Synthesis Essay on Morality and Religion

Essay Instructions:

What is “synthesis?”
Synthesis is one of the most complex forms of analytic, academic writing. Synthesis requires you to first examine and consider the various views scholars hold about a particular topic and then to write about the significant trends you see amongst them.
How do you do it?
Synthesizing texts together requires that you:
• Assess individual texts (their main points, their contexts, their purposes, their credibility, etc.),
• Think about topically related texts as a conversation,
• Make decisions about the most important parts of the conversation for your purposes (which of the many texts to highlight, etc.),
• Bring select texts together to make your own point (your own argument) about the topic. This assignment will require you to draw on skills we’ve been establishing in ENG 300 including: critical summary habits, reading habits, analysis, source use, and more.
Parts:
1. Introduction/Summary/Discussion:
Briefly introduce your topic. This can be divided up into three different sections, or two or one. You can choose your structure.

Select two (minimum) sources on your chosen narrowed topic. You will need to summarize these sources along with any other sources you plan to use in the discussion. If you wish to use an additional source for the conversation part of the task, you do not need to summarize it. You will need to include enough information in your summary paragraphs so that the reader has a good understanding of the source- *the sources don’t have to be academic*

2. Discussion/Analysis- This section can be divided into two- one on discussion one analysis or combined it is up to you and how you wish to structure your essay. Here you:
• Discuss how each author addressed the topic, where there are similarities and differences between the two or more sources.
• Show how did each author approach this topic
• Think about who the audience is for each piece and what the purpose was for each author.

3. Join the Conversation- Here you need to become a part of the conversation, bring in something new. There are two ways of going about this:

• First, if you have personal experience within the topic you have chosen, this is where you can discuss how your experience fits in with the sources you have already discussed or show how your experience is different then what you have read, but don’t forget to show the relationship between your experience and what your sources are saying.

• Second, if you don’t have personal experience look for another source. This additional source should have some additional data that the other two sources didn’t have, or have a different approach or view of the issue that you looked at.

4. Conclusion-For the conclusion you can discuss any of the following questions/suggestions:
• What is there to be gained?
• What has there been gained by doing this research?
• You can have a recommendation
• A call to action
• Focus in on the thought that you want to leave the reader with.
Suggested Questions for Revision:
• Analysis—Did you describe the main arguments of the 2-3 texts you discuss in your essay? Did you explain how the texts are related to one another and to the topic? Does the essay do more than just summarize each text?
• Argument—Did you make an argument about how to best understand and value the conversation about X generated by these texts?
• Genre Conventions—Did you introduce each of the texts you use in your synthesis essay? Did you cite them in appropriate ways given your purpose (choosing between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing)? Did you use a consistent citation style and adhere to the value system of that style?
• Arrangement—Have you made careful decisions about how to arrange your ideas so that a reader 1) understands this conversation, 2) recognizes your own point about the conversation, and 3) finds you credible?
• Language & Clarity—Did you work with your sentence-level prose to be as succinct and clear as possible for other readers new to this conversation?
• Process Engagement—Did you engage with the steps described above, producing required drafts for our workshops, and submitting your drafts on time and in MLA or APA format?

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Number
Date
Morality and Religion.
For a long time in history, there has been a debate that revolves around the linkage between morality and religion in society. Is morality linked to religion? Is religion the determinant of morality? Does it mean religious people are more moral than those non-religious members of the community? What defines what is right or wrong in the society? In the presence of different religions, which religion then now becomes more moral than the other? These are questions that, over a long period, have been left unanswered in society. In this paper, I am going to critically synthesis this topic. In the synthesis, I will use a number of articles. Some of the articles that will be used are; Emmanuel The Relationship between Religion and Morality: On Whether the Multiplicity of Religious Denominations have Impacted Positively on Socio-Ethical Behaviour by Kelechi Iwuagwu (2018), Religion and Morality. by McKay, R., and Whitehouse, H. (2014.) and Does Religion Make People Moral? by Ara Norenzayan (2013). Among others
In his writing, The Relationship between Religion and Morality in 2018, Iwuagwu looks at the relationship between religion through a study that was geared towards answering the question on the concerns, preoccupation, and constituent elements of religion and morals. He also looks at the implication of different religions on morality. He argues that there are a number of people who are moral because of their religious background. As he says, “. We are aware of some persons who, because of their religious affiliation, are very charitable, who abstain from bribery and corruption, do not commit adultery, do not cheat their employees or embezzle from their employers, who are very ready to forgive injuries, and who do not steal nor renege in their promises. Such people live this life of moral integrity on religious grounds” (Iwuagwu 50).
On the other hand, he is also cautious about ignoring those who do not subscribe to any religion but still do moral things or are morally upright. He argues that certain things are inborn or instead do not need religion to make us do. Society inculcates in us certain traits that we learn to distinguish what is right and what is wrong to do. Apparently, he feels that the current society religion has lost the connection with morality. Religion has forgone the various sacred codes that promoted good morals and proclaimed the gospel of prosperity and materialism, which intern has led to unethical ways of acquiring wealth and hence washing down the morals in the society. “Contemporary religious teachers have deviated from the path of admonishing their adherents to remain steadfast in moral uprightness, self-discipline, selflessness, and justice. The unethical maxim of the end justifying the means seems to be acceptable and promoted in religious circles. This disconnect between morality and religion.” (Iwuagwu 51).
In conclusion, Iwuagwu argues that morality can stand independently just the same way religion can also stand alone. In the contemporary world, religion has lost the synergy between the two and therefore play a small or no role in promoting morals. Until religion uph...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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Synthesis Essay on Morality and Religion

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