- Begin by planning a visit a site in Indianapolis (a temple, studio, class, retail site, etc.) where modern yoga or mindfulness is taught or supporting materials are sold.
- Establish a research question related to your field research. In other words, what question do you hope to answer by the time your research is finished? That question should frame your research. It should be a question that engages one or two of the course themes. Examples include: “How does the practice of yoga at these sites reflect (or not reflect) North American cultural norms?” “To what extent is cultural appropriation happening at these sites and does it pose ethical problems? If so, why?”
- After visiting your chosen site, write a paper. The purpose is to state and to develop an argument based on your research in a paper that is more than just an accumulation of information. It should reflect a critical engagement with the material—do not just describe what you saw but also analyze it.
- The introduction should introduce the argument, its basic structure and elements, and the conclusion you will reach. It should end with a two or three sentence concise articulation of your argument; this is your thesis statement. The introduction should not be longer than 250 words.
- Your essay should have a clear structure. The reader should know at all times where he or she is in the sequence of the argument. How you get from one piece of evidence to another, or from one paragraph to the next, greatly reflects the quality of your writing.
- In your conclusion, summarize your main point(s).
Make sure you always keep a copy of your paper on file, in case one of us misplaces it.
Bibliography and Citations
You should cite at least five scholarly sources. By “scholarly,” I mean that the book/article was written for an academic audience and was peer-reviewed (we will discuss what this means in class). You may use non-academic sources only if they provide additional information about a particular case study (i.e., an article from a popular yoga magazine or website). But these sources should be in addition to your at least five scholarly sources. You should include and cite information gathered during your field research. Internet sites are not scholarly sources (you may use them to access scholarly sources, but you must cite the book or article). You must cite a source if you use a direct quote or if you summarize the source’s argument. Use parenthetical documentation. See the MLA Handbook for instructions on how to cite sources.
Bibliography for books, follow this model:
Smith, John. My Great Vacation. New York: Harvard University Press, 1980.
Bibliography for articles or chapters, follow these models:
MacDonald, Mary. “Spirituality.” Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd edition, edited by L. Jones. New
York: Macmillan, 2005, pp. 8718-8721.
Dove, Harold. “How to get an A.” The Journal of Academia, volume 32, 1974, pp. 100-123.
For Internet sites, cite the author, title, and Internet address. For field research, cite the name (if the material is from a conversation with a person), site, and date.
Format
Papers should be in Times New Roman size 12 font, have 1 inch margins, and be double-spaced.
Name, title, and date should be on a separate cover page and are not part of the page requirement (4-6 pages PLUS a bibliography).
