The length and formatting of the papers should be as follows:
Length: 9 pages Font Type: Times New Romans
Font Size: 12 Line Spacing: Double
Top, Bottom, Left, Right Margins: 1’’ Footnotes rather than endnotes
Please include page numbers. No cover page for the paper is necessary.
The topics and texts which may be engaged come from Units 1-4 of the course. Potential ideas
for papers would include:
1) Students may present, explore, and engage with one set of readings: Judith Herman’s account
of trauma; James Baldwin’s reflections on race, religion, and suffering; the Book of Job and Gustavo Gutiérrez’s interpretation of it; Thich Nhat Hanh’s Engaged Buddhism; arguments for
the non-existence of God based upon ‘the problem of evil’ and responses to these arguments.
Topics and questions to include in the paper might be the author’s biography; how the question of suffering is posed, which aspects of the origin or nature of suffering are discussed, andm whether there are any responses to suffering offered.
2) Students may wish to compare and contrast readings as regards suffering, its possible origins and nature, and potential responses to it, or they may complement one reading with another. One could, for instance, compare and contrast how Thich Nhat Hanh and the book of Job describe and deal with suffering: what are their respective focuses, questions, themes, and responses? Or, one could imagine a conversation between Judith Herman and Thich Nhat Hanh on suffering, its arising, and its impact upon human beings. Likewise, one could compare Baldwin’s struggles with suffering and religion with Job’s, or identify similarities and dissimilarities between Herman’s account of trauma and disconnection with themes, questions, and situations from the other readings. One could also deal with the arguments for
atheism presented in the readings, and the responses to them that we have discussed.
3) Students may write on a topic related to our readings and discussions of God, suffering, and evil. Just about any topic mentioned in class, or any germane question or topic regarding suffering and responses to it, would be acceptable to pursue. For example, in the past students have written on the court case of Erik Erikson’s model of psychosocial development, accounts of common ‘cognitive distortions’, the Gottmans’ account of key indicators of relational health, etc.
If students wish to answer this third prompt, please consult the instructor for guidance.
________
The instructions above are from the Professor. I am supposed to write a 9-page essay that doesn't need to be argumentative based on one or more of the readings we analyzed in class. The essay does not need to criticize the readings, instead, it should show understanding. Explore something I am curious, about and interested in the paper by discussing my thoughts on it. Explore/evaluate something related to the reading.
To narrow it down, the reading I want to explore is Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching. From that, I was looking to explore one of the following two questions:
1) Thich Nhat Hanh emphasizes the importance of collective, societal action in order to alleviate the suffering of others. How might his teachings be applied to contemporary social and political issues, such as climate change or economic inequality?
I find this idea to be particularly interesting because I hope to explore the applicability of Thich Nhat Hahn suffering teachings and how it is/could be applied in current suffering scenarios.
2) Thich Nhat Hanh has written about the importance of being fully present at the moment in order to experience true joy and contentment. How might this relate to the experience of being immersed in music? How might music serve as a vehicle for mindfulness and presence?
