Homework No. 9 20 points Give your paper a title 1,000 words minimum (more words

Homework No. 9 20 points Give your paper a title 1,000 words minimum (more words are always OK) Write the word count on your paper Minimum 6 organized paragraphs (more paragraphs are fine) Proofread and spellcheck DO NOT GO ON THE INTERNET TO RESEARCH ANY PART OF THIS ASSIGNMENT — NO OUTSIDE SUMMARIES OR INFORMATION WATCH THE FILMS, ONLY, AND RESPOND TO THE HOMEWORK PROMPTS FROM THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE FILMS INFORMATION FROM OUTSIDE OR INTERNET SOURCES WILL RESULT IN A VERY LOW GRADE Organize your paper in this way: Introductory paragraph – in this first paragraph you must include detail on Bettany Hughes. Who is she? Why does she undertake the mission of making these three films? For you, personally, what was the most surprising of all her historical findings? Summarize each film individually, in its own paragraph or paragraphs (more than one paragraph per film is OK) There should be no less than three separate paragraphs, at least one each, detailing the individual film summaries – each paragraph should be titled with the film it is about Each paragraph should have the tittle of the film that you are summarizing DO NOT LUMP ALL THE FILMS TOGETHER INTO ONE PARAGRAPH In a separate paragraph, write your response to the “Psychology Today” article In your final paragraph, write your overall response to the films. What did you learn? What surprised you? Are there things that clash with your own understanding or beliefs? All history –– religious, secular, or otherwise –– is a narrative comprised of selective information. What is included, as well as what is left out, creates the present narrative. In any society, power is structured on the basis of race, class and gender. Across the globe, current ideologies/societies tend to be patriarchal. That is a structure enshrining a power order that looks like this: God (who is male) Man Woman Child Animal Environment However, matriarchal cultures and ideologies still prevail in some parts of the world, and in these societies God is female. The BriBri of Costa Rica, for example, is a matriarchal society. The power structure there looks like this: God (who is female) Woman Man Child Animal Environment If we go back far enough in history, Greek and Roman gods were both male and female. Today, K-12 school classes teach these beliefs of ancient civilizations as ‘mythology.’ This is an elitist point of view and belittles the beliefs of these bygone civilizations. The ancient Greeks and Romans worshipped Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Venus and the rest as authentic and genuine deities who ruled the earth and the heavens. Consider this: if the earth survives for another millennium, K-12 students a thousand or two thousand years from now may be studying in classes where God, Jesus, Jehovah and Allah are, themselves, presented as the subjects of mythology––the stuff and lore and legends, but certainly not real. For this assignment: First, watch the entire ‘Divine Women Series ‘When God Was a Girl’ No. 1- Divine Women: When God Was a Girl: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzrlkvLinks to an external site. No. 2 – Divine Women: War of the Words: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzrjcfLinks to an external site. No. 3 – Divine Women: Handmaids of the Gods: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzs4tjLinks to an external site. Be sure to include commentary from all three films from the people that Bettany Hughes interviews. Whom does she choose to interview – (specifically name these individuals)? Specifically, what do they talk about – what are the various topics of the interviews? Also, read this article from the publication Psychology Today, “Secularism and the Status of Women: Women’s lives are better where secular culture prevails,” which points out that women in secular societies fare far better by several equity indicators than they do in religious societies. Expand on this point and give present day examples. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-secular-life/201411/secularism-and-the-status-womenLinks to an external site. This assignment is a reflection paper. For this paper, you will write: Your responses to the films. There is wide latitude on this assignment. What did you think about what was presented in the films? What are your reactions to historian Bettany Hughes’ modern-day findings of historical artifacts that show female social leaders and female religious leaders? Do her findings clash with what you might have learned in school, or in your place of worship, or from your family, or the wider community/society? If so, how so? In addition to your reflection of the films, you must include commentary on the “Psychology Today” article noted above. Religion is a major component in shaping society. In 2023, we are seeing a big shift in religious beliefs and how people worship –– or do not worship or have any religion at all. According to historians, matriarchy (female rule) once reigned in Europe and Asia. Goddesses were worshipped and this belief shaped society at the time, which leaned toward matriarchy. Women were the social, political and religious leaders. Then came centuries of patriarchy (male rule) centered on the idea of a single male god (God as the ‘Father’) and no goddesses at all. A successful smear campaign against women was launched. Goddesses were stripped of power and significance. It followed that women, who had once been revered for their power and wisdom, were stripped of power and socially downgraded to having little value beyond bearing the next generation. The Catholic church, in particular, declared war on witches, who were the wise women and healers of their time. The tern “witch” means “wise one.” Historians estimate that up to 9 million witches were killed during this genocide, which tends to be omitted from history books. The pushback against this male-centric ideology occurs in present time. We can now see, once again, women leaders in countries all around the world. Significantly, we see women in top levels of education, politics, religion, science, medicine, art, and so forth. In the United States, which clings staunchly to its patriarchal ideology and culture, women are still making some strides toward a return to equity in the division of power. You must include this prediction: With this changing shift in how women are viewed by others and how they view themselves, include in your reflection what you think the social structure of the world might be 50 years from now. What was it like 50 years in the past? Think politically about who gets what, when, how – and why. In what places of power do you predict women will be in 50 years from now? Will they have gone forward, remained the same, or lost political ground?