"Global Religion and Politics" Seminar
Reflection:
This seminar met every Monday night
for three hours to discuss global religion and politics based on readings we
were assigned to evaluate each week. Some of the topics covered in the
readings included the “None” religious group, hidden communities, feminism,
caste systems, creation beliefs, conversions between religious groups, and
social justice. From these articles, we were required to write five responses
of approximately four hundred words. During the discussions, we referenced our
responses and the articles from previous weeks to tie the topics together. We
also visited four religious institutions: the Jewish Skirball Museum, an
Islamic mosque, the Creation Museum, and a Scientology Center. Before the visits, each student had to write three questions about the religion or the place we were visiting, and either attempt to answer them after the visit or write a summary about what we learned. Our final project was a ten page research paper we worked on during the entire semester on any religious or political topic of our choosing.
One aspect of this seminar really made an impact on me: the visits to the religious institutions. The trips to the Jewish Skirball Museum, the Islamic mosque, the Creation Museum, and the Scientology Center were extraordinarily eye opening. I never realized how similar religions are at their cores until I took these trips. Essentially, the four religious groups that own the institutions I visited encourage people to be kind to themselves, kind to others, and thankful for what they have in their lives. From the other readings in the class and outside research, it appears to me that most religions have these same basic principles. I feel like most people don't realize this, and it would be extremely beneficial to bring it to more people's attention. I personally have a completely different outlook on other religious groups than I did before after coming to this realization, and I'm positive more people would, too. If people realize that religious groups are working towards similar, main goals of helping people grow into their best possible selves, than perhaps the violence and hatred between religious groups today could start to dissipate.
I want to share these insights with anyone I can to help people develop more sympathetic, reasonable views of those who follow different religions. My plan is to lead conversations towards religious or political topics so I will have the opportunity to add my observations about the similarities between different religious groups. In order to support my statements, I also plan to research scholarly articles I will be able to reference and point others to. Hopefully by doing this, I will open more eyes to the beauty and resemblances of other religions.
One aspect of this seminar really made an impact on me: the visits to the religious institutions. The trips to the Jewish Skirball Museum, the Islamic mosque, the Creation Museum, and the Scientology Center were extraordinarily eye opening. I never realized how similar religions are at their cores until I took these trips. Essentially, the four religious groups that own the institutions I visited encourage people to be kind to themselves, kind to others, and thankful for what they have in their lives. From the other readings in the class and outside research, it appears to me that most religions have these same basic principles. I feel like most people don't realize this, and it would be extremely beneficial to bring it to more people's attention. I personally have a completely different outlook on other religious groups than I did before after coming to this realization, and I'm positive more people would, too. If people realize that religious groups are working towards similar, main goals of helping people grow into their best possible selves, than perhaps the violence and hatred between religious groups today could start to dissipate.
I want to share these insights with anyone I can to help people develop more sympathetic, reasonable views of those who follow different religions. My plan is to lead conversations towards religious or political topics so I will have the opportunity to add my observations about the similarities between different religious groups. In order to support my statements, I also plan to research scholarly articles I will be able to reference and point others to. Hopefully by doing this, I will open more eyes to the beauty and resemblances of other religions.
Artifact:
For my final project, I wrote a twelve page research paper over traditional Native American spiritual beliefs and practices that incorporate the environment, and how they can be and have been an integral part of modern day environmental movements. This paper gave me a greater insight into how lives can be negatively effected by cultural, religious, and political changes. Writing this essay was beneficial for me because it allowed me to go into depth with the Native Americans while also learning slightly less complex details about other religious, political, and cultural groups.
native_american_traditions_in_environmental_movements.docx | |
File Size: | 29 kb |
File Type: | docx |