Religious studies

Associate Program Material                              

Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper Instructions

Part I

Select at least 1 religious and 1 ethnic/racial group not your own from the list below.

·         Religious groups (based on http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf)

o    Christianity

·         Evangelical Protestant

·         Mainline Protestant

·         Historically Black Churches

·         Roman Catholic

·         Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

·         Jehovah’s Witnesses

·         Orthodox (Greek, Eastern)

o    Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform)

o    Buddhism (Theravada or Mahayana)

o    Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufism)

o    Hinduism

·         Racial/ethnic groups (based on divisions in U.S. Census Bureau documents)

o    Asian (Asian descent)

o    Black (African descent)

o    Hispanic and Latino (South or Central American descent)

o    Pacific Islander (Polynesian descent)

o    White (European descent)

Part II

Write a 750- to 1,400-word paper in which you consider the following regarding the religious group and racial/ethnic group you selected:

Religious group:

·         How does your selected religious group differ from other religious groups (such as in their beliefs, worship practices, or values)?

·         What has been the experience of your selected religious group with others that do not share its beliefs or practices?

·         In what ways has the religious group you selected contributed to American culture?

·         Provide specific examples of prejudice or discrimination your selected religious group has experienced.

·         What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination?

·         Does what you’ve learned about this religious group help you understand it? In what ways?

Racial/ethnic group:

·         How does your selected racial/ethnic group differ from other racial/ethnic groups (such as differences in ancestry, language, or culture)?

·         What has been your selected group’s experience with other groups?

·         In what ways has the racial/ethnic group you selected contributed to American culture?

·         Identify some specific examples of prejudice or discrimination that your selected group has experienced historically.

·         What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination?

·         Does what you’ve learned about this racial/ethnic group help you understand it? How?

Include the following as part of your conclusion:

·         How are the prejudice and discrimination experienced by your selected religious group and racial/ethnic group similar?

·         How are they different?

·         Can you draw any conclusions about discrimination from this comparison?

Provide citations for all the sources you use.