Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper Instructions
Part I
Select at least 1 religious and 1 ethnic/racial group not your own from the list below.
- Religious groups (based on http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf)
o Christianity
- Evangelical Protestant
- Mainline Protestant
- Historically Black Churches
- Roman Catholic
- Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
- Jehovah's Witnesses
- Orthodox (Greek, Eastern)
o Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform)
o Buddhism (Theravada or Mahayana)
o Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufism)
o Hinduism
- Racial/ethnic groups (based on divisions in U.S. Census Bureau documents)
o Asian (Asian descent)
o Black (African descent)
o Hispanic and Latino (South or Central American descent)
o Pacific Islander (Polynesian descent)
o White (European descent)
Part II
Write a 750- to 1,400-word paper in which you consider the following regarding the religious group and racial/ethnic group you selected:
Religious group:
- How does your selected religious group differ from other religious groups (such as in their beliefs, worship practices, or values)?
- What has been the experience of your selected religious group with others that do not share its beliefs or practices?
- In what ways has the religious group you selected contributed to American culture?
- Provide specific examples of prejudice or discrimination your selected religious group has experienced.
- What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination?
- Does what you've learned about this religious group help you understand it? In what ways?
Racial/ethnic group:
- How does your selected racial/ethnic group differ from other racial/ethnic groups (such as differences in ancestry, language, or culture)?
- What has been your selected group's experience with other groups?
- In what ways has the racial/ethnic group you selected contributed to American culture?
- Identify some specific examples of prejudice or discrimination that your selected group has experienced historically.
- What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination?
- Does what you've learned about this racial/ethnic group help you understand it? How?
Include the following as part of your conclusion:
- How are the prejudice and discrimination experienced by your selected religious group and racial/ethnic group similar?
- How are they different?
- Can you draw any conclusions about discrimination from this comparison?
Provide citations for all the sources you use.