Parameters and Standards

Writing Assignment Topic: Most of the major world religions have pilgrimages, or journeys to sacred places for religious purposes. For this writing, explore one of the specific religious pilgrimages provided below. Describe the journey in terms of the specific sites visited, why they are visited, and what they mean for the adherents of the religion. Be sure to pay attention to all of the details in the rest of this document before writing. Here are the options from which you will choose one to explore:

• ·  Judaism – The current pilgrimages associated with Passover, Shavuʿot, and Sukkot. Here is a good place to start your research: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and- maps/pilgrimage-contemporary-jewish-pilgrimage. This site provides an introduction to the pilgrimage, but you will need to do additional research as well.
• ·  Christianity – The current Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Here is a good place to start your research: http://santiago-compostela.net/. Also, http://caminosantiago360.com/en/ offers an app for you to take the journey virtually. Getting the app and visiting the first stop is free; however, most of the remaining journey stops on the app do cost, so choose carefully if you decide to take this virtual pilgrimage.
• ·  Islam – The current Hajj. The website https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/hajj360/index.html is a good place to start your research. This site provides both an introduction to the pilgrimage, but also offers a map for the journey. There is also a free Hajj360 app to take the journey virtually (most parts of the journey on the app do cost, so choose carefully if you decide to take this virtual pilgrimage).

Quick View Checklist (all of this is discussed in greater depth in the Parameters section that follows):

□ Select only one (1) of the religion inspired pilgrimages listed above as the subject of your essay.
□ Describe the journey pilgrims take by identifying each of the sacred places visited, the meaning/purpose of

each site within the religion, and the religious benefits that the pilgrims to these sites believe they receive. □ Research sources are academic, scholarly, or primary sources (scriptures or doctrines of the religion).
□ Include a Modern Language Association (MLA) formatted bibliography of at least three (3) sources.
□ Quotes are limited to primary source materials only and are no more than 10% of the paper content.
□ The structure is that of a standard college essay.
□ Submission is at least 600 words (bibliographies are not a part of the word count).
□ Contains appropriate sentence and paragraph formats, proper grammar, and correct spelling and punctuation. □ Demonstrates original writing skills.
□ Submission is provided in the Writing Assignment 2 dropbox by the due date posted in the Time Schedule.

1. Parameters: Here are the complete parameters of this research assignment:
   RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE – Select only one (1) of the following religion inspired pilgrimages to explore: The current Jewish pilgrimages associated with Passover, Shavuʿot, and Sukkot the current Christian Camino de Santiago pilgrimage; or the current Muslim Hajj. I say “current” to focus your attention on what the pilgrims do today rather than historically. Most of these pilgrimages have evolved over time, therefore they may have had a different journey 100, 500, or 1000 years ago. Since our focus is on today, you can even participate in a virtual version of each pilgrimage through various sites (be aware that some do cost, so this is not a requirement of the assignment).

 

CONTENT – You should describe the various activities associated with your selected pilgrimage, the places visited, and the beliefs behind them. Some things to consider: Where geographically is the pilgrimage? What is the specific path taken? Why are each of the specific sites on the pilgrimage visited? What meaning does each hold? What does one get out of visiting these places? Are there specific activities, props, and/or dietary aspects associated with the journey and the stops along the way? To what extent do the people participate in the various events? Are the events publically observed by all at the same time or privately at the individual’s own pace and own time schedule? Have aspects of the pilgrimage become secularized and/or commercialized? The idea here is that you have demonstrated extensive cross-cultural knowledge through a description of the journey taken by the religious pilgrims. This would include identifying each of the sacred places visited, the meaning/purpose of each site within the religion, and the religious benefits that the pilgrims to these sites believe they receive. Deductions of up to 30 points will be made for errors related to the parameters for the Religious Pilgrimage and Content categories outlined above.

RESEARCH – You are expected to do academic research for this assignment. This is not an opinion paper, it is a research paper. To that end, consult and cite multiple sources (at least 3) to illustrate depth of research. These academic or scholarly sources should be peer-reviewed journal articles or books (library resources), primary sources (sacred literature and official religious documents), or authorized publications of recognized religious organizations. The research sources consulted should be provided in a Bibliography conforming to the MLA (Modern Language Association) format. For more information about the MLA format visit: spcollege.libguides.com/content.php?pid=98920&sid=742314. For useful research information, see: spcollege.libguides.com/world_religions. There will be deductions of up to 10 points for errors in this category.

QUOTING – Quotes are limited to primary source materials only (such as a verse from sacred literature) and should constitute no more than 10% of the paper content. In other words, quotes can only come from religious scriptures or documents, and should be used sparingly. You need to develop the ability to take the information that you would quote and express it in your own words as this is how to demonstrate understanding. Any quotes will need to have internal documentation done to MLA standards: owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Deductions will be assessed based upon the severity of the errors, with the points coming out of the “subject and content” section above.

STRUCTURE – This paper should be done in a traditional essay format: an introduction paragraph, two to four content paragraphs, a conclusion paragraph, and then a bibliography of sources consulted.

WORD COUNT – Your submission is required to be a minimum of 600 words, but no more than 1200 words (Bibliographies do not count as a part of the word count). Submissions larger than 1200 words or fewer than 600 words will receive no points. A college paper needs to demonstrate the skill of being thorough, yet concise.

ACADEMIC WRITING – Your submission is expected to conform to academic writing standards (i.e., demonstrate the use of proper sentence and paragraph formats, proper grammar, and correct spelling and punctuation). Up to 20 points will be deducted for these errors based upon their frequency and severity.

ORIGINAL WRITING – Your paper is to demonstrate original writing (see this conversation in the Syllabus). In short, do not use the words of another as this is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade and possible honor code disciplinary action: https://www.spcollege.edu/academichonesty/.

DUE – The essay is due by the date posted in the calendar. Any assignment submitted late for any reason is subject to a 5 point per business day late deduction, up to an assignment maximum of 30 points deducted. After the paper has been graded based on the categories above, the late points will be deducted.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS – Students are required to submit the paper electronically to the “Writing Assignment 2” dropbox in MyCourses. Submissions to this dropbox are subject to an originality check through TurnItIn, a website that scans papers for signs of plagiarism and issues a report to the student and instructor. Please note that the allowed file types are: MS Word, WordPerfect, Postscript, Acrobat PDF, HTML, RTF and plain text. No other file types are accepted. I will grade and provide a response to you within seven to ten days of the assignment due date.