Final Exam Assignment

Order Description

Please answer the following questions. All answers must be typed (double-spaced) and spell/grammar checked. Answers need to use specific examples from slides and text. I would recommend ¾-1 page for each question.

1. Rituals are a key element of most world religions. Compare and contrast at least three different forms of ritual discussed either in class or in the book, and provide relevant cultural examples. Why are they so important to the stability of religion?

2. How people treat their dead can tell us more about the culture at large than about the people who died. Compare and contrast three different ways of treating dead (including burial practices, displays of grief, and definition of death). Why do you think that there is so much variation in the treatment of dead from culture to culture?

3. Most societies have an institution of marriage, but unlike the U.S., many of them do not place the expression of romantic love as the primary purpose of marriage. Provide three different rationales for getting married in different cultures. Why might these be more important than romantic love as reasons for marriage? Do you think that cultures who hold these reasons to be more important than romantic love have higher rates of stable marriages and lower rates of divorce? Why or why not?

Chapter 11 Religion will support question 1. Cults and death attached will support question 2. Chapter 9 Marriage will support question 3. You may also provide your opinion or response to to better support the question.