Religion and Politics
Topic 2: U.S. Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report for 2019 Spring 2021 Revised 1.9.2020
Description
In 1998 Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act.The Act directed the executive branch to monitor the status of religious freedom around the world.
To this end, the Act created an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom whose job itisto advocate for religious freedom worldwide.Central to this task is theInternational Religious Freedom Reportsubmitted to Congress each year.The most recent report was submitted in 2019.
Preliminary Research
Step 1:Familiarize yourself with the federal government’sefforts to advance religious freedom around the world.
Begin by visiting the U.S. Department of State’s homepage. Once there, click on the “Bureaus & Offices” dropdown menu. Select the“Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights”link. Next, click on the “Office of International Religious Freedom” link.
Step 2:At the Office’s homepage, click on the “About” link and read about the Office’s mission.
Step 3:Embedded in the “About” page is the “Annual Report on International Religious Freedom”link. Click on itand select the 2019 Report.
The report allows viewers to “Build a Custom Report”. Click on that function and build a reportas follows:
(1) Choose 2019
(2) Select all sections
(3) Choose ONEof the following countries: Australia, Cuba, Denmark, Honduras, Iran, or Thailand.
Step 4:Consult recent scholarship and source material related to religious freedomin your chosen country (journal articles, books, etc.).
The Topic of Focus Paper
Write a paper that addresses the following:
1.Explain the mission and activities of the Office of International Religious Freedom.
2.What doesyour chosen country’sconstitution or basic law say about religious freedom?Is there a separation of church and state?Is there a national church?Does one religion have greater legal statusor protection than others?Is any religion banned outright?
3.How are these constitutional and legal provisions put into practice?In other words, what government policies and practices does one often find in the country as it relates to religion and church-staterelations?
4.How would you assess the status of religious freedom in the country?Are there problem areas?Are there ways in which religious freedom is allowed to flourish?Explain.
2.Expectations for Quality Research
A quality research paper is defined by quality source material. Students are reminded that simply seeking out information related to a subject and then writing up what they find is not research. Scholarly research involves careful consideration of the source material being used.
Examples that should be a part of any references page include:
1.Relevant primary sources.
2.Peer-reviewed journal articles.
3.Books and unpublished manuscripts. In spite of the expanding presence of internet-based sources, advanced scholarship still relies heavily on books and unpublished manuscripts.
3.Formatting and Documentation Reminders
1.Submit your paper to the “Draft Submission” link provided on Canvas
.a.Review your originality report. Look for areas of concern regarding plagiarism, insufficient documentation, etc.
b.Make any necessary corrections.
2.Before submitting your paper to the “Final Submission” link, check the following items:
a.Review the syllabus to be sure you have met the format guidelines (length, font size, etc.).
b.Put your name in the upper left-hand corner of the first page (no need for a cover page).
c.Two spaces below your name (centered) type:
Topic of Focus #2.
d.Review your documentation. Be sure you include the author-date, parenthetical citations per Turabian. Attach a properly formatted “References” page at the end of your paper.
3.Submit your paper to the “Final Submission” link provided on Canvas by the deadline (see syllabus for due date).
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