SCTR19 - Site Visits

SCTR 19 - "Religions of the Book" - Fall 2006

Fr. Felix Just, S.J.
Dept. of Religious Studies, Santa Clara University

Site Visit Guidelines

Purpose: To experience how some groups of Jews, Christians, or Muslims conduct their communal worship, and to learn how they incorporate the use of their scriptures (Bible or Qur’an) into their worship services.

Overview: Teams of 2-3 students will visit at least one synagogue, church, or mosque (outside of your own religious tradition), attending a regularly scheduled weekend service, if possible. Each team will jointly write a brief report about your experience, focusing especially on the use of scripture by the religious group you visited.

Guidelines & Timeline:

Form Teams – You could team up with one or two other members of your discussion/project group,
or with other students from our class, as you wish (do not go alone, nor go in groups larger than three, so as not to overwhelm your hosts). Decide together which religious tradition you want to visit.
Propose Your Visit (by Monday, October 2) – Choose a particular synagogue, church, or mosque to visit (see the list handed out in class, or check the phone book or internet; don’t all pick the ones closest to SCU). Find out when they have their main weekend service(s). Decide when your team can attend. Submit a brief written proposal listing the names of the team members, the name and address of the religious group, and when you will visit them (time and date of service; no later than Nov. 9).
Prepare for Your Visit – Do some research in advance (books, online, interviews) to find out what to expect during your visit, what their normal “order of service” is, what language(s) they will use, and how they include selections from their scriptures in their services. Call in advance to make sure they are open to visitors, and to tell them when you would like to visit (as a courtesy). Ask what would be appropriate for you to wear, and if they have any other guidelines or information for you before you come. Also ask if there is someone you could meet before or after the service to give explanations and/or answer your questions.
Conduct Your Visit (by Nov. 9) – Arrange your own transportation, arrive early, introduce yourselves (as appropriate), and conduct yourselves respectfully! Be mindful that you are representing SCU, at least informally, so your behavior will reflect on the university as a whole. Take along a copy of their weekly bulletin, or worship aide, or some other current local publication – not merely to show you were there, but mostly to get a better sense of what that congregation does aside from its weekly services.
Changes/Problems? – Let me know ASAP if you need to change anything that was in your proposal. If the change is minor (date of visit, time of service), a brief note will suffice. If the change is substantial (different team members or religious institution), submit a new proposal. Please also let me know immediately if you encounter any problems before or during your visit.
Write Your Report – Reflect on your experience individually, discuss it with your team members, and jointly write a brief report (3-4 pages) about what you observed and learned. Include a brief overview of the service you attended (and maybe some comments about the congregation, the building, the order of worship, etc.), but mostly describe and analyze how the group you visited incorporated their religion’s scriptures into their service (in readings, sermons, prayers, etc.). Each member of your team receives the same grade, so make sure you all contribute, and all proofread it before submitting the final draft! See my page of WRITING TIPS for comments about grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.
Report Format – Write in standard “Essay” format (brief introduction with clear thesis statement; structured body; brief conclusion, not just repeating your intro, but “concluding” something interesting). Make sure your paper is the required length (3-4 full pages), double-spaced, typed in a 10-12 point font, with 1-inch margins (change MS Windows 1¼-inch default), a compact single-spaced heading (not a separate title page), and written in standard academic English (no contractions or slang; grammar and spelling count!) Attach the worship aide or other literature you collected.
Header Format (single-spaced):
top right: Full Names of All Students, Date of Report, Course Title, Section Number
top left: Name of Religious Site Visited, Date and Time of Visit, Location, Website
centered: Creative Paper Title (possibly including a more descriptive subtitle?)
Due Date – On or before the start of class on Friday, Nov. 17, 2006. No late papers will be accepted!

Grading Rubrics for Site Visit Reports:

CATEGORY	4 – Above Standards	3 – Meets Standards	2 – Approaches Standards	1 – Below Standards	0 – Nada
Paper Format	All formatting rubrics have been closely followed, and the paper looks academically professional.	All formatting rubrics have been met, so the paper looks academically appropriate.	Some formatting rubrics have not been met, but the paper still looks academically acceptable.	Several formatting rubrics have not been met, making it hardly look like an academic paper.	Is this a paper?
Heading: Site Info	Complete site visit information is clearly and accurately listed in the prescribed format.	Complete site visit information is given using the prescribed format.	Some site visit details are missing and/or not given in required format.	Site visit information is incomplete and/or inaccurate.	Who went where when?
Introduction	The first paragraph captures the reader’s attention with a compelling introduction and a clear, strong thesis statement.	The first paragraph introduces the paper’s content and includes a clear thesis statement.	The introductory paragraph is interesting but the thesis of the paper is not completely clear.	The introductory paragraph and thesis statement are unclear, uninteresting, and/or lacking.	Is there any thesis?
Organization	The body of the paper is clearly organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings.	The body of the paper is organized into appropriate sections and paragraphs.	The information is organized, but some paragraphs are not well-constructed.	The information appears to be unclear or disorganized.	What’s a paragraph?
Observations	The team’s observations about the worship service are very clear, accurate, and thorough.	The team’s observations about the worship service are stated clearly and accurately.	Most observations are stated accurately, but not all very thoroughly.	What the team experienced remains unclear and confusing for the reader.	Were anyone’s eyes open?
Understanding	The report shows excellent understanding of the group visited, and provides support through details and examples.	The report shows good understanding of the religious service, and includes essential knowledge with some details.	The report shows a good understanding of some things, but there is little support and/or a few factual errors.	The authors do not seem to understand the religious group very well and/or there are significant factual errors.	Where are we, Captain?
Scriptures	How the visited group uses its scriptures is accurately described and well integrated as a major focus of the paper.	How the visited group uses its scriptures is clearly and accurately described.	How the visited group uses its scriptures is mentioned, but not described very clearly or thoroughly.	How the visited group uses its scriptures is hardly mentioned and/or described incorrectly.	What are scriptures?
Conclusion	The concluding paragraph is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding what the authors learned.	The conclusion summarizes what the authors learned from this project.	There is a conclusion, but it does little more than restate the introduction.	There is no clear conclusion; the paper just seems to end.	What’s a conclusion?
Teamwork	The paper shows clear evidence of being the integrated product of a team working closely together.	The paper shows good evidence of being written by a team, not just one student.	The paper shows some, but not much evidence of having had input from more than one person.	The paper reads as if it were written mostly by one of the students working alone.	What’s a team?
Religious Vocabulary	The paper exhibits skillful use of the technical vocabulary appropriate to the religious group visited.	The paper exhibits accurate use of vocabulary appropriate to the religious group visited.	The paper exhibits minimal use of appropriate religious vocabulary, but few serious errors.	The paper exhibits a lack of specific religious vocabulary and/or significant errors in its usage.	What religion is this about?
Grammar & Punctuation	All sentences well constructed, with no grammatical or punctuation errors, so the paper is very easy to read.	Sentences well constructed, with very few grammatical or punctuation errors, so the paper is easy to read.	Some sentences constructed poorly; errors of grammar or punctuation catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow.	Many grammatical or punctuation errors catch the reader's attention and seriously interrupt the flow.	Are we in college yet?
Spelling & Capitalization	No spelling or capitalization errors at all.	Very few spelling or capitalization errors.	Several different spelling or capitalization errors.	Many spelling and/or capitalization errors.	Is this still English?
Appendix	X	X	A bulletin, worship aide, or other printed material from the date of the visit is appended.	Some printed material from the visited site is appended.	Oops, we forgot!