REL 201 – Introduction to Religious Studies

Reflection Essay: “What Counts as Religion?” (Assignment 1)

Assessment Overview

Religious Studies courses that carry titles such as REL 201 often begin with questions about what people mean when they use the word “religion” and how scholars study religious life in different cultures. The first written assignment for the spring term invites you to work with those opening questions in a focused way. Students write a short reflection essay that brings together course readings, everyday examples, and personal experience in order to think more clearly about how “religion” has been defined, criticised, and used in academic work.

• Course code/title: REL 201 – Introduction to Religious Studies

• Assessment label: Assignment 1 – Reflection Essay: “What Counts as Religion?”

• Type: Individual short essay

• Length: 800–1,000 words

• Format: Word document (.docx), double spaced, 12 pt font

• Weighting: 15% of final grade

• Submission: Upload to the LMS (Assignments → Assignment 1)

• Citation style: MLA, APA, or Chicago, as specified in your section syllabus

Learning Outcomes

• Describe at least two scholarly approaches to defining religion and explain why definitions matter.

• Apply course ideas to concrete examples from everyday life, media, or personal experience.

• Reflect on how your own assumptions about religion may differ from academic approaches.

• Write a clear, well organised short essay that uses appropriate evidence and references.

Essay Instructions

Students write a reflection essay that answers three guiding questions. The style should be thoughtful and careful, with a balance between personal reflection and engagement with assigned readings. First person writing is acceptable, but the overall tone needs to remain academic and respectful.

Question 1: How have you usually recognised religion? (approximately 250–300 words)

1. Describe how you have tended to recognise “religion” in everyday life before taking REL 201. For example, think about buildings, clothing, rituals, holidays, or ways of speaking.

2. Mention at least one situation where you hesitated to label something as religious or non religious, such as yoga classes, civil ceremonies, or sports events.

3. Explain briefly what those examples suggest about your starting assumptions.

Question 2: How do scholars define and study religion? (approximately 300–350 words)

1. Summarise at least two different scholarly approaches to religion from the opening weeks of the course, such as substantive, functional, or family resemblance definitions.

2. Quote or paraphrase each scholar in your own words, then comment on what each approach highlights or leaves out.

3. Apply one of these definitions to an example you gave in Question 1 and show whether the example would count as “religion” under that approach.

Question 3: What have you begun to reconsider? (approximately 250–300 words)

1. Identify at least one way in which the course so far has confirmed, complicated, or challenged your earlier assumptions.

2. Explain how you now think about the phrase “what counts as religion” and why that question matters for the rest of the course.

3. Describe briefly how this new awareness might affect the way you read news stories, talk with others, or approach later assignments in REL 201.

Formal Requirements

• Write 800–1,000 words in total and include the word count at the end of the document.

• Use clear headings if helpful.

• Engage at least two assigned readings from the first two weeks of class. Include in text citations and a reference list in your instructor’s required style.

• Keep personal examples appropriate for an academic setting and avoid language that mocks or dismisses particular traditions.

• Proofread for clarity, grammar, and spelling before submission.

Marking Rubric (Assignment 1 – 100 points)

Additional Academic Insight

Scholarly debates about the definition of religion demonstrate that the category itself is shaped by historical and cultural contexts rather than existing as a fixed universal concept, which means that students must learn to analyse how definitions are constructed and applied in different settings. Engaging critically with these perspectives encourages a more reflective and methodologically aware approach to the study of religion, particularly when examining how power, language, and social practices influence what is recognised as religious in both academic and everyday contexts (McCutcheon & Arnal, 2020).

References

• Davies, D. (2019). Religion: A very short introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

• Fitzgerald, T. (2017). Religion and politics in international relations: The modern myth. Bloomsbury.

• McCutcheon, R. T., & Arnal, W. E. (2020). The sacred is the profane: The political nature of “religion”. Oxford University Press.

• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. (n.d.). REL 201: Introduction to Religious Studies syllabus.

•  J. Z. (2004). Relating religion: Essays in the study of religion. University of Chicago Press.