The Boney Blog of Nowhere.

Humanities 

HUMA 2300 -- World Religions

Professor: Suzanne Jacobs

I highly recommend this class for anyone living in this country. We don't learn enough about the rest of the world anyhow, but the things they believe and hold so dear are very much an important aspect in how the rest of the world sees us and itself. This class provides a great deal of information that spans Eastern and Western religions, ancient/primal religions, historical development of these faiths, and the perspective of members in this religion. The cultural development of a particular area in the world can only truly be understood when you learn about the beliefs held by the people living there. I feel this course was a great way to gain more insight into the differences and similarities between different religious belief structures and their impact on the entire planet. I cannot recommend it enough.

Field Trip Assignments 

These assignments were based on the religion we were studying. While in the middle of the unit, we would have a chance to visit a place of worship for that particular religion. We would then write a paper based on the relations between what we've already learned, the practices we are familiar with, those practices being implemented in the actual ceremony, and anything new we might have learned. Critical thinking and relation were some of the key factors when writing one of these papers.

I really enjoyed the field trips and the subsequent paper assignments. I actually didn't perform to my own standards on these papers, though. I had trouble translating my thoughts and feelings from the field trips into words on paper. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the assignments. I feel they were a great way to gain new life experiences while solidifying them in the mind with active critical thinking on the subject. 

Reading Journal Assignments 

In our reading journals, we would write notes about the text we were reading. This could be a section in our textbook itself, or a portion of the sacred scripture of the religion we were studying at the time. Then we would categorize our thoughts into: things we didn't know, issues we have, and question that pop up. 

I like the concept of these reading journals. I feel they are a fantastic way to engage one's critical thinking skills. I really wasn't aware I had so much to say on one quote from a holy scripture, but I consistently wrote two page responses to each section we were reading, totaling to around six pages of reading journals for every religion, plus the three to four pages of field trip responses. I think this assignment is responsible for drawing such a vast amount of material out of me and I'm genuinely impressed with the results.  

Signature Assignment 

This was our final assignment that enabled us to provide an answer to a question of our choosing, pertaining to studies in the various religions of the world, based on our own understanding of the information presented to us. 

 I had quite a bit of fun with this paper. It was far less difficult than it seemed at first, and it was probably the most creative of them all. I feel like it was a great way to engage my critical thinking skills. It might not have turned out to be as much of an academic project as I had hoped, but I feel it accurately reflects my personality and the voice I have developed in writing, as well as giving me the opportunity to examine a certain area of the world as we know it and provide my own analysis.