• How does Nye define “ritual”? How can the same action be a ritual sometimes but not others?

• What shift took place in ritual studies during the 1990s? How is this relevant to your film essay?

• How might you use one theory of ritual to interpret The Lion King?

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4. Writing + Ritual

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Today

• Announcements

• Analytical writing!

➡ Rites of passage paragraph

• Finish (I hope!): Ritual

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• Me: extra office hours Friday 2-4pm (Erindale Hall room 208)

➡ Appointments

• TAs’ email addresses

• Expectations survey

• UTM Film Festival starts tomorrow!

• Tutorial readings + homework + reflections

➡ Will tell you by email4

Announcements

Anonymous Feedback

• Email response

• Slides + audio online = no one in class?

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pareidolia

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pareidolia

Analytical Writing!

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Analytical Writing!1. Film analysis paragraph

2. Academic integrity

➡ Turnitin.com

3. Grading rubric

➡ Assignment components

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Writing = learning

Use your voice

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Writing is difficult

1. Film Analysis Paragraph

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Film Analysis Paragraph

• Why this assignment?

➡ Learn a theory by using it (=apply to data)

➡ Learn that religion theories can help us understand stuff not obviously “religious”

➡ Learn to see something familiar (film) in a new way

➡ Have fun!?

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Film Analysis Paragraph

• Analyze a film from TA’s list using van Gennep’s theory of rites of passage

➡ Focus: transformation➡ Starting point (before separation stage)

➡ Connect outer change to inner change: what does character learn?

➡ What is movie trying to teach us through character’s rite of passage?

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• Rite of passage = literal / symbolic journey1. Separation

➡ Death of old self; leave “home”

2. Liminality

➡ “Threshold” or barrier; anti-structure

3. Incorporation

➡ Birth of new self; go “home” (new/old); new role; inner change?

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Film Analysis Paragraph

Film Analysis Paragraph

• Submit your “rites of passage” film analysis paragraph to Bb and turnitin.com before 11:59pm on Sept. 29

• Instructions on Bb (“Film Analysis”)

➡ Submission to Bb and turnitin.com

➡ Writing advice + sample paragraphs

➡ Grading rubric (include with your assignment)

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• Late penalty: 0.5 marks (out of 10) per day

• Illness, crisis, etc.

➡ Submit assignment as soon as you can

➡ THEN submit documentation to me

➡ Make sure you get help! (e.g., UTM Health & Counselling)

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Film Analysis Paragraph

• Due October 20

• Will discuss in class next week

• Will post instructions on Bb soon (and email you when they’re up)

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Final Film Analysis

2. Academic Integrity

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Academic Integrity

• Not okay:

➡ Sharing your written work

➡ Using another student’s written work

➡ Using your work to obtain credit in more than one course

➡ Using another’s ideas without citations

➡ Using another’s words without quotation marks

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Documenting Sources• Why document sources?

➡ Students: to avoid getting in trouble

➡ Scholars: to show that you are part of a conversation (“breadcrumbs”); to tell your readers where to find more info on the topics you’re discussing

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Documenting Sources• When to document sources:

➡ Direct quotes (need quotation marks and citation)

➡ Ideas from texts → i.e., paraphrasing(need citation)

• This course only: when referencing an author that Nye cites, just cite Nye

• See Zoolander paragraph for all of the above21

• Paraphrase: change the original wording substantially but keep the meaning

• “This ‘world religions’ approach also leaves considerable geographical gaps” (Nye 2008, 12).

• According to Nye, the world religions method also leaves many geographical gaps (Nye 2008, 12).

Quotes / Paraphrases

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Quotes / Paraphrases

• See “Readings on Writing” (RLG101 site)

• Don’t write your paraphrase while looking at the original text

1. Read original

2. Make notes

3. Put original and notes away

4. Write paraphrase

• When in doubt, quote23

Turnitin.com

• Finds matches, gives % overlap

• NO acceptable % of plagiarism allowed

• Can see your own “Originality Report”

➡ Click the “Originality” tab

➡ Can view your report and re-submit your essay UP UNTIL the deadline

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Turnitin.com

• Some kinds of overlap are NOT plagiarism

➡ E.g., quotes (in quotation marks), bibliographies, course titles

➡ Use double quotation marks (like “this”)

➡ Use heading “Bibliography” (w/o quotation marks)

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Examples of text overlaps that are NOT

a problem

3. Grading Rubric

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Grading Rubric1. Response to task

2. Theory

3. Support / Argument

4. Message

5. Structure

6. Citations + Bibliography

7. Writing

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1. Response to Task

• Read instructions!

• Name, student #, etc.

• No additional research

• Word count

➡ Max 350 words

➡ Does not include citations/bibliography

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2. Theory1. Demonstrate understanding

➡ Paraphrase ideas from Nye’s text

➡ Way in which you use theory(read Nye’s description carefully)

2. Analysis of film with theory

➡ Make/show discoveries about the film!

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• Analysis = ARGUMENT

➡ Reasonable conclusions based on evidence

➡ Someone could disagree with you

➡ Not about “proving” or “disproving” anything

➡ Say what you really think (follow the data!)

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3. Support / Argument

4. Message

• Must have one!

➡ State clearly

➡ Support with evidence from the film

➡ Question to answer: what lesson do you think the film is teaching us?

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5. Structure

• Paragraph:

➡ Introduction (=topic sentence[s] = brief statement of link between theory + film)

➡ Body (=explanation of theory + use of theory to analyze film)

➡ Conclusion (=message of the film)

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6. Citations + Bibliography

• Chicago Manual of Style

➡ Author-date

➡ Only source: Nye’s text

➡ Look at Zoolander paragraph

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7. Writing

Trust yourself!

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• Clarity (see Calvin + Hobbes)

➡ Point is to communicate➡ Read sentences out loud

➡ Simplify!!

7. Writing

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7. Use of “I”

• Totally fine!

• If relevant and appropriate!

• I will examine Simba’s overall transformation during The Lion King . . .

• I think that Scar is a huge jerk.

• In this analysis, one will examine Simba’s transformation during The Lion King . . .

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7. Biased Language

• Mankind / man

➡ Humanity, people

• Man-made

➡ Artificial

• If a person likes ice cream, he should get some

➡ If people like ice cream, they should get some

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• Errors, typos (PROOFREAD!)

• Use present tense

• Colloquial language (“stuff”; “whatevs”; etc.)

• Mechanics (e.g., punctuation)

➡ Book + film titles in italics!

7. Writing

Religion: The Basics

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The Lion King

Good luck with your assignment!

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Ritual!

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Ritual1. Rites of passage

2. What is “ritual”?

3. Theories of ritual

➡ Potentially useful for film analysis

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2. What is “Ritual”?

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What is Ritual?

• Ritual = stuff people DO➡ But which stuff?? (Nye p. 129-133)

➡ Not necessarily repeated (e.g., rite of passage)

➡ Many definitions!

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• Nye: ritual as “meaningful action” (p. 133-4)

➡ Not about the act itself

➡ About relation between act and person

➡ Same action might be meaningful for one person/time/place but not others

➡ Examples?

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What is Ritual?

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Rev. Dawn Leger (Anglican)Christ Church in Stouffville, ON

Eucharist52

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Eid al-Fitr(Tajikistan)

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Ed (S01E02)

Today’s Song

• “New Shoes” by Paolo Nutini (2006)

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“New Shoes”Woke up cold one Tuesday,

I’m looking tired and feeling quite sick,I felt like there was something missing

in my day to day life

Hey, I put some new shoes on,And suddenly everything is right,

I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody’s smiling, it’s so inviting,

Oh, short on money,but long on time,Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine

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Ritual Studies

• Ritual studies challenged academic assumption that religion was only about belief➡ Focus on

ACTIONS

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Ritual Studies

• Crisis in the 1990s (Nye p. 148)

• If so many things can be called “ritual,” is this really a useful term?

• Change in focus: ritual theory used for interpretation, not as description

➡ Ritual theories as tools for critical thinking (interpretation) and not for labelling as “ritual” (description)

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Old question: “Is this action a ritual?”

New question: “What does this action mean?”

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• How does Nye define “ritual”? How can the same action be a ritual sometimes but not others?

• What shift took place in ritual studies during the 1990s? How is this relevant to your film essay?

• How might you use one theory of ritual to interpret The Lion King?

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