You will conduct any follow up observations, visits and interviews to complete your ethnography of a religious event. You will return to your field site for a minimum of one hour to conduct further participant-observation. Adhere to the Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association while conducting your field work, and inform the community, that you observe, of your intentions.  Any follow up interviews should be conducted based on instructor feedback or questions that came up when you conducted library research on the topic. Use the article by Melinda B. Wagner in chapter 1 of your text book “The Study of Religion in American Society” as a guide for preparing your research.

Your paper must address the following:

• Take into account instructor feedback on Parts I and II of the research conducted in Weeks 2 and 3.
• Description of the event. Where did you conduct your observation (be specific)? When was it conducted? Whom did you interview? Who attends the event? Make note of gender, ethnicity, class, age, and economic status.
• Describe the ritual. How do these people act before, during and after the ritual? Observe special movements or gestures. Observe the environment (aura, art and other objects around). Ask about any special words people utter in prayer or chanting, its order, and its message.
• Is there a particular religious official? Who is in charge? If there is someone “in charge” of the event, how is this manifested? Does this person act or dress differently from the rest of the people at the event?
• What is the flow of the event? Do people participate individually or en masse? What is the express purpose of the event?
• Final discussion on the answers to the questions you listed in Week 2. These should be in narrative form.
• To what extent are the religious practices of the people representative of their religion? What branch or sect of faith do the practices represent?
• How do the practices of the people differ from the principles and tenets of their religious dogma?
• Using Eller’s article “Studying Religion Anthropologically” as a guide, analyze your observations using three –  of the six social functions of religion – listed on page 12.
• Library Research: After conducting follow up participant-observation on the religious event and based on the data you have, you will look for one more scholarly source, article from peer-reviewed journals and/or Ebook from Ashford Online Library or another database, or a printed book, to the research your conducted in Weeks 2 and 3. Your completed reference list should have at least five scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook. You are welcome to include non-scholarly sources in addition to the five sources and the textbook and consult encyclopedias and dictionaries. Also analyze the ritual using terms, concepts and examples in the textbook.

Your paper must be six to eight  pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. Your paper will be a combination of analysis from the event, quotes and paraphrasing of the interviews you conducted, and quotes and paraphrasing from the scholarly sources to validate your arguments, including the textbook. Cite your references in text and in the reference list following APA style. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper:

1. Must be 6 to 10 double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
   • Title of paper
   • Student’s name
   • Course name and number
   • Instructor’s name
   • Date submitted
3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement at the end. Introduction: Start with a reflective or interesting thought related to your visit. The introduction must tell the readers about the event, the location, the people you interviewed, their background information. Stay away from giving any information that you will not use in the rest of your narrative. We all like to put everything in, but we have to think about what fits the purpose of our paper. Start from the broadest background information and narrow it down with each sentence until you reach the last sentence of the paragraph, the thesis statement. Thesis statement is the last sentence of the paragraph that states what you will argue in the paper or what will be the main point structuring your paper
4. Body Paragraphs: The body paragraphs must follow the order in which things are listed in the introduction. Finish discussing one aspect before moving on to the next. While discussing an aspect, feel free to include parts of interviews by breaking into direct quotes. Validate your arguments with scholarly sources. Finish the paragraph with an analysis of the event, its comparison to the dogma, and what your sources helped you conclude about the topic. You must address all parts of the assignment topic. Use headings and sub-headings, if needed. Cite your sources in text APA style. In APA style, interviews are only cited in text and not on the reference page. The following should be the in-text citation style: (J. Smith, personal communication, May 3, 2013).  John Smith claimed that APA citation style is easy to use (personal communication, May 3, 2013).
5. Conclusion:  You must end with a concluding paragraph that reaffirms your thesis. This is not the place to present new ideas. Summarize the main points of the paper, referring to the points made in the introduction, and end the paper with some engaging concluding remarks. It can include mention of an aspect you would like to do further research on.
6. References: Must integrate at least five scholarly resources in the narrative. Please format your references APA style. Since this is not a bibliography, all references listed must also be cited in text.