Rites of Passage

Week 2 - Discussion 1

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Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Rites of Passage

Victor Turner defines three distinct phases of a rite of passage: separation, transition, and incorporation. Even if we are not expressly religious, all of us have experienced a rite of passage at some point in our lives. Examples of secular rites of passage include graduation ceremonies,  induction into the military, entering a hospital and receiving treatment, and fraternity or sorority initiations. Less secular examples include marriage, baptism, and coming of age celebrations and rituals. Describe a rite of passage that you have experienced firsthand, and discuss the three phases of a rite of passage in relation to this example. Explain the function of the rite of passage for the people who participate in it. Compare the rite of passage that you have experienced to those depicted in the required video watching from this week.
 

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.
 

Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7. If possible, choose one post that focuses on a secular rite of passage and another that focuses on a more specifically religious or spiritual rite of passage.