Make at least three required posts to each discussion each week.
An answer to the initial questions which includes both Part A and Part B (the Scavenger Hunt and the Discussion Question chosen). Part B of this post should be at least 250 words long and include two quotes or specific references to vocabulary or concepts in the Learning Materials with citations in MLA format.
Part A: Scavenger Hunt
Identify a secular or sacred place, holiday, or ritual in American culture. Provide a link to the place’s website or a link to a description of the holiday or ritual. In a few sentences, identify the cultural story (or stories if there is more than one group associated with it) connected with this place or ritual.
Part B: Discussion
Choose one of the following options.
Option #1
Identify and briefly describe a sacred place in a world culture or religion. Use a reliable and credible source from the Required Learning Materials for this week or from the UMGC library. Embed a picture of this place in your post using these instructions.
Then, for this sacred place, please do the following:
Using some of the concepts and methods from the Required Learning Materials for studying sacred place, describe how you think this sacred place developed and what function it serves in its culture.
Explain if it has a strong connection to specific myths from the culture or not.
Discuss if this place has different meanings to different groups and/or if the meanings of this place have evolved over time.
Identify any relevant material culture at the site and its relationship to nonmaterial culture, if appropriate.
Option #2
Identify and briefly describe a specific ritual in a world culture or religion. Use a reliable and credible source from the Required Learning Materials for this week or from the UMGC library. Include a picture of this ritual in your post.
Then, for this ritual, please do the following:
Using some of the concepts and methods from the Required Learning Materials for studying ritual, describe how you think this sacred place developed and what function it serves in its culture.
Explain if it has a strong connection to specific myths from the culture or not.
Discuss if this ritual has different meanings to different people who are involved in the ritual, and if the meanings of this ritual have changed over time.
Identify any relevant material culture or symbolic actions that are used in the ritual and their relationship to nonmaterial culture, if appropriate.