Saturday 21 June 2014

Buddhism

For this assignment students are free to choose a topic of his/her interest in Buddhism. Topics should be based on some current issue in or practice of Buddhism (e.g. Designing Zen Gardens, The Tea Ceremony, Koans in Rinzai Zen, Chanting in Pure Land Buddhism, Perspectives on Death in Bushido, etc.), if possible, but students can choose to do more historical events (e.g. Successive Reincarnations of Dalai Lama, King Ashoka's Vision of Buddhism, The Beginnings and Development of Stûpa Worship, Non-dualism in Nâgârjuna’s Philosophy, etc.; note: email me for consultation, but only after you’ve done some brainstorming and research beforehand. Topics are limitless but be sure to narrow your topic as much as possible. For the research part, you must include at least THREE solid, reliable, and academic sources (websites of good repute; e.g. .edu; avoid .com and .org, which are private organizations; note: if citing a website, be sure to cite properly using MLA or APA style. Keep in mind that papers should have a catchy title, good intro with adequate background information, focused thesis, good supporting points with evidence from research, and thoughtful conclusion. Be sure to avoid doing a kind of “encyclopedia-like” entry, but provide creative insights, yet demonstrating your clear understanding of Buddhist principles. Paper should be 4 full pages in length; ~1000 words, excluding quotes.
Also, DO NOT write in the first/second person (i.e., avoid using “I”, you”, or “we”). Papers should demonstrate your critical thinking skills.

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