Sacred Books of the World: Exploring Less Commonly Studied Texts - Prof. Heidi Szpek, Papers of World Religions

Download Sacred Books of the World: Exploring Less Commonly Studied Texts - Prof. Heidi Szpek and more Papers World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! RELS 201 Sacred Books of the World Dr. Heidi M. Szpek Guidelines for Sacred Literature Report Format – narrative style, typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, 2 full pages (not including title page, bibliography), document as necessary (footnotes, endnotes, parenthetical references), with bibliography/works cited. Maximum: 4 pages. Your paper should include the following elements: 1. Title Page (for specific format see next page) 2. Brief description of two sacred texts that are less commonly known or less commonly studied in introductory sacred literature courses. A good place to get an idea of the great variety of sacred literature is to visit the website www.sacred-texts.com. You’ll discover literature from such ancient cultures as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Native American texts, etc. as well as additional texts from the world’s major religions that are either less known or at some time in that religion’s history were excluded as sacred literature, e.g. The Gospel of Thomas. Each description should include: a. name and possible author of text b. religious tradition to which text belongs c. approximate date (if known) d. original language of text e. brief summary of contents of sacred text f. a brief excerpt (one of two sentences) which you feel gives serves as an example of the style of this text or offers a most intriguing thought 3. Bibliography/Works Cited In addition to the two sacred texts you’re selecting to describe, you should use at least two other sources to provide you with the information needed for your description. I provide some suggestions for sources in the Guidelines for an Annotated Bibliography on the next page. Do not reference Wikipedia.com! You can certainly check Wikipedia for the bibliography its entries provide. If you simply use and/or cite Wikipedia, I will give you an F for this report. NOTE: if you directly quote or paraphrase any sources in this report, you should provide footnotes or parenthetical references. ALSO: the sources you find for this brief report could certainly be used in your annotated bibliography if you plan to write your exegetical paper on one of these two sacred texts you’ve explored a bit on your own! RELS 201 Sacred Books of the World Dr. Heidi M. Szpek Guidelines for Annotated Bibliographies I. Format – bibliographic style, typed, double-spaced, 12 point font. MLA, APA, or Turabian reference style acceptable. Your annotated bibliography should include: 1. Title Page with Course Number & Name, Instructor (Dr. Szpek), Your Name, Date AND a Title = Passage to be studied* (See Additional Comment 1 below & Online Example II at www.cwu.edu/~szpekh under Syllabi) EXAMPLE: An Annotated Bibliography for Psalm 137 EXAMPLE: An Annotated Bibliography for Sacred Texts in Islam EXAMPLE: An Annotated Bibliography for Sacred Literature 3. Five to Seven ‘balanced’ sources: books, journal articles, online articles (from databases), credible online websites, personal interviews. (See Additional Comment 2 below) 4. Sources should be arranged alphabetically by author’s LAST NAME (or TITLE) 5. For each source, in approximately 50-75 words, provide an annotation, which includes two parts: a. a brief description of the nature and content of that source, i.e what is it about? If a personal interview, then describe that individual’s credentials. b. explain the value of this source for your research TIP: When searching for books on Cattrax or Summit, often when you click on the title, you will be provided with a brief description for that title (especially for more recent books). SAMPLE ENTRY: (from Online Example I – located at www.cwu.edu/~szpekh under Syllabi Fakhry, Majid, trans. An Interpretation of the Qur’an: English Translation of the Meanings: A Bilingual Edition. Washington Square: New York University Press, 2004. This book is an in depth interpretation of the Holy Qur’an. This translation is very helpful as it provides footnotes on various phrases and words that are either difficult to translate, or of foreign concepts or people that require explanation. This translation of the Qur’an is also helpful as it provides an easily searchable index. This translation was reviewed by the translation department of the Islamic Research Academy of Al-Azhar University. Upon review this book was approved for use and circulation by the University. Because it is easily searchable, has excellent footnotes, and is a thorough translation, this interpretation of the Qur’an will be used extensively.