CMC REL ST 10: Introduction To Eastern Traditions Field Trip Guide

Your assignment is to attend two events with religious content at two different sites of worship or meditation that are affiliated with the traditions studied in this class (for example, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Shinto, Taoist, or Buddhist). Later, you will write an ethnographic, journalistic report on your experience, which should be 12-15 double-spaced type-written pages, constituting 25% of your class grade. I want to leave this format open for creativity, but the following are suggested guidelines.

Explain who you are and why you have come to the authority in charge at the religious center to be explored, and over the telephone when/if you call initially to learn about the site. Be certain to go at a time when a service will be held, and/or members will be there; looking at an empty temple yields few insights. This is why telephoning in advance or stopping by for information in advance is crucial. Learn if there is a dress code, and follow it. I recommend people go with a friend or fellow classmember to minimize stress, and to help give feedback on your observtions.

On arriving at the site to observe, get a feel for the flow of what is happening, and note as carefully as possible how people are responding at each stage of the service. Pay attention to issues of religious belief, ritual or religious practice, community, and the social organization of the service or event. Interview several religious practitioners there for elaboration on your observations, or to confirm participants' reactions to the service and their religion, as well as to answer any questions you have of the religious ceremony. Be advised that most people leave soon after the service, so it is important to act quickly. Include names of informants in the report wherever possible. Work to overcome your shyness: lack of interviewing people leads to lower grades. Ask for a copy of any bulletin or program offered by the religious center whenever possible, and attach it to your paper.

Questions you should consider answering in the paper:

• Specific data questions: exactly where you went and its location, date, time of the service, how many attended, their ethnic backgrounds, approximate age groups represented, what was worn, sounds and smells. How did the contents of the service relate to the contents of the course? Explain. Be certain to relate your observations to relevant course materials wherever appropriate.
  
• Others: Your initial impressions and feelings, and your current feelings and thoughts in looking back on it. Were your expectations met? Did anything surprise you? Did anything happen that you had never seen (or even heard of) before? How did the service compare to other religious services you have attended? What were the major similarities and differences? Was it intellectually challenging, emotionally satisfying? If it was a worship service, did the various parts of the service cohere? Did the hymns, scripture, anthems, prayers, and responses come together as a harmonious whole?

Your reports will be evaluated on your reflection and analysis, as well as on your care in composition, i.e. attention to grammar, spelling, and style. No outside reading is necessary save your reading assignments, the materials used in the service, or bulletins and programs offered to you at the site.

On a final note, be aware that all religions depend on donations for their survival. This is an inevitable feature of religion in America, which does not allow state sponsorship. If you have been treated in a special manner - for example, been offered food or given books, and so on - be considerate and make an offering to offset their expense. Finally, no religious center is responsible for offering you a wonderful time, or spending inordinate amounts of time helping you; the staffmembers of most centers are usually quite willing and eager to teach others about their faith, however. You are a representative for your college, in a sense, so treat people and their faiths with dignity and an open mind.