RELG Week 5

Discussion: The Church of Sport

In many societies, the devotion, rituals, and attendant institutions that surround popular sports can seem like a religion in itself. Think about the sport that is most popular where you live. How is participation in the sport organized? Are there professional leagues? A national team? How do participants of or fans of the sport differentiate themselves?

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Watch both videos found in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Identify the sport in your area that is the most culturally dominant.
• Think back to your study of religious rituals, beliefs, and institutions in previous weeks.
• Reflect on the rituals, beliefs, and institutions of sports fans and culturally significant sports leagues.

Submit a 3- to 5-paragraph Discussion post assessing whether the dominant sport in your area might be considered “religious” based on the criteria of rituals, beliefs, and institutions. In what way do sports and religion converge? In what ways do they differ?

Project: Final Project—A Comparison of World Religions

The Final Project that was first presented to you in Week 1 is due by Day 7 of this week. Please be sure that your project meets the specified criteria before submitting it.

For your Final Project, you will write a persuasive essay in which you will discuss why the study of world religion matters in our world today. In Week 2, you chose the religious tradition to explore in detail. In Week 3, you selected the pillar of analysis from which to base your point of view. In Week 4, you thought about how your religious tradition approaches a specific social concern.

Now, step back and examine the role the pillar of analysis you selected plays in a global world, from the perspective of your chosen religious tradition. From this perspective, explore, answer, and defend your response to the following questions:

• Why do people participate in religion? What were their motivations thousands of years ago? What are their motivations today?
• What’s the point of studying religion? What important lessons can we take from the study of religion?
• Given what you’ve covered in your weekly milestones, what role does your selected religious tradition play in contemporary society? Can your selected religious tradition, or any religious tradition, be a positive cultural presence?

This week, you will complete the following:

1. Retrieve the Final Project Worksheet from your Instructor.
2. Review your completed Final Project Worksheet.
3. Consider your answers to the questions outlined above.
4. Draft a persuasive essay of 5–7 pages in length responding to and defending your answers to the questions outlined above.
5. Be sure your essay is formatted according to the specifications shown below, and contains appropriate citations using APA format.
6. Submit your Final Project Research Paper.

Support your assertions by making at least two references, in proper APA format, to relevant academic sources. Remember that the Walden University Library is available. Refer to the “Ask a Librarian” resource located in the weekly resources area for assistance.

If you have questions about this Assignment, post them in the Contact the Instructor area. That way, everyone in the class will see, and benefit from, the Instructor’s response. You can also use the information in this area to e-mail your Instructor if something comes up that might prevent you from submitting your assignment on time.