View the recorded footage of a Reform Jewish Bat Mitzvah and Catholic Confirmation. After viewing the videos, describe and compare the two religious rituals on the basis of recorded footage.The first part of the essay should thoroughly describe the rituals as viewed on the footage alone. Do not describe the rituals on the basis of other sources, such as books or articles, unless certain components of the ritual are not recorded or clear in the footage. Even then, other sources should be used only to supplement. Be detailed and be descriptive. Pretend that your reader has never seen these rituals and that you are their eyes and ears.The second part of the essay should present the points of comparison between the two rituals you observed in terms in terms of how they are similar and how they differ (e.g., the lay and clergy individuals involved and their role/s, the purpose/function/result of the rituals, the material objects used, frequency and formality, etc). You should offer some thoughts as to why these similarities/differences are present or why they are significant. I do not set a high bar for your ideas about the “so what?” question, but I do expect that you make a genuine effort to draw some conclusions.
Links to videos are provided at the bottom of the page
Writing requirements: Your essay must have clearly organized and logically divided paragraphs, a brief introduction with a clear thesis and a conclusion , and correct grammar and punctuation.
Sources and research: You may do minimal background research in order to understand the rituals you view on the footage and to make fruitful points of comparison, and in fact this is likely to be necessary. But this is not intended to be a research paper and I am most interested in your own thoughts and analysis, so keep your use of sources to a minimum. Use them only where you employ necessary interpretive information that could not be derived from simple observation of the recorded footage, and only in the comparison portion of the essay. To that end, you may only use the following types of resources:
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Basic academic sources such as dictionaries, databases, handbooks, companions, and introductions of religion, specific religions, or specific topics in religious studies. Do not just casually use Google to find whatever random websites come up and do not use Wikipedia. Journal articles are probably too specific/detailed to be usable for this assignment, as are many academic books.
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The groups’ own websites and materials, such as statements of faith or practice, confessions, creeds, catechisms, guides, and so forth that are produced as public-facing or for internal use. Be aware of and avoid using materials that claim to represent a group’s beliefs or practices but in fact speak in no official capacity and/or carry no formal authority. Always know the origin of your sources.
Make sure that any sources you use and the information they provide accord with the group and the rituals you view and discuss. For example, you should not use Reform Jewish sources or website to talk about a ritual that in your footage is performed by a Conservative or Orthodox Jewish group; or use Catholic sources to interpret a ritual performed by a Protestant denomination. Alternatively, you may not always know which group is performing the ritual, and in this case you may use any available source for the ritual as along as it does not conflict with what is taking place on the footage–just be sure to state this clearly (i.e., “I cannot determine for certain that the group in Video X is Conservative or Orthodox, but I am using Conservative and Orthodox informational sources on the basis that their description of the ritual matches what takes place in the footage…”). The key is to not make claims about a group that are not true or are unfair, and to avoid a discrepancy between the footage and the informational sources used. Misrepresentation is to be avoided at all costs.
Any sources consulted must be cited parenthetically or in footnotes where used within the paper and listed on a bibliography/references/works cited page. Provide a hyperlink to the videos you use so that I can view them as well if needed. Any method of citation is acceptable as long as it is used consistently and correctly (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian).
Reform Jewish Bat Mitzvah Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk4lwWUTTpk
Catholic Confirmation Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMVmtlR3Fy0