1. Religion
Part I: As mentioned in your text, Emile Durkheim discussed the concept of profane (i.e. those objects seen as non-holy, generally connected to the mundane elements of life and/or of individual concern) vs. sacred (those items with given a special significance that transcends original appearance). Your challenge is to create a brief 3-4 slide display presenting three non-religious items which you believe have been granted the status of sacred in American or world culture. These items may not be connected to any religion or religious institution! In your slide, you should include an image, a clear explanation of the profane [i.e. typical] meaning given to subject, and a clear, supported, explanation as to the elements of the subject which allow it to be considered sacred. One of your subjects must be a tangible object, and one or your subjects must be a location/place – the third is up to you. It should go without saying, but Wikipedia, Ask, etc… or any other common-source resources are invalid sources of information. Slides will be printed in a 2/page handout format for submission.
Part II: Religion and Power – Using any available online resources, locate, summarize, and evaluate three recent (within the last five years) articles that discuss incidents involving conflict between members of different religions. For each, be sure to provide the title, author, a brief summary of the article, and your personal response to author’s suggestions/thesis. You must include a link to the article for any online article.
Part III: Read the article linked below cult behavior. Then, carry out some basic, independent research on one of the following two cults: 1.) Heaven’s Gate, or 2.) Jonestown. Be sure to include a citation of where you found your information. Finally, explain how the cult you researched accomplished each of the “seven steps” to cult creation outlined in the article.