Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University What It Means to Be a Monster Research Paper i need a research paper for the assignment all needed details and

Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University What It Means to Be a Monster Research Paper i need a research paper for the assignment all needed details and instructions are in the uploaded file also there are three examples of how it should look like in the uploaded files MONSTERS: EXPLORING EVIL AND THE OTHER
Research Project
For the research project, you will propose your own topics related to our overall course topic of monsters. We will
be broadly defining monsters in our discussions, so you have a fair amount of latitude with this paper. As a jumping
off point, consider a monster or something that frightened or fascinated you as a child—or now, for that matter. You
may choose to examine the history and evolution of a myth or legend or how a monster has changed and developed
over time. There are other ways to approach this project as well. You may also be interested in exploring another
culture’s monsters. In your research and writing process, consider the cultural relevance, impact, and context of the
monster(s) you are considering. You might also wish to explore the science behind the monster or the fear as well as
scientific/rational explanations for myths. Be creative and try to find something that will keep you engaged. You
will research your topic, synthesize the information that you gather, and present it to your audience in the form of a
scholarly essay. As always, I am more than happy to discuss ideas with you and to answer questions. In case you are
stuck and don’t have any ideas, there is a list of monsters that you might consider at the end of the assignment.
Keep in mind that this paper should not simply be a biography or a “report” about what a particular monster is.
Examine what the monsters say about the cultures from which they come and about humanity—our fears, etc. Use
this as a chance to do some cultural and personal exploration as well. Consider your audience for this paper (an
audience that is NOT ME). Who else would be interested in your topic? How much might they already know?
Formulate a research question to help you focus the paper and your research efforts. The thesis will present the
answer to your question(s).
Please note the following:
1. Papers must have no fewer than 5 pages, but no more than 8.
2. All papers must have at least four external sources—four is a bare minimum; at least five is
preferable. Please rely on scholarly sources (journal articles, chapters in books, etc.). If you have at
least two external academic sources, you may include sources that you retrieve from reliable sources
that would not traditionally be defined as academic. NONE of these sources, however, should be from
seemingly random possibly unreliable sites from the internet. It might be worthwhile to discuss these
with me.
3. Your paper should use MLA-style parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page. Guidelines for this
type of formatting can be found in your Rules for Writers text.
4. Please type your essay, using double-spacing and leaving 1” margins on each side of the page.
5. Your paper should have a title and an introductory paragraph that promote interest.
6. Your paper should contain a clearly stated thesis and an essay map that gives the reader a sense of
the key points you will address and how your essay will be organized.
7. You should provide adequate support for all claims about the focal issue and/or the status of
knowledge on the focal issue.
8. Make sure that the paper has a logical organization aided by effective transitions (between sentences,
paragraphs, and sections).
9. Your paper should demonstrate thorough, accurate, and stylistically effective attribution of source
material.
10. Cutting and pasting material off the Internet without acknowledgement constitutes plagiarism. It is,
of course, no less serious to steal ideas and words from this source than from any other, and such a
violation of the honor code will be treated accordingly.
Please note once again that the unattributed use of another person’s work or ideas – including a professor or another
student – constitutes plagiarism, which is cheating. If you are using another person’s words, they must be placed
in quotation marks as well as cited. Even if you paraphrase someone else’s words, you must cite your source.
Whether deliberate or not (due, perhaps, to inadequate note-taking), plagiarism is an extremely serious violation of
the Honor Code. It is also a violation for any student to act as an accessory to plagiarism.
As with any writing assignment, the structure and clarity of your work is as important as the content. A clear thesis,
well-developed paragraphs, and a meaningful conclusion will be a part of any successful paper. As always, if you
have concerns about your paper or just need help getting started, please feel free to drop by the office or schedule an
appointment with me.
If you have any questions or need clarification on any of these items, please talk with me. Make this assignment as
easy on yourself as possible by working ahead.
Some possible topics/monsters to research:
Demons
Incubus
Succubus
Devil
Werewolves/lycanthropes
Vampires
Zombies
Serial killers
Sea monsters
Aliens
Necromancers
Dragons
Ogopogo
Windigo
Chupacabra
Chimera
Yeti
Kraken
Ghosts
Harpies
Oni
Skinwalkers
Sídhe
Basilisk
Ogres
Fairies
Orcs
Lamia
Centaurs
Satyrs
Sorcerers
Witches
Poltergeists
Alien abduction
Demonic possession
Haunting—types, specific one, etc.
Viruses
Various Diseases
You are welcome to start with a culture and do some digging into their monsters. You might also consider different
groups that have been classified as “other” throughout history and how they have been demonized or seen as
monsters. Think about problems affecting the world today that could be classified as monstrous.
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13 April 2016
A Bloody Legacy
In November of 1978, Reverend Jim Jones led his followers in a mass murder/suicide
that resulted in the death of 914 men, women, and children according to Janja Lalich, assistant
professor of sociology at California State University (Lalich 8). While many of the cult members
were forced to drink the poisoned punch that lead to their death, a large portion of the crowd
drank the poison willingly. This raises an important question; how does a leader gain control of a
mass of people? What motivates these people to do such extreme things as to commit murder and
mass suicide in blind commitment to a leader? While there are different models of cults and
many facets to the techniques that cult leaders use to indoctrinate followers into their new
religions, the psychology can be basically reduced to the relative desirability of cult membership
from the perspective of the followers.
First of all, it is important to realize that not every cult follows the same model of
indoctrination. In fact, there are a number of different forms that a cult can take, and this
multiplicity of form can actually help obscure the organization’s true intent and assist it achieve
an appearance of legitimacy. Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge, both acclaimed
religious sociologists, assert that cults can basically be lumped into three “models” which affect
how these cults are perceived (Stark and Bainbridge 171). According to Stark and Bainbridge,
the three models are “the psychopathy model,” “the entrepreneur model,” and “the subcultureevolution model” (Stark and Bainbridge 171). The psychopathy model of cult is created by
someone in distress and personal crisis, generally with a mental illness, whose delusions may
appeal more generally to other individuals suffering the same crises in a sort of mass wish
fulfillment (Stark and Bainbridge 174). From a follower’s perspective, this model would appeal
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to the inductee’s willingness to accept the desirable and the delusion that cult involvement will
assuage some sort of personal pain. The second model, the entrepreneur model, basically
promises the newly inducted member a product or service, a reward for some sort of payment
(Stark and Bainbridge 178). This façade of legitimacy can be extremely convincing, and
financial gain is one of our society’s most clear-cut and easily quantifiable incentivizes. The
third and final model, “the subculture-evolution model,” works in more subtle and incremental
ways (Stark and Bainbridge 183). The idea of this model of cult innovation is that it can begin in
a seemingly harmless way, a group of idealists without a strong manipulative leader who share a
common unique set of desires will slowly detach themselves from the rest of society (Stark and
Bainbridge 183). All three of these models can be extremely dangerous, and all three revolve
around the systematic separation and indoctrination of people who do not necessarily start out
perceptibly abnormal in any way.
The process of indoctrination is a complicated one to perform successfully, but the theory
behind it boils down to a relatively simplistic manipulation of human desire and selfpreservation. The first step, quite obviously, is for the new religion to foster a sense of intrigue
and curiosity so as to form an initial attraction for newcomers. According to Thomas Robbins, a
scholar of religious sociology, new converts sometimes initiate interest for themselves in an
academic fashion, seeking to gain information about the cults and allowing this intellectual
curiosity to evolve into an actual cult involvement (Robbins 67). Other followers may be
attracted to the cult for some promise of personal fascination and/or financial gain, as would be
common from the entrepreneurial model of cult formation (Stark and Bainbridge 178). Many
cults spend quite a bit of time and money on missionary pursuits, attempting to advertise their
sect to the world, according to Maurice Burrell, Director of Education for the Diocese of
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Norwich (Burrell 10). While this belief that their faith is the “correct” faith is an extremely
common cause of missionary zeal in virtually all religions, cults are generally known for being
extreme, and therefore are known for a vast quantity of literature and public outreach in their
attempt to incite intrigue in prospective new members. James R Lewis, Chair of the department
of religious studies at World University, writes that it has actually been found that recruiting
seminars and similar missionary programs have extremely low success rates of actually inducting
and indoctrinating new members, therefore new religious sects must compensate by increasing
awareness in order to foster a consistently high membership (“Cults in America” 16). This also
proves that, while creating intrigue and awareness is the first step of indoctrination for new cult
members, it is far from the last.
Once new members show interest in the cult and allow themselves to be persuaded, it is
the job of the cult to manipulate these members to fully submerge themselves in the beliefs and
actions of the cult. Aside from the scientifically sound psychology that leads people to do this, it
is useful to understand this from a perspective of common sense, and of human nature. Take the
actor’s perspective, for instance. When understanding a character, it is essential to understand
that every action a person takes is nothing more than a tactic to achieve some specific goal. It is
the actor’s job to understand what this goal is and how the specific action stands to help
accomplish that goal. Because of this relationship between action and motivation, it is logical to
assume that the more extreme a character’s circumstance, the more extreme their goals and
therefore their action and belief will become more extreme to follow suit. Cult leaders
understand this and they exploit it mercilessly. Janja Lalich delves into this truth quite deeply in
the study of what she calls “Bounded Choice.” Lalich explains that at the root of this
manipulation and indoctrination is something which she calls “charismatic commitment” (Lalich
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14). This commitment takes hold of people quickly, particularly people desperate for something
larger than themselves, and Lalich asserts that people in this state are psychologically “trapped”
(Lalich 14). From this point, cult leaders generally separate their inducted members from society,
often living on communes of sorts and severing communication from the outside world. This
drives the people in the cults to do more and more extreme things, being completely consumed
by devotion, unable to see that their religion is doing them more harm than good.
To fully understand how the different models of cult innovation take shape, it is helpful
to turn to the examination of specific cases in which people have been driven toward
extraordinarily extreme actions. One famous example of the psychopathy model is the Oneida
community. Like most other cults which evolve through the psychopathy model, the Oneida
community’s founder was physiologically abnormal, and this was the direct cause of his actions
(Stark and Bainbridge 175). The Oneida community was a subset of Christianity, a group that
strived for human perfection, which they believed to be embodied by Jesus Christ
(“Encyclopedia of Cults” 371). The founder, John Humphrey Noyes, is thought to have suffered
from manic depression, and in fact many of the religious movements and inspirations of his sect
were directly caused by his manic depressive episodes (Stark and Bainbridge 175). The
interesting thing about this cult is that their missionary work largely occurred naturally, because
they splintered from conventional Christianity. Indoctrination happened largely on the basis of
shared belief, and Noyes manipulated this common belief by (only partially by choice) removing
his community from society to a self-sustaining community where he could mandate polygamy
and experiment with genetic perfection (“Encyclopedia of Cults” 371). Similar themes can be
observed in other models of cults as well.
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Mankind United, a cult led by Arthur L. Bell, followed the entrepreneur model of cult
innovation and was extremely financially successful (Stark and Bainbridge 179). Their basic
structure was to fraudulently claim to be one small chapter of an organization seeking world
domination (Stark and Bainbridge 180). For this reason, their members were extremely drawn to
this cult in pursuit of power and prestige. Because of this, their missionary work was more
understated, because their entire appeal was their pretense of upper-ranking elitism. Once their
members were gained for non-religious reasons, the organization slowly morphed into a church
(Stark and Bainbridge 180). This approach also exhibits similarities to a subculture-evolution
model of cult innovation, as does the Oneida community. They both featured a collection of
members which “commits itself to the attainment of certain rewards” and both pursued the
complete brainwashing and indoctrination of their members through physical separation from the
large body of society and severing communication to the world outside the cult.
This notion of manipulation through religion is certainly nothing new; mainstream
religions have been used to incite hatred, violence, and extreme beliefs for centuries. These new
cults, however, pose a particular danger to naïve members and people in mainstream society
alike because of how they are severed from the world, designed to make their followers
dedicated beyond all reason, and have a tendency for violence. All of the knowledge and
information on how cults are formed and members are manipulated is the best tool humanity has
to eradicate these extremist religious sects. The hope of many scholars is that when people
understand how innocent, smart human beings are indoctrinated so completely, all people will
increase their ability to think rationally and recognize when they’re being manipulated.
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Works Cited
Bainbridge, William Sims, and Rodney Stark. The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival,
and Cult Formation. Berkley: University of California Press, 1985. Print.
Burrell, Maurice. The Challenge of the Cults. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1982. Print.
Lalich, Janja. Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults. Berkley: University of
California Press, 1988. Print.
Lewis, James. Cults in America. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1998. Print.
Lewis, James. The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Amherst: Prometheus
Books, 1998. Print.
Robbins, Thomas. Cults, Converts, & Charisma. London: SAGE Publications Inc., 1988. Print.
Ellent 1
X. Ellent
17 April 2017
Religion and Sex: The Surprising Correlation
Sex and religion: two frequently-discussed topics that receive a lot of attention in the
media nowadays. Although commonly thought to be opposing subjects, the two are more closely
related than one may think. Stemming from the broad topic of sex are two contemporary issues:
premarital sex and divorce. Both topics tend to clash with various religious views, causing much
debate within society. Also, differences between the Bible and religious teachings in general lead
to more controversy on both premarital sex and divorce. Despite the difference in opinion, these
controversial topics of sex and love are greatly affected by religious participation and vice versa.
Christian teachings as a whole contrast with societal opinions on premarital sex and divorce, but
religion has a profound effect on each topic, and both premarital sex and divorce significantly
influence religious involvement.
Many Christian religions are very old and have a foundation of concrete morals, making
it unlikely for them to change their beliefs on certain subjects. Among these subjects lies perhaps
one of the most controversial: premarital sex. The religious rules and boundaries surrounding sex
can be somewhat confusing and unclear, as shown in this excerpt from the Bible: “Let marriage
be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral
and adulterers” (Hebrews 13:4). As a whole this quote is very vague, since the words “undefiled”
and “immoral” are never defined. However, the Bible does not aim to threaten anyone, nor does
it speak of sex in a negative way. In fact, premarital sex is never actually forbidden in the Bible.
Christian teachings outside of the Bible are the original source for preaching the importance of
waiting until marriage, as sex is an intimate, holy experience meant for a man and his wife. The
Ellent 2
confusion arises here, as the church places such emphasis on forbidding an act not ruled sinful in
the Bible. Speculation has risen that the strict, condemning reactions to premarital sex have been
exaggerated beyond God’s intent. In the book Love and Christian Ethics, Mark D. Jordan wrote
a chapter about Christian sexual ethics. He writes, “Jesus’s refusal to participate in the violent
extravagance of sexual shame suggests that he means to challenge our cultural and individual
exaggeration of sexual sin” (Jordan 300). In saying this, Jordan does not mean that the church is
okay with premarital sex, rather that some religious books and writers have made it into a bigger
deal than necessary. He continues by saying, “Churches have spent centuries fulminating against
sexual sins as the most prominent and most fatal rejections of God. In this, they have
contradicted Jesus’s example” (Jordan 300). While sex outside of marriage is considered a sin in
the Christian faith, it is not near the worst type of sin. Placing such emphasis on abstaining from
sex before marriage causes more problems to arise than necessary, especially since the Bible’s
teachings differ from the church’s teachings.
Another viewpoint to consider is society as a whole and its ever-changing opinions
regarding sex. Throughout history, sex culture in the media has drastically changed. The
increased use of social media has made our society more sexually permissive: sex is no longer a
highly-avoided, taboo subject, but rather one that receives a lot of attention. Nowadays kids are
exposed to sex at such a young age because everything seems to be sexualized. The “sex …
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