Suggested essay structure: 1. Introduction Thesis statement: A. Data on a specif

Suggested essay structure:
1. Introduction
Thesis statement:
A. Data on a specific Religious group (film) B. Theory (from Bielo’s book)
C. Argument (what we should think, once we look at A) through the lens of B)
2. Description of data from your film which is relevant to your paper
3. Theory 1 (explain it)
4. Application 1 (apply theory 1 to something you can describe from the video, probably a
pattern. Tip: this is actually how you turn data into evidence!)
5. Theory 2 (explain it) (or brief recap of theory 1 if you are using it twice)
6. Application 2 (apply theory 2… or theory 1 if you are using it twice…to something else you can describe from the video, probably a pattern. Data becomes evidence again!) 7. Critical reflection: what are the limitations of this approach? The film gave you access to real information about a religious community, but there are some things ethnographic film can’t do, or can’t cover. What research questions remain unanswered? What future progress should we make?
8. Conclusion: What was the point of the above? What insight did we gain into a) this religious group b) studying religion in society?
Possible theories: Ready to use
Religious worlds- “William Paden argues that religious systems are best thought of as worlds that require construction and constant maintenance.” According to Bielo, “rather then reducing religions to a set of beliefs, values, or doctrines, [Paden encourages us to] always see religious worlds as “something lived in, acted out, embodied.” (Bielo quoting Paden, Bielo 2015, 82-83).
Religious Temporality (“temporality” and “religious worlds”) “As part of the broader study for culture, anthropologist use the term “temporality” to refer to lived models for the nature of time and its passing (Guyer 2007).” “The Temporality of the religious worlds can provide adherents with explanation for the origins of life, what happen after individuals die, where spirits reside and the end of all existence” (Bielo 2015, 83).
Rite of Passage (86-87) has 3 stages: separation, transition (“liminality”, which is often characterized by communitas), and incorporation (or rupture, if the ritual is not successful the first time… but Bielo
didn’t mention that part. This part of the theory was explained by Mulhern in Phil 10 at Fresno State, Spring 2022)