Catoir: Chapter 5
Smith: Chapter 14
Class Activities
For a few easy readings from the Quran…and some interesting insights into the Muslim understanding of free will, go to Week 5 in the Content area of the course. Discussion Topic 9 The Muslims consider Jews, Christians, and Muslims to be all “People of the Book.” What are the elements that tie Jews, Christians and Muslims together. Hopefully, each addition to the discussion will add and complement the proceeding answers. What theological differences are there between these great religious traditions? Please post your response by midnight Wednesday. Discussion Topic 10 “Dad, is this real?” On page 230 of Smith’s book, we find ourselves inside a scholarly debate that seems solved by an innocent question. How would Jews, Christians and Muslims answer this question: “What is ‘real’?” Post your response by midnight Sunday. Research Quiz 4 (Islamic Readings) After reading Catoir and the additional readings, please go to the Quizzes area of the course and take this quiz on the readings. Please submit the quiz before Sunday at midnight.

Catoir: Chapter 6
Discussion Topic 11

After reading the Chapter on Hinduism, think about the questions at the end of the chapter. Then, answer the following: What do you consider to be “escapist” in either religion or “the real world?” What do you do to “escape” from your day to day troubles, if anything? Please post your response by midnight Wednesday. Discussion Topic 12 When most people are asked anything about the Hindu religion, generally they will be able to label “karma” and “yoga.” How does the caste system tie into karma? In other words, what is the relationship between karma, caste and reincarnation? How does the Christian notion of Social Justice (helping one’s neighbor) fit with the Hindu concept of caste and reincarnation? Please post your response by midnight Sunday. Dropbox Assignment 2 From your readings in Catoir, up to and including Chapter 7, please formulate 20 multiple choice questions with answers. You must include the page numbers for where you find the questions and answers. Make sure they are your own original questions and that alternative choices for the M/C questions are logical and close enough to be challenging. Each question should include at least four answer options. Please submit to the Dropbox no later than midnight Sunday. Course Evaluation Please evaluate the course. You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course near the end of the session. A link sent to your CougarMail will allow you to access the evaluation. Please note that these evaluations are provided so that I can improve the course, find out what students perceive to be its strengths and weaknesses, and in general assess the success of the course. Please do take the time to fill this out.

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South Asian Culture

In this project, students will write a paper that discusses some cultural, political, and identity (mainly issues) in relation to “South Asian Cultures.” The topic areas are not limited to within any specific subjects; meaning, students can choose any topic and their essays can address any topic area that is related to “South Asian culture.” For instance, South Asian culture, identity, visual art, popular music, and philosophy, etc. as I just mentioned earlier. In this project, students are required to use some reading materials from this course (see the reading materials here) as sources to draw some theories, philosophies, practices, and cultural issues as evidences or examples.

When students write this paper, they will also focus on the following elements:
1.What is the purpose of the essay?
2.Who are the targeted audience/readers?
3.Who is the writer (writer’s situated cultural identity–say where you are from 4.and what you know about the subject/topic)
5.What is the subject or issue?
6.What is the context?

Please cite from the links below and the reading materials I provided: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-indias-caste-system-195496,
http://www.ushistory.org/civ/8b.asp,

South Asia is a highly populated area that includes eight countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. South Asia is one of the most diverse parts of the world, and so summarizing their culture in a single lesson is an incredibly difficult task. It’s pretty much the definition of a cultural melting pot. But there are still things we can say about culture in the area, and we can talk about some of the differences between these countries.

The culture of South Asia is completely entwined in language, ethnicity, and religion. There are hundreds of languages, ethnic groups, and many popular religions. These things, along with Western influences, especially from the old British Empire, produce a patchwork of local cultural variations and differences. So, to really understand the culture of South Asia, we first have to look at languages, ethnicity, and religions.

Religion
Religion is a big part of the culture of South Asia. There are many practiced religions: Hindu, Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism, especially. All four of these religions were born in South Asia and go back for thousands of years, with connections to ancient civilizations in the area. The religions are separated along national borders. When the British gave India its independence, it was split into two countries: India and Pakistan. India was the area that was mostly Hindu, with some Buddhists, and Pakistan was the region that was mostly Islamic. To this day, over 90% of Pakistanis are Muslim. But this has produced a lot of tension between the two countries.

One of the big cultural patterns in the area is the contrast between egalitarian ideals and caste systems. Egalitarian ideals say that everyone is of equal value, and nobody is born superior to anyone else. The caste system is basically the opposite. The Hindu faith is the reason that, historically, India had a caste system, which gave people a social standing at birth. Some people really hated this caste system, and those people formed the Buddhist faith, which is more egalitarian. And then, there is Islam, which came from the West. Islam is generally egalitarian, like Buddhism.

So, there is a clear cultural distinction between egalitarian Muslim countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Bangladesh, egalitarian Buddhist countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka (though Sri Lanka is more religiously mixed), and Hindu countries like India and Nepal. While the caste system is less strong in India these days, these cultural roots are still there. Their society remains hierarchical, and subordinates tend not to contradict superiors in the workplace.

The various religions have a big impact on how people live. The days they celebrate come from the religions, how patriarchal the country is, and even down to the cuisine: Islam in particular has strict guidelines in what can be eaten and how food can be prepared. Even artists only produce art that aligns with the religious values of the country; artistic free speech that involves going against Islam is frowned upon.

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1. Alibaba make a successful entry into the United States market?

Paper details:

six-page, double-spaced position paper on How can Alibaba make a successful entry into the United States market?.
This paper should introduce and explain the topic
Take a position. Have a clear thesis statement
Defend your position with logical and persuasive arguments
Provide supporting evidence that is accurate and authoritative.
Combine a thoughtful analysis with ideas and information found in a minimum of three sources. Therefore, as in any scholarly writing, use evidence to support the contentions and critically analyze related literature – this paper has to be an analytical paper, not a summary of readings.

This paper must meet APA requirements of format and style. Cite the sources of all ideas, facts, and information used that are not their own, even if they have put the information into their own words.

2. Islam and Women

Paper details:

Essay #8. Islam and Women.

How are women regarded in Islam? Give contrasting examples to show a range of historical and cultural perspectives. How do you evaluate these contrasts? The ideal answer will include a discussion of the modern situation of Islamic women in both Muslim countries in the Middle East and Muslim women in the West, with special consideration of the insights of Muslim women scholars and added research on women within the Islamic tradition.

Submit the 600-750-word essay, which follows MLA style guidelines.

3. Informed Consent and Debriefing

Paper details:

PLEASE BE SURE TO FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS AND READ EVERYTHING CAREFULLY.
Details:
Psychology students need the ability to create informed consent and debriefing forms that adequately state the purpose of studies to the participants in an ethical manner. In your capstone class (your last class), it is an expectation that you have a created a consent and debriefing form for your research proposal. It could be beneficial if you create this assignment around the topic you would like to research.
Before you begin the assignment, view the APA website and read the ethics listings.
Using the GCU Library, research consent and debriefing forms. Locate two to four scholarly resources to support your form.
Create an informed consent form and a debriefing form that explains the nature and true purpose of the study (students may adapt the examples from the textbook, see pages 76-77). Be sure to cite your sources at the conclusion of the document.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. This assignment uses a scoring guide. Please review the scoring guide prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

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