RELS 2351  Love in the Community (LITC) Project Instructions    Summer 2018

LITC Proposal due on Brightspace midnight (11:59 pm), Sat. July 28th     ~100 words   5%

Hard copy of LITC Paper due at beginning of class on Tues. August 14th      ~1000 words 25%

As the song goes, “love is all around us” — and we often find it in the most unexpected places. The purpose of this assignment is for students to attend a public event or gathering in the wider off-campus community to identify and explore an example of love at the collective level. After attending the event, you will write a paper describing it and analyzing how the event relates to some aspect of the topic of love, using at least one scholar’s ideas about love, and at least one scholarly article or book. Students may attend the same event together, but papers are to be written individually.

Steps you need to take:

· Identify an appropriate public event or gathering taking place locally in the near future. See below for some suggestions.

· Write a brief Proposal outlining your choice of event. Post this in the Dropbox function on Brightspace by midnight (11:59 pm), Sat. July 28th.You are encouraged to post this earlier to receive earlier feedback.

· Attend the event and observe what goes on, making notes afterwards.

· Write a Paper describing the event and analyzing it in relation to a theoretical/scholarly aspect of the topic of love which you have researched

· Bring a hard copy of your Paper to class on Tues. August 14th and come prepared to share your findings in small groups at the beginning of class. 

Possible events: The range of possibilities is limited only by your imagination. These could include: community fundraisers & charity events, neighbourhood events, religious services, protest demonstrations, events for children or refugees, cultural or environmental events, etc. Film screenings are not suitable, unless followed up by a public talk. Here are some suggestions for where to look for ideas:

· events listing at The Coast: http://www.thecoast.ca

· bulletin boards at Halifax Central Library or other library branches, or look through their programs by branch: http://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/about/documents/printable-listings.html

· the events pages and other community pages on kijiji: http://www.kijiji.ca/b-events/halifax/c289l80010

· Dalhousie’s Health & Wellness page has a long list of links to places of worship for all sorts of religious groups: https://www.dal.ca/campus_life/health-and-wellness/services-support/multifaith-services/places-of-worship.html

· community groups like this one: https://www.ecologyaction.ca 

· social media, friends, classmates, posters on telephone posts, etc.

What to Include in Your Proposal (due on Brightspace, midnight Sat. July 28th): 

(This can be in point form, ~100 words)

· Details of the event you are planning on attending: date, time, place, host, etc.

· Why you have chosen this event

· Etiquette considerations: what should you pay attention to in order to be a respectful observer or participant? It is always important to think about this.

· If you have a sense of which scholar’s ideas you think would fit with your event, state this. Note that this is not essential at this stage 

What to Include in Your Paper (paper copy due in class, 9:30 am Tues. August 14):

· Event Description: A description of the event itself. This is where you explain the details of the event (who, what, where, when, why … and perhaps how). Feel free to include photos, drawings, quotes from someone you interviewed (be sure and state their name and role in the event), or other material. If there was a poster or program or announcement of the event, you may attach this to your project. 

· Research and analysis: An analysis of how the event relates to the topic of love. In this section you need to be “academic”, and draw connections between your event and at least one scholar’s ideas about love, referring to at least one academic source. While this may be one of the Coursepack articles, you are encouraged to look beyond the course readings for your scholarly source(s) – for example, a book in the university library system, an encyclopedia article such as in the Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions or the Encyclopedia of Religion (both available in the reference section of SMU library), or a scholarly journal article. Do not cite from class PowerPoints – go to the original source.

· Use the marking scheme below for a guideline in structuring and proportioning your paper.

The Fine Print:

· Be conscious of etiquette in taking photos. It is usually not appropriate to take pictures during religious services. If in doubt, ask someone there.

· If you regularly attend a particular church or other religious site, you may not use this for your event

· In writing your final paper, to save paper, use 1.5 spacing, double-sided if possible, no title page, and no need to start a new page for your Works Cited list.

· Cite all sources using in-text citations or footnotes, including page #s, and a Works Cited list, using either MLA or APA formats

· Do not use popular websites like Wikipedia, Pinterest, or news media websites such as CBC or Huffington Post, etc. for your research. Stick with peer-reviewed journal articles, academic library books and encyclopedias, and academic websites

Marking Scheme:

1. Event Description: Your ability to describe the event or gathering in a colourful, interesting, and descriptive way     7 marks

2. Scholarly research: Explanation of your chosen scholar’s (or scholars’) theory or ideas about love   7 marks

3. Analysis: ability to intelligently draw connections linking what you experienced at the event with your scholar’s ideas about love    6 marks

4. Writing quality: clear, grammatical, and well-structured with good introductory and closing paragraphs and correct citations. Note that the Writing Centre is there to help students improve their writing skills.     5 marks 

Marks will be deducted for inadequate in-text citations and/or bibliography, or for using non-scholarly sources such as popular websites like Wikipedia, Buddhanet, etc.

Penalties: 5% of your mark will be deducted for each calendar day late. Failing to show up to class on August 14th to participate in small-group sharing will result in a penalty of 3 marks on your assignment grade, unless you have a medical note. Even if your paper will be late, you will avoid extra penalties if you come to class that day.