Cults – Writing Assignment #3 Write a well organized and well proofread essay that addresses

the following points - Due Friday May 29

• Choose 1 of the four Cults that you investigated in class on Friday (Davidians, Heaven’s Gate, Solar Temple, Jonestown)

• Summarize in some detail the key people, beliefs, and ideas of the cult, along with the incident that made the cult famous / infamous. = 30 pts

• Explain why you believe that this group should or should not have been allowed unrestricted freedom to practice their beliefs. (Use at least 2 specific examples.) = 20 pts

• Do you think that the actions taken by this group justify increased governmental awareness / limitations regarding new religious movements? Why or why not? = 20 pts

• Organization / Proofreading = 30 pts

Web Exploration Classwork #1 – Masnet / Isna

Visit http://www.masnet.org or

• http://www.isna.net/ - or any comparable site that you may find

– Make notes on the overall design of the site, what message do the ads / graphics etc convey about the intended audience.

– Select an article from the “views” section from masnet.org:• Read it, be prepared to explain the main ideas and attitudes that the

article represents.

Turn in a written summary of your findings at the end of class. (May be bulleted list – but is should be a detailed one.

Friday 5-22 CULTS!Classwork Assignment #2

Red parts due by end of class todayBlue part should be prepared for class on Monday

• Use wikipedia rickross.com or a comparable source to look up and summarize the basics on:

– The Branch Davidians and the Waco Incident– The Solar Temple Cult – The Heaven’s Gate Cult – Jonestown

• Info on the above should include:– Where / When did these groups achieve popularity / notoriety?– What were their basic beliefs? What mainstream religion are they most similar / related to? – What event does the general public associate with the group?– Is this group viewed positively / negatively by outsiders and why?

• Visit www.rickross.com – Read the “about us” link and summarize who this group is and what is their mission.– What expectations do you have for the website based on the mission statement?– Return to the home page and follow the link for one of the “top ten” groups listed there.

(You will be assigned a # 2 – 10 so that everyone does a different group) – Read 2-3 of the sub-stories in the section and be prepared to explain to the class (on

Tuesday) what the group was all about and why it appears on a site like this.

Writing Assignment #1

• Next writing assignment – Due Wed 5-6– Based on your readings and class

discussions, what beliefs and social trends shape the lives of Muslims living in America today? (30 pts)

– Use at least 2 specific examples from the readings from hw and from class. (30 pts)

– Assignment should be well organized, well edited, typed, at least 250 words. (40 Pts)

Writing Assignment #2 Due Mon 5-18

– Select at least one of the articles found in the “Views” section of www.masnet.org

• You can also use articles from http://muslimmatters.org/about/ or http://www.isna.net/

– Explain how the article either supports or contradicts some of the findings from the Pew Foundation study: “Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream” http://pewforum.org/surveys/muslim-american

– Grading:• 30 Pts – Typed, On time, organization, proofreading• 30 Pts – Description / Explanation of the article that you read for the

assignment• 20 Pts – Specific comparisons made between the article and at

least one finding form the Pew Foundation study. • 20 Pts – Logical conclusion about whether or not the article

supports or contradicts the study based on specific factual evidence.

Beyond the numbers: How do American Muslims view themselves?

Visit http://www.masnet.org or

• http://www.isna.net/

– Make notes on the overall design of the site, what message do the ads / graphics etc convey about the intended audience.

– Select an article from the “views” section from masnet.org:

• Read it, be prepared to explain the main ideas and attitudes that the article represents.

Vids http://muslimmatters.org/category/multimedia/video/

• “Dear New Muslim” http://muslimmatters.org/2009/04/23/dear-new-muslim-musa-maguire/

• MAS Boston “RIDE” Program http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=741565905182349419&q=%22Muslim+American+Society%22&hl=en

• “Knowing God” Sermon http://muslimmatters.org/2009/04/24/knowing-god-reason-revelation-and-intuition-yasir-qadhi/

• Mahdi Bray http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3gFAZvBJKY• How Muslims are Treated in the USA - ABC Primetime http://muslimmatters.org/2008/03/28/how-muslims-are-treated-in-the-

usa-abc-primetime/• Islam is the Cure for Racism

http://muslimmatters.org/2008/07/25/islam-is-the-cure-for-racism/