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Religion has inspired great works of art throughout mankind's history. Jews crafted the golden Ark of the Covenant to carry the Ten Commandments; Christians composed great pieces of music in celebration of Christ; Muslims constructed mosques with beautiful tiled domes; Hindus built temples with extraordinary carvings depicting their gods and Buddhists sculpted lifelike statues of the Buddha. For this project you will do one of two things. You may research a work of art that was inspired by the artist's religion or you may create your own work of art inspired by your own religion. You will present the artwork, either your own or the artist's to the class. If you present someone else's artwork, you also have to present your research on the work of art. If you present your own artwork, you need only explain how your religion inspired your work of art.

People often express their feelings about historical issues or events through artwork such as songs, novels, short stories, paintings, sculptures and movies. For this project you will do one of two things: 1. You will choose a work of art which someone else has created to interpret an event or issue in world history. You will research the event or issue related to the artwork then analyze the artist's interpretation of the the event or issue through their artwork. You will then present your research, the artwork and your analysis to the class. Be prepared to answer a question from the class or the teacher. or 2. You will create your own work of art which is your interpretation of an event or issue in world history. You will research the event or issue, come up with your own interpretation of the event or issue then express that interpretation in a work of art of your own in any medium you choose. Be prepared to answer a question about your artwork from the class or the teacher.

One of the major reasons we study religion is because of the positive influence it has had on people throughout time. Religion encourages people to do good things. One of the five pillars of Islam is to give charity to the poor; Hindus and Buddhists believe that they will be rewarded in their next lives if they do good in their present lives; the desire to be Godly often leads Jews to help those in need; finally, Christians are inspired by Christ to charity and to fight for the rights of those who are abused. For this project, you will perform one of two tasks which will lead you to a better understanding of the positive influence of religion.

We are now studying the American Revolution, the period which led to the birth of a new nation - the United States of America. Though Americans drew on influences from other countries to build their own nation - e.g. English Constitutional law and Enlightenment ideas, some ideas were uniquely American, e.g. separation of church and state and the American flag. For this project, you - with fellow group members if you wish to work in a group - will found your own nation.

Writing assignments for the World Religions course are designed to strengthen critical thinking and writing skills as well as measure content knowledge.