Sign In
Not register? Register Now!
Essay Available:
Pages:
3 pages/β‰ˆ825 words
Sources:
2 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Social Sciences
Type:
Research Paper
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 15.55
Topic:

Anthropology: A comparison of Shamanism among the Sami Groups and Yakut

Research Paper Instructions:

ANTHROPOLOGY 305:  ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION

Spring 2014                                                                                                     DR. ERIC CANIN

 

Assignment 3: 

I.  Spiritual Healing or II.  Fantasy and Magic

 

Point value: 9

 

For this assignment, you have a choice of 2 topics.

I.  Spiritual Healing, or

II.  Fantasy and Magic

 

Technicalities:

  • Write 1.5-2.5 pages double-spaced, 3 pages max (375-750 words), references not included.
  • Margins 1”, 12pt font, double-spaced
  • Upload the assignment to Titanium in MS Word

 

I.  Your 1st choice is to study and write about spiritual healing, or shamanism.

 

Consider this:  Shamanism may be the world’s oldest profession.  Shamans have many functions in a society, as leaders, guides, weatherpersons, etc., but their most important role is as healer.  Shamans heal practically, through their knowledge of medicines, and through the aid of spirits.

 

Read Ch. 6, pp. 120-126 in the textbook.  Feel free to extend your research beyond these sources.

 

Write a short essay, comparing 2 cultures that practice shamanism.  By culture, be specific:  for instance Native Americans is too broad; you need a tribe or nation. 

 

Paper title:  Name 2 cultures in which shamanism is practiced, ancient or modern.  Use this format for your title:  Spiritual Healing:  [Culture 1] and [Culture 2].  Do not use examples from the textbook:  Yakut, Korean, Pentecostalists.  Feel free to add an additional (creative) subtitle.

 

Each bullet point below should be a separate paragraph.

  • Introduction
  • Compare the cultures by discussing  1-2 similarities in what shamans do.
  • Compare the cultures by discussing  1-2 differences in what shamans do.
  • Relate your discussions to the Stein and Stein textbook in some way, pp. 120-126.  Cite pages numbers in parentheses in your text.
  • Shamanism today:  Stein and Stein discusses neoshamanism.  What do they mean?  Do you think neoshamanism is a legitimate form of shamanism?
  • Conclusion:  what did you learn?

References:  list all your sources, in APA format.  Minimum is 2 properly formatted scholarly references:  the textbook and an outside source.  Do not use websites, except for online versions of scholarly published sources.  You may use websites or any other source for references beyond the 2 required.

II.  Your 2nd choice is to study and write about fantasy and magic.

 

Consider this:  One way that magic pervades our modern society is through literature, films, and games.  Some of these media draw upon old traditions, whereas others create their own universes and sets of magical laws.  Whether Arthurian legends of Merlin the Magician, Gandalf, Harry Potter, or an 90th level Mage in an online role-playing game, magic and fantasy hold our imagination, and allow us to escape to an alternate universe.  One persistent theme regarding magic is its morality:  is magic a force for good or evil, or simply an instrument for either?

 

Study the readings in our text concerning magic (Chapter 7, pp. 136-147).  Feel free to extend your research beyond this source.

 

Write a short essay, discussing 2 fantasy worlds. By fantasy world is meant a fictional named cosmos, e.g. Middle Earth for Lord of the Rings or Azeroth for World of Warcraft.  If no world is named use the title of the work or the series.

 

Paper title:  Name 2 fantasy worlds, whether in print, film or game form.  Use this format for your title:  Fantasy and Magic:  [World 1] and [World 2].  Feel free to add an additional (creative) subtitle.

 

Each bullet point below should be a separate paragraph:

  • Introduction
  • Compare the worlds by discussing  1-2 similarities in how magic works.
  • Compare the worlds by discussing  1-2 differences in how magic works.
  • Relate your discussions to the Stein and Stein textbook in some way, pp. 136-147.  Cite pages numbers in parentheses in your text.
  • Magic today:  Why do you think magic and fantasy have such a strong appeal in the popular media?  Has this been controversial?
  • Conclusion:  what did you learn?

 

References:  list all your sources, in APA format.  Minimum is 2 properly formatted scholarly references:  the textbook and an outside source.  Do not use websites, except for online versions of scholarly published sources.  Additional references may be fiction books, films and games.  For games, list:  title, version, year published, and publisher.

 

Research Paper Sample Content Preview:
A comparison of Shamanism among the Sami Groups and Yakut
Name
Institution
Instructor
Date

Introduction
Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition and a way of life for many people around the world. This paper will focus on the Sam group of people and Hmong people in relation to their shamanism practice. The Sami Groups of people, found in Northern Asia, are known for practicing shamanism even in the modern times. The Hmong people on the other hand, are an ethnic group who live in the Central Republic of China. Some important shamanic practices and beliefs are shared among the Sami and Hmong cultures.
Among the similar Shamanism practices for these groups is the use of songs or music that is intended to mimic natural sounds while performing such rituals. For the Sami, the songs, which were sung while performing shamanistic rites, were identified as Yoiks (Lintrop 2009). The Hmong accompanied their rituals with specific songs which are designed for specific function (Hoppál, 2008).
However, there are notable differences between the two cultures on how they performed their Shamanistic practices for healing purposes. For instance, the Sami Group Shamans employed more simple magical actions, ritual objects and incantations without having to invoke the spirits (Lintrop 2009). The Hmong on the other hand practiced complicated rituals such as using twigs to touch the sick part. Additionally, Hmong Shamans are known in using animal sacrifices in most of its shamanic rituals (Hoppál, 2008).
One important factor identified among the, Hmong over other Shamanic cultures as revealed by Stein (2009) is that they consider all living things to have souls, which are equal in nature.
Shamanism today
According to Stein (2009), despite Shamanism being the oldest religious practitice in human history, they continue to perform their religious practices in many societies at present. These people perform magical rituals in which they are considered as conversing with spirits and gods, performing healing with supernatural powers and even visiting the spiritual world. Stein continues to argue that although shamans are mostly treated with skepticism by the more civilized or modern people, their services their magical functions very vital to their societies. This author depicts shamans as being intermediates, healers or conductors of souls and according to her perspective; they have powers of travelling to the underworld.
In essence, it has become hard to hide or eliminate shamanism in the world perspective. Some countries such as Mongolia and Tuva have tried to kill this practice in all ways. However, the practice has begun to flourish again after being brutally persecuted by the Soviet Union for many years. The effort of breaking through and being...
Updated on
Get the Whole Paper!
Not exactly what you need?
Do you need a custom essay? Order right now:
Order

πŸ‘€ Other Visitors are Viewing These APA Research Paper Samples:

HIRE A WRITER FROM $11.95 / PAGE
ORDER WITH 15% DISCOUNT!
Order Now