For the first paper, each student will compare a feature common to two or more religious traditions encountered through our course. Note that you may choose to investigate a tradition we have not studied yet for the first paper, such as Islam, but it must be one covered in this course. Examples of features you might compare include rituals (weddings, funerals, births, holidays, etc.), community leaders (priests and rabbis), important shared figures (Abraham, Jesus), a concept (covenant, sin, etc.), creation stories, supernatural beings (angels), or notions about heaven and hell. You will (a) identify and define the common feature in question (b) compare similarities and differences among the form that appears in each tradition and (c) the significance and consequences of those differences. For example, what do the different ways that Jews and Muslims view Abraham tell us about broader differences between these traditions. Judaism, Christianity, and Medieval Catholicism
