Report on Religious Field Research

Posted: December 10th, 2013

You are to pick one (1) of the religions studied (with which you are not very familiar) and do one of these three (3) things:
• Attend a religious service, or
• Visit a religious education center and interview a member of that faith, or
• Attend a “virtual religious service” and complete additional research (for a list of services, see below before the rubric).
Write a 4-7 page paper in which you:
1. Discuss any misconceptions you had about the religion you researched.
2. Analyze how your prior understanding about this religion was altered (if at all) through your encounter.
3. Discuss whether you believe misconceptions about other people’s religion are common and explain why or why not.
4. Recommend at least one (1) step that could be taken to minimize misconceptions people have about religions not their own.

Pay attention to what is important to people inside the religion, what they do, what they profess, how they act, what they value, what they talk about, and what they tell you about their religion. The easiest way to understand what is important to someone else is let them tell you about their faith, their traditions, and their religious practices. The most important thing to do is to keep an open mind and listen. No matter which of the three (3) routes you take for your field research, you will be looking for the same information.