The aim of this final paper is to give you the opportunity to bring the course readings and discussions into creative conversation with your own religious/spiritual/philosophical stance. This is not simply a journal entry, but an academic exercise in which you intertwine the personal and the intellectual.

The aim of the paper: To academically and personally engage THREE different themes — choose one theme from three different world religions of your choice (Please choose from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, and Judaism). By “theme” I mean something specific: for example, reincarnation, four noble truths, the middle way, the 5 relationships, Te, etc.

In your discussion of each theme, be sure to provide some context — however brief. For example, where is the theme from and how does it fit into the specific world religion?  How did it’s understanding affect you?  No outside research is required. Please refer especially to the Huston Smith text, but you can also refer to the notes, video clips, etc. from the class.

The following questions may help get you started:

*What topics stimulated you the most?

*What confirmed and enriched your present thinking, beliefs, experience?

*What challenged you?

*What did you disagree with? What theme clearly conflicted with your own belief or the belief of your religious tradition?

*What topic did you find meaningful and inspiring, and how do you plan on integrating it into your belief system?

This personal-academic engagement with three themes from this course should be approximately 3-4 pages, double-spaced, and 12 point font.