Creative Writing Assignment | Creative Writing

(Answer one question from these 5)

1. A) Attend a religious service in a faith other than one in which you were raised. Using the skills of participant observation, note who attends. What is the belief system and in what rituals does the group engage? Would you describe this religious congregation as an inclusive or exclusive religious group? If you used a conflict theory perspective to explain some of your observations, what would you conclude? What would you conclude using a functionalist approach? B) Identify and summarize the main Sociological Theories of Religion. What are their strengths and weaknesses?

2. What do you consider the main function and purpose of Rites of Passage? Discuss some aspects of them in your own culture and how they compare and contrast with the ones described in chapter two “Turning Points Age” and selected articles discussed in class. Support your answer with adequate examples.

3. Do you think that, with the election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States, ushered in a post-racial society, which means, that race and color no longer matter in the United States? If yes, identify and discuss the major roots of racism, prejudice, and discrimination in American society. To what extent do they socially, psychologically, economically, and politically impact the position of individuals and groups within the American mainstream society? Which solutions do you propose? (You will be required to define first, what race is or your understanding of race).

4. Drawing from the reading “Body Art as Visual Language”, video images examined, class discussion, as well as your own experience and observation, discuss the functions and forms body art (including tattooing, piercing, neck rings, body shaping, scarification, body painting, Makeup) can take in various cultures. To what extent can these forms serve as the basis for misunderstanding and conflicts in the global village? Support your answer with adequate evidence/examples.