World Religions Oral Summative
The Great Debate
The Task
Students will research a controversial issue concerning the role of religion in the world and / or specific issues from a religious perspective. Working in teams, students will organize their research in preparation to debate their issue in front of the class. THIS IS THE ORAL SUMMATIVE FOR THIS COURSE AND WILL MAKE UP 15% OF YOUR MARK.
· Students will debate in teams of two but will be marked individually
· Each student must prepare a brief opening or closing statement
· Each student must prepare ONE main argument and rebuttal for debate
· Each student must have a visual presentation of:
a) ARGUMENTS / EVIDENCE (images, quotes, statistics, pictures, documents etc.)
b) REBUTTAL EVIDENCE (maps, images, quotes, statistics, pictures, documents etc.) which will be used during debate (powerpoint, prezi, concept map, word document). This should be uploaded to turnitin.com.
The Topics
DEBATE QUESTIONS
- Can evil exist and there still be a God?
- Can morality exist without religion?
- Is abortion wrong according to religion?
- Is capital punishment wrong according to religion?
- Does Religious Commitment Improve Mental Health?
- Is religious war ever justified?
- Should Human Cloning be banned?
8. Does the Religious Right override freedoms?
9. Can science and religion coexist?
10. Can religion be blamed for world violence / problems?
11. Can all religions be true?
The Art of Persuasion
The Great Debate - How to Debate to Win!
Task #2 - The Research
o 8-10 pages of HANDWRITTEN research notes and/or visuals with an explanation
o Highlight notes / visuals to match your persuasive output (Introduction; arguments 1, 2, 3; conclusion)
o 6-9 varied resources in the form of a properly formatted APA style bibliography
o Annotations under each resource – an explanation of how the resource connects to your persuasive output (Introduction; arguments 1, 2, 3; conclusion)
Doing Your Research - How to Search the Library Catalogue
Once you are at the main page, enter the subject/keywords of the topic that you are searching for. Keep in mind that spelling is really important! If you spell the word that you are looking for incorrectly, the system will assume we do not have it. We may not have books for some of the topics that you are looking for, but this is a good place to start! The link below will take you to the library catalogue for Louise Arbour S.S.
Accessing the catalogue is easy! Below are the ways that you can do so:
- Go to the applications page and click on the "Library Catalogue - Louise Arbour"
- Go to the BYOD page at www.peelschools.org. Click on Library, which can be found at the very top of the page. The library catalogue icon will be at top of the library page in green.
Doing Your Research - How to Use the Databases
Once you have found the databases you will need to start searching for your topic. There are many databases to choose from and it can be a bit overwhelming. The following are a list of databases that I would highly recommend that you start with for your search:
- Britannica Online: School Edition - This database is good to get an overview of your topic. It also has links to academic websites.However, please keep in mind that this is an American resource.
- Global Issues in Context - This is a great place to look when trying to get a global or world view perspective of your topic.
- Canadian Points of View and Points of View - This database is excellent when looking for various perspectives regarding a particular topic/issue. This is one of the best databases to look at when forming an argument, as well as when you are creating your rebuttal as it often provides both sides of a variety of topics.
- Diversity Studies Collection - This database will contain information about how religion has influenced perspectives and cultures around the world.
- History Reference Centre - A lot of the information that you will be searching for will be historical in nature, therefore, this database will be a very useful resource.
- Religion and Philosophy Collection - This is an excellent database when searching for information that is specific to religion.
- World History Collection - Religion spans the entire globe, so the world history collection will also have information about your topic.
These databases are the ones that you should focus on as they are most relevant the topics that you are researching. All of the databases are great sources of information. They are better than a random search on a website because you can find a lot of information here that has been written by experts in the field. You should not have to use Google for any of your research for this assignment. As you prepare for college and/or university, Google will not be an acceptable method of research. The databases will have what you need to get your work done.
Be aware of the search terminology that you are using. For example, searching for "religion" may produce many more search results than what you need for this assignment. Try to use key words to help narrow down your search. For example, if you want to find out about the question "Can science and religion coexist?', you could use the key worlds "religion" and "science". If you are not getting enough information, try to keep your search broad and general until you can find what you are looking for. Do not type in your research question! This is not Google and you will not find what you are looking for. Databases will only search for the key terms that you put in so doing a proper Boolean search is very important.
Please keep in mind that you cannot click the images below to get to the databases. However, you can click on the secondary eResources link below, and that will take you directly to the databases.
Boolean Searching
APA Citations - The Sixth Edition
Creating a References Page in APA Format
No research would be complete without an accurately formatted References page. For some assignments (i.e. Science, Law, etc.), you will be using APA as your method for creating your citations. It is important to keep track of the information that you use as you go along with the creation of your assignment. Waiting until the very end could be a problem, especially if you can't remember where you got all of the information from.
You can also use the databases to help you complete your works cited page by clicking on SourceIt. This database is Peel Board approved in terms of being a great tool to help you.
One of the easiest tools to use when creating a works cited page is Citation Machine. If you go to www.citationmachine.net , you can input your book, magazine, website, film or other resource and the citation will be created for you! Please keep in mind that if some parts of the citation are missing, you can easily fill them in using Citation Machine.
Finally, many of the databases create the citation for you! When you are in a database and you are looking at an article, look to the top or the left of the article to find a citation tools like (in some databases it will look like a check mark). If you click on that link and select APA formatting, the citation will be created for you and then you can copy and paste it into your works cited page.
When completing your References page, there are a few key things to remember:
- It should be in alphabetical by author's last name. If there is no author, then it should be in alphabetical order by whatever letter comes first in the citation.
- The second line should be indented. You can do this by pressing "Enter" and then "Tab".
- You do not have to number your citations.
- You do not have to put your list of citations into categories (i.e. books, magazines, websites, etc.).
- You should only include resources that you actually used in your research. If you looked at it, but did not use it, it should not be included in your works cited.
REFERENCES EXAMPLE – APA FORMAT
References
Atwood, M. (2003). Oryx and Crake. London: Bloomsbury.
Harris, J. (2002). Five quarters of an orange. Boston, MA: Harper.
Packer, A. (2003). The dive from Clausen's Pier. New York: Vintage Books.
Policy.ca. (2000-2006). Retrieved March 1, 2007, from http://www.policy.ca.
Westerfeld, S. (2005). Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse.
Practice Your APA Skills
Note Taking - Using the Cornell Method
Creating an Annotated Bibliography
What is an annotated bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is a reference list which includes a brief description (3-5 sentences or so) of the information found in the resource and a comment regarding how the source is useful in guiding your research project.
When you are doing an extended research project, you may find a large number of resources. The annotated bibliography is a helpful tool in keeping track of all of your references. It serves as a reminder as to why each reference is important and how it contributes to your inquiry project.
For this assignment, you will be expected to create an annotated bibliography. The short instructional link below will explain how to do one correctly and what you need to include