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The observation reports are an opportunity to explore connections between your observations among members of a local Buddhist community, recorded at a local worship site, and related details encountered in the assigned readings done throughout the term. Write as if you were articulating your thoughts not just for your own reflection or for me to assess, but also to provide explanations for a peer (vs. a specialist) who is unfamiliar with the topic.
| Due
Dates |
Assignments
Due |
| Wednesday, September 29 |
name & info re: site
you plan to visit |
| Wednesday, October 20 | first observation report worksheet |
| Wednesday, October 27 | first observation report (site visit) |
Wednesday, December 15 |
Intended Audience:
Think of your audience for the Observation Report as a peer who is keenly interested in other religions, but who has not been to the site you visited. This person wants to hear about the details of when, where, who and what you saw during your visit, as well as what you were thinking when you were there. (After I have read all the reports, I will choose one for each site and post it on SacCT for all students in the class to read in preparation for the final team assignment on December 15; so your report may in fact be one that is widely read.) The Observation Report Worksheet (ORW) helps you to "brainstorm" these questions in detail; you will then use the material generated by your responses on the worksheet to write a more cohesive, 6 page report or story intended for the above reader.
Step I: Worksheet
Select (1) one "scene" (i.e., a set of related moments, or else two closely-related scenes) from the details you observed and recorded during your site visit. This scene should relate in some way to one or more details in the assigned readings done so far, such as
REMINDER: you must describe a visit to a formal event, not simply a visit the site.
[NO LONGER REQUIRED --> Then identify (2) the one term or name from those assigned for TRAs #1-2 that is most powerfully illustrated in your scene. Finally, identify (3) the ritual or custom (actions, participants, words, objects in a particular setting) described in one of the assigned primary sources (i.e., those assigned for Units 1 & 2 team assignments and source analyses) that most significantly resembles something observed in your scene. IMPORTANT: do NOT use terms form the trial TRA, which are too general to provide the specificity needed for a focused analysis. Also do NOT use Diana Eck's description of contemporary Buddhists (CP, 1-7), which is too close to your own observations to provide a useful contrast.]
Once you have chosen your "scene," type out part I ONLY of the ORW (download PDF| MS Word), which asks you to address the points mentioned in the above description of your audience.
[**view ORW sample**]
A completed ORW will receive 50 (DOUBLE what was stated originally) out of the total number of points for the assignment. No partial credit will be given; incomplete forms will be returned for completion. Note that thoughtful responses on the worksheet will positively influence scoring of the final product (see step 3 below); responses composed in a single brief sitting will be unlikely to represent what you saw and understood in an accurate and comprehensive way (see FAQ #7).
Step II: Peer Review
Once you have completed the ORW, bring a printed copy of it with you on Monday, October 25. At the beginning of these classes, you will exchange your worksheet with another student, making sure to find someone who has chosen a source different than yours to focus on. You will have 5-7 minutes to read each others' papers and make marks and notes, as follows:
When the time for reading has elapsed, exchange papers again and read the comments on yours. Then ask questions about anything you don't understand, and thank the person for their feedback.
Unless your partner for this exercise is a speed reader & writer, you will not receive comments on the entire worksheet and will need to complet this stage outside of class. Your options are:
A completed ORW, turned in with a minimum of 3 markings/comments per page (I'm wanting a bit more since this is only three pages), will receive 50 (DOUBLE what was stated originally) out of the total number of points for the assignment. No partial credit will be given; unreviewed or incomplete forms will be returned for completion.
The final step of this assignment is to create some final product--either written (3 pages, but up to 5 allowed if mostly dialogue) or some combination illustration and writing (2-3 pages of drawing integrated with text OR a single detailed illustration with 1-2 pages commentary)--that is based on your completion and review of the ORW. Your paper should include the same three things addressed in part I of the ORW:
(a) key details about the setting and participants attending the event
(b) narration of an important scene from your visit framed by what lead up to and followed it, emphasizing observable details
(c) reflection about your own background and how it impacted what you paid attention to.
These three points should be integrated by extracting the most important details from the worksheet, as suggested by the final questions in each of #1(a)-(c). This final product will be assessed, out of 100 points total, based on (1) thoughtfulness with which initial responses on the worksheet have been revised and integrated and (2) the extent of and insightfulness with which the essay, story, etc. addresses the three points ennumerated above.
Creative Options: I encourage you to consider options other than the 3rd person, declarative prose of a standard academic paper, including but not limited to:
Standard Paper Option: If you choose to write in 3rd person, declarative prose, make sure that you adapt what you have written in your worksheet for a more general audience (see under "Intended Audience" above). At a minimum this means including
Cutting and pasting responses from your worksheet will provide some foundation for the final product, but note that in most cases such responses will require substantial revision to receive an adequate score.
Important Warning:
As noted in the syllabus, I will generally elect severe penalties for academic dishonesty: a zero score for the assignment, and failing the course for a second offense. Inclusion of material from uncited sources--including an internet site or another student's paper--is the most obvious form of plagiarism in paper writing.You are responsible for reading my comments regarding the importance of academic honesty, and my no-tolerance policy for incidents of dishonesty, in FAQ #10-13; as well as for requesting clarification if there is anything you do not understand.
Other Requirements for Final Product:
**IN CASE OF LOSS, KEEP TWO (2) ELECTRONIC COPIES**
Note also late policy & style/format.
Extra Credit: up to five (5) points of extra credit may be given for any report that reflects thorough reading of one of the additional sources available for source analyses. Make sure to hand-write "PLEASE CONSIDER FOR EXTRA CREDIT" at the top of your paper if you wish you report to be considered.
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Follow-Up Analysis --> REVISED
Intended Audience:
The follow-up analysis serves as your individual contribution to the final team assignment. It provides a structure for evaluating the degree to which the community you personally observed preserves one or more of the Buddhist traditions represented in the historical sources assigned for this course. Your team will then use these collected analyses to rank local Buddhist communities visited by the class as a whole.
The follow-up analysis form follows the same format as a team assignment, but in this case you must complete it by yourself. Thus the thinking process required to complete the form is the most challenging task of the course.
Follow-Up Site Visit or Interview:
In order to respond effectively to the questions on follow-up analysis you will need to do one of the following:
(A) return to the same site to observe another (ideally different) formal event OR
(B) conduct an interview with a member of the site's community.
I encourage you to print out and think about the questions on the Follow-Up Analysis form (see below) prior to your second visit, so that you can gather enough information during your follow-up visit or interview.
Completing the Form:
In order to complete the form you will need to (1) identify three (3) assigned terms or names that are illustrated in some scene observed during your initial site visit, or your follow-up visit OR interview, or both. You must pick at least one from Units 1-2 and one from Units 3-4; do NOT use terms from the trial TRA, which are too general to provide the specificity needed for a focused analysis.
In addition, you must (2) identify three rituals &/or customs (actions, participants, words, objects in a particular setting) described in one of the assigned primary sources (i.e., those assigned for Units 1-4 team assignments and source analyses) that resemble something observed during your initial site visit, or your follow-up visit OR interview, or both. Once again you must choose at least one from Units 1-2 and one from Units 3-4; but do NOT use Diana Eck's description of contemporary Buddhists (CP, 1-7) or the sources assigned for the trial source analysis, which is too close to your own observations to provide a useful contrast.
Once you have chosen terms & practices, download (PDF| MS Word) and type out the form, which guides you in analyzing them in much the same way you would for a team assignment.
Other Requirements:
**IN CASE OF LOSS, KEEP TWO (2) ELECTRONIC COPIES **
Historical Overview Option
If you scored an "A" on your first observation report (94 or above), you have the option of writing a historical overview instead of using the follow-up analysis form. This overview should parallel the worksheet in a freeform fashion; that is, make sure to:
Make sure to BEGIN WITH AN OVERVIEW PARAGRAPH that specifies the order in which you will address the three points outlined above. Also make sure to observe the following format:
Extra Credit: as with
the observation report, up to five (5) points of extra credit may
be given for any follow-up analysis or historical overview paper that reflects thorough reading of one of
the additional sources available for source analyses.
Again, make sure to hand-write "PLEASE CONSIDER FOR EXTRA CREDIT" at
the top of your paper if you wish you report to be considered.
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