Final Course Blog

Learning in this course occurred in so many ways for me as the assignments were so diverse. I was very open in the beginning about being a bit overwhelmed with the thought of this course and each week I found myself breathing heavy as I opened the module. Having opportunities to process the readings through the varied analytical approaches was positive. The books chosen if in the very least taught me tremendously to look at the elements I would not normally consider when reading. While religion was a common thread woven in each, I gained a better ability to search out the themes, look for them consciously instead of just reading to read. Not that reading for the pure enjoyment is wrong, it is wonderful, but reading to gain purpose and insight has power to evoke change and I haven't always embraced that.

I appreciated the discussion board more so than I expected I would. So many of you have such incredible life experiences and they were reflected in your writings. I gained wisdom from each of you. There were moments I was dumbfounded at the intelligence represented in the collective. I claim to be very tolerant and to make great effort to be understanding of others religious views and perspectives, yet I noticed at times, I was far from the place I professed to be at. My Name is Asher Lev and The Power and the Glory really challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone of faith and consider beliefs I wasn't so knowledgeable about. Not just to consider them, but to extend acceptance to them and all that comes with them, good, bad and everything in between.

I do feel the course objectives were met entirely. The two that most impacted me were:
-Examining religion and its importance to humanity. How could someone complete this course and not have some truths resound in them regarding religions influence on humanity?
-Graduate level written and oral communication skills. This was the first course that has challenged me to think outside my box in the way that I did so far in my graduate work. The expectations were at such a different level than most of the courses I have already taken. I was at first terrified of that. I stand at the end quite thankful, surprisingly, for that high expectations. I have a better knowledge of MLA format, writing skills and a greater ability to think analytically.

I think my one greatest a-ha moment in this course didn't necessarily come from a text but from advice Christine gave me. She reminded me to not take myself so seriously and allow myself to enjoy the stretch that was occurring in my learning process. I am thankful for her reminder as it centered me in focusing on the value of the experiences I was gaining and to enjoy the steps along the way.

If there were a change in the course, I would consider adding the opportunity for students to read a work of their choice and present the work to classmates in a project or paper format. Having so many other glimpses into how religion in literature can impact us would be insightful and interesting. It might open doors for the student to make additional connections by providing them with additional books to explore.

Great course, great classmates, great leadership. Didn't always love the text choices but I do respect the learning that occurred from them. There value in growing us is evident!