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 writing/poetry/literature, 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 complete all chapter materials (chapter content, including all embedded links to readings and videos, and the required course materials) prior to starting the assignment.

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.
• Paraphrase as opposed to relying on direct quotes.
• 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.
2. If you have chosen works of art, find photos of each. If you have chosen written work, find the full text of the written work. Be sure to gather the information from the source where you found the images or text to allow you to provide 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 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 and your reflection paper into a document for submission. 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. 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.

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 piece of written work you chose for the assignment.
3. A reflection paper.
4. A proper APA reference section.