Assignments - Short Paper

SAMPLE OUTLINE FOR ESSAY OR SHORT PAPER

FORMAT: USE HEADINGS.
The essay should be no more than FOUR PAGES, TYPED, AND DOUBLE SPACED, using the following outline.

TITLE
Author

I. Hypothesis or question
Belief or religion functions to alleviate anxiety and uncertainty.

In 1935, Bronislaw Malinowski proposed that religion functions to relieve anxiety and uncertainty in society. This paper/essay will show how the Holiness Church, New England fishermen, and the Ghost Dance Religion provided comfort and protection for its believers in times of trouble or danger.

II. Evidence[Make into headings]
A. Holiness church (Thompson 2001) [Make into paragraphs]
1. Snake handling transfers power to otherwise powerless people in society.
2. Prayer alleviates anxiety about illnesses.

B. New England fishermen using charms (Poggie, et al. 1976)
1. If they had their charms, they would be protected from bad luck at sea.
2. They might not be as fearful and may have better judgment during a crisis (Poggie, et al. 1976:258).

C. Ghost dance (Mooney 1896)
1. Native Americans were traumatized from contact with European Americans.
2. A prophet arose to teach them to be impervious to injury (Mooney 1896).

D. Summary
The examples support Malinowski's hypothesis that belief or religion functions to relieve anxiety or uncertainty. People might respond with magical or religious beliefs in times of trouble or danger. In the same way, we can understand current events such as ___(give example)_____ because ________.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Poggie, John J., Jr., Richard B. Pollnac, and Carl Gersuny. 1976. Risk as a Basis for Taboos among Fishermen in Southern New England. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 15:257-62.

Malinowski, B. 1935. Coral Gardens and Their Magic. 2 vols. London: Allen & Unwin.

James Mooney. 1896. The Ghost-dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890. 14th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Part 2. From "Wovoka's Message: The Promise of the Ghost Dance." Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Jan. 7, 2001.

Thompson, Silas. 2001. Personal Interview. Holiness Church. Ft. Myers, FL. January 7, 2001. 

AN "A" PAPER will include an example from a source outside your text to support your argument. This article or book should be cited at the end of the essay. INCLUDE A COPY OF THE FIRST PAGE OF AN ARTICLE OR CHAPTER USED IN A BOOK.