A Cultural, Sociological and Historical Assignment

Assignment Requirements

Cemeteries are full of history. Have you ever taken a stroll through a cemetery? If you have, you would see the headstones all tell a story. They may or may not offer us a name, a birthdate, a death date, an inscription, something indicating their career, and even relationships. For instance, during different time periods, you might see in place of a person’s name, Wife of Dr. Frank Smith. You might notice patterns in the timing of deaths of children and parents at different time periods. Was there a flu epidemic? Did a mother die giving birth? Did a young man die in war? Why do some people have large monuments, while others may have crumbling gravestones? Are the monuments and crumbling gravestones located next to each other? If there are any dates on the headstones, you can look up the history of grave markers and the materials they were made from. “To conclude, a lot can be learned about our culture and customs from headstone history. If analyzed properly it will not be wrong to say that headstone history is all about attitudes, beliefs, and livelihoods of our ancestors.”  from http://www.wifialliance.org/OpenSection/fascinatin…)

Objective:

Be able to integrate research and information from cemeteries and headstones by comparing and contrasting in to understand the cultural factors, sociological factors, and historical events represented in the cemeteries visited.

Assignment Requirements:

You will use research as a basis for your paper. Research should come from professional sources (journal articles, books, websites, etc.) You will also be examining the headstones in at least 2 cemeteries you visit personally or online for the purpose of comparing and contrasting what you observed about culture, sociological factors, and events of historical periods.

Photos of headstones you take while visiting cemeteries or researching online will be in your Appendix.