3.6 Chapter Assignment

Cultural & Religious Beliefs & Death-Related Practices Assignment

This chapter’s assignment requires you to identify and engage with cultural representations of death and dying. You have the choice between finding EITHER two pieces of art OR two pieces of poetry, that are responses to or representations/expressions of death and/or dying. These can be forms of art or poetic literature from any culture or tied to any religion. It is important to: (1) complete all chapter materials (chapter content, including all embedded links to readings and videos, and the required course materials) prior to starting the assignment; and (2) cite relevant course material (from current and previous chapters) throughout your assignment to support your points, credit sources of concepts/ideas, and demonstrate completion of assigned course materials.

Assignment Formatting & Style for Written Report

• Assignment formatting requirements: Arial 12-point font; 1 inch/2.54 centimeter margins; single spaced; APA in-text citation style, reference section and cover page.
• Use proper essay/paragraph style.
• Use APA in-text citation style to support points, credit sources of concepts/ideas, demonstrate research completed for assignment and completion of assigned course material.
• Paraphrase as opposed to relying on direct quotes.
• Use APA style appendices to organize assignment.
• Proofread your submission to make sure it is clear, well written, and intelligible.

Steps to Completing the Assignment

1. Identify 2 cultural representations of death and/or dying that resonate with you. These CANNOT be pieces of art or poetry included in this eBook or any required course materials.
2. If you have chosen works of art, find photos of each. If you have chosen poetry, find the full text of the poem. Be sure to gather the information from the source where you found the images or text to allow you to provide proper APA in-text and reference section citations for your assignment.
3. Do an internet search to find information on the person who created the pieces of art/poetic works and explanations of these works, ideally by the person who created them.
4. Write a 700-1000 word reflection paper (give or take 100 words), splitting the space evenly between the two pieces. In your paper, reflect on:
   1. Why you selected the pieces you did.
   2. How/why they resonate with you.
   3. What they mean to you/how you interpret their meaning.
   4. How your responses to and interpretations of the works (as per II and III) fit with or diverge from other explanations/interpretations of the works (see C above).
5. Organize the images of the 2 pieces of art or the text of the 2 poetic works into appendices. For each piece of art/poetic work, be sure to provide: its title, the artist/creator/author, when it was created/written, where it is available to be seen/read (e.g., is it in a gallery, where? Is it in a book, which one[s]?); and a citation for where you found it.
6. Cite materials, via in-text citations and reference section, to credit sources used in assignment. In-text citations to support your points/arguments are essential and required. Be sure to use a diverse range of materials (from current and previous chapters) as opposed to relying heavily on one, or a few sources.
7. Develop an APA style reference section for all material included and cited in your reflection paper, including the pieces you have chosen and where you found them, information from internet searches on the pieces, and course materials.

Assignment Submissions Must Include

1. A proper APA style cover page.
2. Either pictures/images of the 2 pieces of art or the full-text of the poems you chose for the assignment.
3. A properly sourced reflection paper.
4. A proper APA reference section.
5. Proper APA style appendices.