This project asks you to think through some of the patterns that have emerged this semester.
Topic
In the four religious traditions we have studied, we have identified fundamentalist-like reactions and liberal reform reactions to modern pressures over the last century. It seems that the liberal reform movements have not produced supporters that subject others to physical violence in order to push their point of view. However, some of the fundamentalist-like movements do produce violent supporters, while other fundamentalist-like approaches do not. Write about why all of these patterns of violence and non-violence exist, in your opinion. Give solid arguments to support your opinion. Include discussion of all four traditions, giving each tradition more or less equal attention.
In your discussion, restrict your attention to violence and non-violence in the last 100 years or so, because our class discussions about modern pressures have focused on that period, and the Marty-Appleby conception of fundamentalism really applies only within that time period. Use the Marty-Appleby conception of fundamentalism as the basis for identifying movements as being fundamentalist-like or not fundamentalist-like, rather than creating your own idea of what religious fundamentalism is.
Aim at producing one overall theory that applies to all four religious traditions -- not a separate theory for each tradition. This means that your aim should be to see whether there is something about various kinds of liberal or fundamentalist religious reform movements in general, all around the world, that tends to provoke or preclude physical violence on the part of the movements' supporters.
Try to be fair and careful. Avoid ranting about groups you happen not to like. Don't worry about trying to argue about whether the violence is morally justifiable or reasonable; you are trying to explain why some groups tend to be more violent than other groups, not whether some groups are "good" or "bad". (After all, most people believe that violence is sometimes warranted and sometimes not. Don't get tangled up in that question.)
Comment
This is not the sort of topic that has a definitely right answer you can look up somewhere, although you could seek out sources in which people give arguments for various answers. You might want to look at some outside sources to generate ideas. However, this is intended to be a thought project in which you ultimately come up with your own views and support those views with arguments that use class materials as background information. So, don't approach this project as a library research project in which you write summaries of other people's theories. Instead, you are being asked to form a reasoned position of your own for understanding an important aspect of our current world.
Instructions
The expectation is that you will write roughly 1800 words (equivalent to about six pages of double-spaced writing using a reasonable font). You could write a standard prose essay, or you could probably do this topic as a philosophical dialog, or as an essay in two or three sections dealing with various aspects of the topic.
Set the line spacing for your paragraphs at 1.2 to 2. (2 is "double space"; choosing a lower number will use less paper and is preferred). Use an 11 to 12 point font size. Print out your essay on one side of each sheet of paper and staple the sheets together in an upper corner. No cover sheet or folder.
The usual citation expectations apply -- even when you are quoting or paraphrasing from course readings. Follow any standard method for citing quotes and paraphrases. (Everyone needs to get used to giving credit to other people when credit is due.) If you want to cite something Machina wrote for the course, treat it as you would any citation to online sources.
If you want to write about a different topic, you will need to clear your proposed topic with Machina before a paper about it can be accepted.
Remember that this is a writing course as well as a course in humanities. You are expected to pay attention to good writing, and to be gaining something educational by doing this writing. Grading will be based on the grading sheet you saw earlier this semester. Here is that rubric.
Here is some additional advice. You are urged to pay attention to it.
Dig into the topic and enjoy yourself!