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Burial Plan Presentation & Reflection (Undergraduates) – due 24 May, 31 May, or 8 June

For your final project, you will take on the role of an ancient burial salesperson. You have the perfect plan for a burial, and you are ready to convince your classmates (= your potential customers) with a 10-minute sales presentation and some compelling visuals! You will then turn in a short write-up to me (3-4 pages double spaced) reflecting on your choices.

This assignment has two parts: presentation and reflection. The presentation is due on the day you chose on the spreadsheet. If for some reason you can’t give your presentation on the selected day, please let me know as soon as possible. The reflection should be turned in by the Friday of the week when you present (24 May presentation -> 26 May reflection, 31 May presentation -> 2 Jun reflection, 8 Jun presentation -> 9 Jun reflection) unless you make a different arrangement with me before that date.

Part 1: Presentation

Using what you’ve learned in the course up to this point, design a burial. Where will it be? What will the tomb/grave/pyramid/etc. be made out of and how will it be shaped? Is this site for an individual burial, a family burial, or what? Is it part of a larger cemetery, and if so, how does it fit into that larger picture? What art or artifacts will be part of the burial package? How will the body be handled? What, if any, funerary rituals will be involved? What is the benefit that the customer will get from each of these things?  (Basically: body, grave, funeral.)

Tell us all about it, using a slide presentation or a printed “brochure” (one copy for each classmate, please) to show us everything. Remember, you are trying to sell your plan to us; you want us to pay you to do this for us.

Images for your presentation may be ones that you created (in any medium) or appropriate ones from the readings or the internet. Show us lots of pictures and diagrams!

• Pro Tip: Start by picking one of the ancient worldviews regarding death and the afterlife that we’ve discussed this quarter, and design your burial so that you can justify most of the things that you include based on that worldview. You do not have to set your burial in the same geographic area as the worldview you have chosen.

• Another Pro Tip: Practice your presentation beforehand to make sure you know what you want to say and that your presentation is indeed about 10 minutes in length.

• Still Another Pro Tip: You can decide whom you are marketing this to. Are you selling burial plans for families? Soldiers? Priestesses? Kings? Farmers?

Part 2: Reflection

In at least 2 complete pages double-spaced (12 point font, no more than 1 inch margins), reflect on the choices that you made in your burial plan. What decisions did you make about the design of the burial, and how did the ancient worldview that you chose to focus upon drive your decisions? Are there elements that were driven more by the ancient society, the circumstances of death, or the physical region in which you set your plan? What other burials that we have studied did you draw upon in your design, and how? In the modern culture that you belong to, how do you think that people’s worldviews drive burial decisions?

• Pro Tip: Be as specific as you can in your reflection. This shows me that your plan is based in your detailed knowledge of ancient Middle Eastern mortuary practices.

Grading (100 pts total)

Student delivers: spoken presentation (in class), copy of slides or brochure (via Canvas), reflection (via Canvas assignment link)

Presentation (67 pts)

Presentation is about 10 minutes long                                                                        5

Student speaks clearly and at an appropriate volume and speed                                5

Student makes a genuine effort to act as an ancient salesperson                               2

            [Note: there are 2 extra credit points available here for convincing

            performances!]

Presentation addresses the treatment of the body                                                       10

Presentation addresses the tomb/burial space itself                                                   10

Presentation addresses any items or objects to be buried with the body                    10

Presentation addresses at least one of: tomb art, funerary rituals                              5

Presentation makes claims about how these elements will                                        10

            benefit the customer in the afterlife

Slides were sent to Dr. M by at least 3 pm on presentation day OR                          2

            brochures were provided for 31 persons

Slides/brochure consist largely of pictures and diagrams with                                  5           

            fairly brief, persuasive sales text

Text is a readable size                                                                                                1

Any text is spelled correctly and written with clarity                                                2

Reflection (33 pts)

Reflection is at least 2 complete pages double-spaced                                              5

            (12 pt font, no more than 1 inch margin)

Reflection explains how the ancient worldview chosen                                            8

            impacted the burial plan

Reflection engages deeply with at least one influence other than worldview           5

            (social factors, circumstances of death, physical/ecological issues)

Reflection explains where the student drew inspiration from                                   5

            (from which material that we have studied)

Reflection discussed how the student’s home culture handles burial                        7

            and how this might be impacted by worldviews

Reflection is clearly written, without misuse of words or                                          3

            confusing grammar issues