Research Topic and Question This is the first stage of your final paper assignment.

Research Topic and Question

This is the first stage of your final paper assignment. In this stage, you will identify a general topic and question which you plan to research for your final paper.

How should you go about identifying a topic and question?

Scan through the topics and readings in the syllabus. Are there any that particularly interest you?

You can also pursue a topic that is not addressed in the syllabus. However, make sure you can locate enough literature to write about your topic.

You can also look to current news and current affairs for a topic you could potentially write about. But make sure that it is related to religion and moral issues.

Examples of how you should formulate a research question

Your submission should be 2–3 sentences long.

“What are the Buddhist religious justifications for tree ordination in Thailand? This paper will examine how monks in Thailand drew on Buddhist ideas, scriptures, and doctrines to support the tree ordination ceremony, which aimed at reducing deforestation.”

“How did medieval Muslim exegetes make sense of the Qur’anic verses that discuss fasting? My paper will trace Muslim debates on the issue of fasting by looking at their commentaries on relevant verses in the Qur’an.”