Day: February 11, 2020

Character Creation Paper
We have studied several mythological archetypes from around the world, in different cultural contexts and time periods. We have spent a significant amount of time in the course analyzing the archetypes of hero and trickster, in particular. You have the opportunity to create a character that fits the mythological archetype of either hero or trickster in this assignment and write that characters explanatory myth. What archetype will you choose, either hero or trickster?

Use at least three examples from our assigned readings throughout the course to support and explain your choices. Include a Works Cited/References in either APA format.

Requirements:

First, create your archetypal character with a specific social identity by answering these questions. You can write out each question and put the answer below it.

What will be the physical elements of your character?
Is your archetypal character deity, demi-god, or human?
Is your character anthropomorphic (think of Loki, the shape-shifter)?
What are your characters motivations?
What is the family dynamic for your character?
Does your character follow the Heros Journey or does your character play a part in the Heros Journey for someone else?
What is the social identity of your character?
In what culture is your character living?
Second, write an explanatory myth for your character. The myth should be 250-300 words.  For the plot, youll need to identify an issue from our culture or another culture, either past or present, which gives your story and character some context.  Your character should be struggling with an ethical dilemma, one that relates to a power struggle or societal inequality (based in our culture or another culture, either of the present or past.) For example, think of the tricksters from African-American mythology. Remember what our Module Notes in M5 stated:

Trickster tales flourished as a response to scarcity and hardship. Privation reflected the injustice of the slave holding system. In Africa, shortages were due to natural disasters and war. In North America,  shortages came from slavery and those in power keeping the abundance for themselves. Looking at the  relationship between the trickster and the dupe shows us a reflection of the power struggles and power inequality in the cultures that produced these tales. The stories do not favor either trickery or trust. Instead, the tales capture the most important ethical dilemmas of both the individual and societyfor instance, slavery. These stories give the reader and listener moral distance to analyze situations with more objectivity and offer them space to evaluate challenging issues.

Once you have identified your ethical and cultural issue, put your character in a situation along the Heros Journey (some examples: passing the threshold, meeting the goddess, separating from the father figure). Write about his or her actions in that cultural situation and ethical dilemma which will reveal the personality and social identity of your character. 

Third, answer the following question:

Why did you make the choices about your character that you did? Why did you draw from certain sources? Lastly, please include and explicitly state what cultural issue (from the past or the present) that you created your myth around.  Your response to this question should be 100-150 words.

Evaluation

This assignment will be graded using the Character Creation Project Grading Rubric located on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here section of the course. Please review the rubric prior to beginning your work so that you ensure your submission meets the criteria in place for this assignment. This assignment is worth 30% of your final course grade.

Vampire as Hero/Vampire as Villain

How important is self-control? Can this concept move a character typically categorized as a villain into the realm of the hero? This discussion question asks us to consider whether or not a vampires ability to exercise self-control is enough to change the way he/she is viewed, from the archetype of villain to the archetype of hero.

After reading Chapter 44, return to page 778 of your text, particularly the paragraph regarding vampiric feeding, and review your notes from the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel that was assigned viewing for this module. Return, also, to your notes on heroes from previous modules to help you complete this activity.

In your initial post, discuss the difference between the vampire as hero and the vampire as villain. Explain how this compares with our concept of the hero from previous modules, and evaluate whether the vampire can be truly considered a hero as defined in mythology. Use our readings and the required episode Angel as evidence for your analysis.

M5D1: Morally Acceptable Trickster Behavior?
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Looking at the behavior of our tricksters from Chapter 25 in the text, especially Anansi, lets consider whether or not their actions were morally acceptable with respect to the characters who were in positions of power within the myths. The definition of morality (Links to an external site.) according to the philosopher Plato is a code of conduct put forward by a society or culture.

In your initial post, explain how the tricksters actions could be viewed as morally acceptable behavior under conditions of extreme physical hardship (again, think of scarcity and privation). Consider Anansi in Why They Name the Stories for Anansi, in particular, along with one other myth from Chapter 25 your choice and compare the trickster character Anansi and the trickster from the myth you chose with Platos definition of morality. Did the trickster behave morally or immorally? Why?

Global Societal Problem: International Drug Trafficking

Reflect: Based on the topic that you have chosen, you will need to use critical thinking skills to thoroughly understand how this topic can be a global societal problem and determine some logical solutions to the problem.
Write: This Final Paper, an argumentative essay, will present research relating the critical thinker to the modern, globalized world. In this assignment, you need to address the items below in separate sections with new headings for each.
In your paper,
Identify the global societal problem within the introductory paragraph.
Conclude with a thesis statement that states your proposed solutions to the problem. (For guidance on how to construct a good introduction paragraph, please review the Introductions & Conclusions
(Links to an external site.)
from the Ashford Writing Center
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.)
Describe background information on how that problem developed or came into existence.
Show why this is a societal problem.
Provide perspectives from multiple disciplines or populations so that you fully represent what different parts of society have to say about this issue.
Construct an argument supporting your proposed solutions, considering multiple disciplines or populations so that your solution shows that multiple parts of society will benefit from this solution.
Provide evidence from multiple scholarly sources as evidence that your proposed solution is viable.
Interpret statistical data from at least three peer-reviewed scholarly sources within your argument.
Discuss the validity, reliability, and any biases.
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of these sources, pointing out limitations of current research and attempting to indicate areas for future research. (You may even use visual representations such as graphs or charts to explain statistics from sources.)
Evaluate the ethical outcomes that result from your solution.
Provide at least one positive ethical outcome as well as at least one negative ethical outcome that could result from your solution.
Explain at least two ethical issues related to each of those outcomes. (It is important to consider all of society.)
Develop a conclusion for the last paragraphs of the essay, starting with rephrasing your thesis statement and then presenting the major points of the topic and how they support your argument. (For guidance on how to write a good conclusion paragraph, please review the Introductions & Conclusions
(Links to an external site.)
from the Ashford Writing Center
(Links to an external site.)
.)

The Global Societal Problem, Argument, and Solution Paper
Must be 1,750 to 2,250 words in length (approximately between seven and nine pages; not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers APA Style
(Links to an external site.)
resource.

Must use at least eight scholarly sources.
Source Document Requirements:
Multimedia sources (such as videos) may be used, but no more than two such sources may be used. If multimedia sources are used, they must be authored and distributed by credible sources, such as universities, law schools, medical schools, or professors, or found in the Ashford University Library.
Government sources may be used, but no more than two such sources may be used. Examples include whitehouse.gov, state.gov, usa.gov, cdc.gov, and so forth. These websites can be used to make a stronger point about your proposed solution within the argument.
Where documents are used for source materials, those must be peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles, and academically published books. Popular media sources (e.g., newspapers, magazines, television and radio shows, etc.) must not be used. Materials from advocacy groups (e.g., Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaign, National Organization for Women, etc.) must not be used.
Sites such as ProCon.org and Wikipedia must not be used.
Religious texts must not be used.

Good Critical Thinking Tips:
Your paper should include academic sources that explain multiple sides of the issue.
Your interpretations of the evidence should be objective and state the conclusions and theses presented in the evidence clearly and fairly.
Your paper should place the various forms of evidence in relation to one another and demonstrate why one form or perspective is stronger than the other positions that one could take on the issue.
Your paper should point out the limitations of current evidence and attempt to indicate areas for future research.