receive credit. The final project, Phase V, may not be emailed. You will be graded on the organization, coherence, effort, and creativity of your project. Also, be aware that you will be graded on your ability to follow the directions below.
Find a movement or group from your reading, experience, this class, or surfing the web.
The following websites have useful lists and profiles that may be helpful in your report, but you may not be used as a primary source (your first two websites, see below): www.religioustolerance.org (Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance) and www.religiousmovements.org or http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/ (University of Virginia Religious Movements Homepage).
Do not choose your own religion: the idea is to learn about something new.
Once I verify that the movement or group you have chosen fits the criteria, you can move on to the next phases.
Phase II: Sources: turn in at least 3 full reference citations Due: Tuesday, Sept. 19
Find at least 2 websites and one print source. The print source should be fairly scholarly, and objective in the sense of not for or against the religion for reasons of faith. (I only expect you to read the most relevant chapter). Avoid using the group's own literature for your print source. Encyclopedia entries, on- or offline, will be considered a half source. Overall, your sources should have different points of view regarding the group, such as supportive, critical, objective, etc.
Turn in a hardcopy of each website’s and the print source's first page only (wasting paper will adversely affect your grade)
Attach a reference list including full reference citations for each source (as in a bibliography). Include access dates for websites. This is a rough draft; your final project should include more references
Example:
Kehoe, Alice. 2002. The Ghost Dance: Ethnohistory and Revitalization. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Kavanagh, Thomas. n.d. Imaging and Imagining the Ghost Dance: James Mooney's Illustrations and Photographs, 1891-1893. Online: http://php.indiana.edu/~tkavanag/visual5.html. Accessed August 30, 2004.
MSNBC. 1998. Time & Again - Wounded Knee - Ghost Dance. Online: http://msnbc.com/onair/msnbc/TimeandAgain/archive/wknee/ghost.asp. Accessed August 30, 2004.
If in doubt about the author, first check whether the site has an "about us" subpage. If still in doubt, use the website's name as the author. Here is a link to the American Anthropological Association Style Guide (pp. 10-14) for more examples and other types of media.
Phase III: General Information: Find information on the movement or group (1-2 pages) Due: Tuesday, Oct. 17
Turn in the following information in list form:
A. General questions. Phrases are sufficient:
1. the website name and website address where you found most of the information, i.e. your best recommended site (e.g. Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, www.religioustolerance.org)
2. the name of the religious group/movement, and any alternative names
3. the established religion(s) that the movement or group is derived from or associated with
4. the name of the founder(s) and the founding date
5. the original location(s) and current location(s), if different
6. the dates of any important events, whether past or future, real or fictional, natural or supernatural
7. membership numbers or estimates (www.adherents.com is a good source).
B. Beliefs and Practices. Answer the following in a paragraph each (not just a line or two):
8. What are some of the group’s distinctive beliefs?
9. What are some of the group’s distinctive practices?
C. Religious Violence. Answer the following with a yes or no:
10. Does the movement or group believe in violence, either divine or human? If yes, briefly explain.
11. Has the movement or group carried out any violent actions? If yes, briefly explain.
D. The Future. Answer 12 and 13 with a yes or no; answer 14 with a paragraph:
12. Does the movement or group believe in an apocalypse, doomsday or end times, the end
of the world as we know it? If yes, briefly explain.
13. Does the movement or group believe in an aquarian age, that humans are evolving to
a higher consciousness? If yes, briefly explain.
Answer in a paragraph:
14. If you answered no to 12 and/or 13, elaborate on the group’s beliefs about the future of humanity or the world. If you cannot find information on this (after searching), discuss the group’s view of the afterlife.
Phase IV: Evaluation: Evaluate your sources (1-2 pages) Due: Tuesday, Oct. 31
Use the following Format
First web source (include site name)
1. letter code
2. description of bias/point of view
Second web source (include site name name)
1. letter code
2. description of bias/point of view
Third source (non-internet) (include title)
1. letter code
2. description of bias/point of view
3. what you've learned
4. online vs. offline research
5. opinion (optional)
Explanations:
Answer the following for two websites as well as the non-internet source you used, comparing them:
1. Which of the following best describes the sources’ author(s) (choose one letter that applies to each website, and one letter for the non-internet source):
a. an academic/scholar specialized in the movement or group
b. a non-specialized academic/scholar.
c. a journalist or reporter.
d. an individual or research institute with a neutral value judgment of the movement or group.
e. an individual or group with a positive or supportive judgment of the movement or group (but not part of the movement or group)
f. an individual or group critical or hostile towards the movement or group.
g. an individual or group that is part of the movement or group itself.
Example (none of these are real, as far as I know):
Eighth Church of Elvis, www.8thcoe.com: g
Elvis is the Antichrist, www.ep666.com: f
The Anthropology of the Elvis Phenomenon, book: a
2. Bias: In a paragraph or two, describe how the sources you used may have influenced or biased the quality and reliability of the information. Hint: all sources have some bias or point of view. Address at least 2 web sources (not the religious tolerance or religious movements sites) and 1 non-internet source individually.
3. What have you learned about the movement or group? In a paragraph or two, describe how this project has increased your knowledge about the religious movement or group (or not) You may include any additional information you learned from the non-internet source here.
4. What have you learned about the internet, as opposed to print sources? In a paragraph or two, comment on the internet as a research tool and source of information. Compare with the non-internet source you used.
5. (Optional) Opinion/Vent/Rant: Use this opportunity to express any opinions about the movement or group you wish to provide (your honest opinion will not affect your grade).
Phase V: Final Project Report Due: Tuesday, Nov. 14
Turn in all the phases in one packet, along with a cover sheet and the hardcopies. Just staple the pages; no need to use report covers or binders. Make a copy for yourself, as the packet will not be returned to you.
Thus, The final project consists of, in the following order:
1) a cover sheet, including:
your name, the class, section number, date, the name of your group, & perhaps a creative title/illustration.
2) the web page and print source hardcopies (first page only),
3) the original phase III followed by any corrections or additions,
4) the original phase IV followed by any corrections or additions,
5) the original phase II, and a full reference list, including all the references you used.
You should have about 4-6 pages excluding the cover sheet and web pages.
" GOOD SURFING!