Reflective Essay (What, So What, Now What)
Reading the title of this course makes it seem dry and uninteresting at first. However, this course is so much MORE than its title suggests. Religion and all other types of beliefs play such a vital role in today's world, acting in complex ways with other areas of life. Because of this, the course is more than just politics and religion. It is a course that forces one to examine and interpret aspects of the human condition.
We covered a range of diverse topics, including religion's evolving place in society and how it is perceived across demographics. We didn't just theorize and debate. We went out into the community and talked to people, learned about their beliefs and how they interact in the modern world, and asked them about the perception of their belief system. The accounts we read were real, and enveloped a broad variety of ideas and beliefs.
But how is this useful? I left this class with a deeper understanding of how religion has changed. I appreciate now more than ever the struggles of people the world over to express themselves while maintaining their position in society. It is a delicate tightrope on which to walk. It is a line which all of us, whether we label ourselves as religious or spiritual or atheist, must walk. Our actions in this area have to potential to affect many people aside from ourselves.
Now, I can go out into the world and empathize more with religious minorities. I know what questions to ask to get a sense of the religion, and how to look beyond the actions of an individual. On a larger scale, I know how to better interact with and engage individuals from all backgrounds. This will be invaluable not only in my undergraduate career, but throughout my medical education and the rest of my life. It is a skill that is, in some ways, sorely lacking and/or underdeveloped, and one that I feel needs to be more strongly emphasized in education systems.
We covered a range of diverse topics, including religion's evolving place in society and how it is perceived across demographics. We didn't just theorize and debate. We went out into the community and talked to people, learned about their beliefs and how they interact in the modern world, and asked them about the perception of their belief system. The accounts we read were real, and enveloped a broad variety of ideas and beliefs.
But how is this useful? I left this class with a deeper understanding of how religion has changed. I appreciate now more than ever the struggles of people the world over to express themselves while maintaining their position in society. It is a delicate tightrope on which to walk. It is a line which all of us, whether we label ourselves as religious or spiritual or atheist, must walk. Our actions in this area have to potential to affect many people aside from ourselves.
Now, I can go out into the world and empathize more with religious minorities. I know what questions to ask to get a sense of the religion, and how to look beyond the actions of an individual. On a larger scale, I know how to better interact with and engage individuals from all backgrounds. This will be invaluable not only in my undergraduate career, but throughout my medical education and the rest of my life. It is a skill that is, in some ways, sorely lacking and/or underdeveloped, and one that I feel needs to be more strongly emphasized in education systems.