Guidelines for Reflective Papers on Visitations

First Paper due: January 8, 2007
Second Paper due: May 24, 2007

Value: one test (assessed for fourth quarter)

Remember: Your permission slip must be turned in two school days before your visit.

You are required to write a reflective paper for each of the religious visits you do this year.  The paper is due in May to give you maximum time to make the visits you want to make.  But you are strongly encouraged to write the paper immediately after your visit, whenever it is, so that your impressions and recollections will still be fresh and vivid. You might find it helpful to take notes while on your visit so you can refer to them later. 

Reflection is the business of mining your own experience for insight and knowledge.  In evaluating your reflection papers the best grades will go to those that express clarity, cohesion, and insight.  Having said this, the directions for writing are more flexible than they would be than for an analytical writing assignment. Each paper should be typed, double-spaced, and no longer than three pages for each visit.  As you know, you will also need to include your artifact(s) from the visit(s). Other than that, the general guidelines are as follows:  write the context of your visit; write some description of the visit itself; and finally, write what you learned from the activity.

As a starting point for your reflection, consider the three “E’s”:

• What experiences from your life did the visit cause you to think about, and why?

• What emotions did the visit evoke, and why?

• What effects might the visit have on you (e.g., on your life, your perspective, or your understanding of religion)?

Beyond these overarching reflection questions, the following list will help you. Don’t answer these questions like a questionaire or in a bulleted list; use them, as few or as many in each section as you like, to get at what was most relevant or important in the visits for you.

Context:

            What event did you attend?

            When did you attend?  Where was it?

With whom did you attend this event? (alone? With a group?):  do you think this

made a difference in how you  experienced the event? How so?

            Why did you choose this event to attend?

            What is your prior relationship to events such as this in this religious tradition?

            What were your prior feelings about events such as this or this religious tradition?

            What were your expectations for the event before you attended?

What questions did you have about the religion or religious activity before you attended?

The Visit:

            What sacred structures or art did you encounter?

            What were the physical surroundings like?

If it was inside a building, what was the architecture and art like inside?

Do the surroundings, art, or architecture express the religion’s values in some way?  If so, how?

What was the aural [sound] environment?  Was there music?

Did the aural environment express the religion’s values in some way? If so, how?

Were there physical gestures or movements that people made? 

What were these and did they express the religion’s values in some way?  If so, how?

What activities did you do?  (performed sacraments? meditated?)

            How did adherents perform these activities?:  What emotions were

expressed (were they happy?  Dutiful?..)

            How did you feel participating in these activities?

            What emotions were expressed?

Was there a leader of the activities?

How was this person an exemplar of the religion?

What was the relationship of the people to this person?

What were the people like?  (Old? Poor? Lithuanian? Mostly female? Formally

dressed?)  Why do you think?

What was the attitude of the adherents to you? (were you welcomed? Ignored?)

Did you speak with anyone you didn’t know at the activity?

Was there any political literature at this event, not strictly “religious”?  why do you think? What relation, if any, does this have to the religion?

What artifact did you bring from the visit?

What is its significance?

The Learning

What did you learn from this event?

Is there anything you learned in this visit that you can apply in your life?  Explain.

How were your preconceptions about this religion changed by the visit?

How were they reinforced?

How were your questions about the religion answered?

What about this religion would you like to know now?

How does this religious activity compare with ones you know or have known?

What is similar about them? 

What is different about them?

Do you know anyone who is an adherent of the religion whose activity you visited?

Do you think your visit will affect your relationship with him or her?  How?

Would you do this visit again?  Why or why not?

Would you recommend that others go on the visit you did?  Why or why not?

Who do you think would benefit most?  Who would you not recommend this to? Why?