dis 4
Case: The Only God You’ll Ever See
Have you ever wondered how people get involved with cults? What makes them want to give up their worldly possessions and worship one person or cause? How do charismatic individuals wield such incredible power? Charismatic individuals such as Jim Jones or Adolph Hitler aren’t just found in cults or politics, however. Many successful leaders use charisma in their organizations to make extraordinary and positive things happen.
To complete this discussion, first, read pages 153–173 of The Only God You’ll Ever See. Then, for your initial post, address the following:
- What is it about Jones’s leadership that inspired so much devotion?
- Why did his closest followers hide the truth of Jones’s perverse behaviors from the rest of his followers?
- How can a culture, particular historical conditions, or human nature make people more prone to desire and follow charismatic leaders? Support your position with an example from history or current events.
- What would the conditions need to be for you to be influenced by a strong charismatic personality?
- In your opinion, is charisma an inherent trait, or is it a set of behaviors that leaders can practice and develop?
Discussion Rubric
Your active participation in the discussion forums is essential to your overall success. Discussion questions are designed to help you make
meaningful connections between the course content and the larger concepts and goals of the course. These discussions offer you the opportunity to
express your own thoughts, ask questions for clarification, and gain insight from your classmates’ responses and instructor’s guidance.
Requirements for Discussion Board Assignments
Students are required to post one (1) initial post due by day three (3) (unless otherwise noted by the instructor) and to follow up with at
least two (2) response posts by day seven (7) for each discussion board assignment. Please be sure to post on at least two separate
days.
For your initial post (1), you must do the following:
● Compose a post of one to two paragraphs.
● Take into consideration material such as course content and other discussion boards from the current module and previous modules, when
appropriate (make sure you are using proper citation methods when referencing scholarly or popular resources).
For your response posts (2), you must do the following:
● Reply to at least two different classmates outside of your own initial post thread.
● Demonstrate more depth and thought in your responses.
Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Comprehension
Develops an initial post with
an organized, clear point of
view or idea using rich and
significant detail
Develops an initial post with
a point of view or idea using
adequate organization and
detail
Develops an initial post with
a point of view or idea but
with some gaps in
organization and detail
Does not develop an initial
post with an organized point
of view or idea
40
Timeliness Submits initial post by day
three (3)
Submits initial post one day
late (day four)
Submits initial post two or
more days late (day five or
later)
Does not submit a post 10
Engagement Provides relevant and
meaningful response posts
with clarifying explanation
and detail
Provides relevant response
posts with some explanation
and detail
Provides somewhat relevant
response posts with some
explanation and detail
Provides response posts that
are generic with little
explanation or detail
30
Writing
(Mechanics)
Writes posts that are easily
understood, clear, and
concise using proper citation
Writes posts that are easily
understood using proper
citation methods where
Writes posts that are
understandable using proper
citation methods where
Writes posts that others are
not able to understand and
20
methods where applicable
with no errors in citations
applicable with few errors in
citations
applicable with a number of
errors in citations
does not use proper citation
methods where applicable
Total 100%