And The Countdown Begins!

Towards the beginning of the semester, I was still in the process of becoming accustomed with essentially having three courses combined into one. I have taken a few music history courses in high school and at a music conservatory but having the integration of art and literature made it more challenging. Not only did we have to learn the material from each section, but we also had to find connections between the concepts of each culture. In the past, I have always had trouble applying concepts. I can usually memorize information but the issue was taking it to the next level. HUMN 2001 has allowed me to appreciate the cultures and periods that we have learned about and it has made me realize that the world is truly remarkable. Throughout the centuries, all of the cultures have contributed various innovations that have led to the advancement of other cultures. In fact, our own culture is a fusion of cultures from all around the world. By having the chance to actually experience various religions through our off-campus labs, I was able to get a glimpse of the amount of diversity.

Music and literature have always been my favorite areas but my interest for art has grown throughout the semester. It was interesting to see the progression of techniques and styles in art from early Hinduism to the Renaissance. After going to the Morris Museum of Art, I now have a newfound love for Impressionism and it has inspired me to begin drawing in my sketchbook again. The course has taught me to look at paintings in an entirely different perspective. I enjoyed learning about great classics such as Dante’s Inferno and learning more about religions in the literature section of HUMN 2001. I love learning about psychology, sociology, and literature, and many aspects of the course have fallen into those categories. Although I have had some struggles within the course, it has taught me to appreciate humanity’s diversity and I look forward to taking HUMN 2002 next semester.

Word Count: 337

IDEE Jitters

Upon hearing about the changes that will happen with the next interdisciplinary essay exam, I felt a bit more at ease. With the first exam, it seemed like everybody struggled with the guidelines and understanding what our expectations were. The new guidelines make it seem more concise and possibly line up with the types of essays that are normally utilized in exams that I have taken in the past. However, I am still feeling slightly unsure of exactly what the final product should be like but with further review in class, I am hoping to get a better grasp. One thing that I am worried about is whether I will be able to make the differentiations between the Medieval and Renaissance periods in class. As stated in class, it seems like many of the time periods have started to blend into each other since we have covered many of them in this semester so far. With the last exam, each of the cultures were unique from each other and were much easier to differentiate. I am beginning to look over and organize the materials in order to prepare for the essays. Also, instead of just organizing the materials and blocking out the essays, I will also write the essays ahead of time. By doing so, I think that I will get a better idea of whether my essays fulfill all of the guidelines. As for the themes within these cultures and time periods, it seems like the ideas of honor, courtly love, devotion, and chivalry are the main ones for Medieval and Renaissance. Even though Islam has many differences than the Medieval and Renaissance time periods, I will have to see which time periods I feel the most comfortable and knowledgeable about. Last week in class, we were reviewing the reading materials that we have covered so far and at that point, I realized that I have been having trouble with remembering all of the names, writers, characters, story lines, and values attached to each one. Not only is it just memorizing, but it is also comprehension and being able to apply it to themes. Within the next few days, I will make study guides for each of the stories we have read so that it will be easier to narrow down the time periods and pick two to write about for the interdisciplinary essay exam.

Word Count: 396

Church of the Most Holy Trinity

I had read some information and saw pictures of the church prior to the visit but once I arrived there, I realized that the website did not do justice to how magnificent it is. Once I was seated in the pews, I let the beautiful surroundings just soak in. There was gold detailing throughout the church, ornamentation, columns, arches, stunning stained glass windows with biblical depictions, dim lighting, rows of wooden pews, and an organ up on the balcony above the entrance.

I thought it was remarkable that the church is about 150 years old and was built during the Civil War. The pastor was very knowledgeable, composed, and knew what he was talking about. He used the metaphor of a memory chip throughout the presentation and constantly made references to it. He stated that the church symbolizes the Christian community and its history and the heroic virtue of the saints through its symbols. The symbols include the stained glass windows, stations, and icons painted throughout the church. Even the architecture reflects the past. The style is of the Romanesque revival and features asymmetric architecture, with the tall steeple on the right and a shorter tower on the left. The Romanesque period is known for its heavy and strong style, but there is often scrollwork, which adds a light and delicate touch. The pastor referred to the church as an architectural gem. He also explained that the stained glass windows serve as a Catholic memory and helps them remember where they are from. All of the Catholic churches may differ in styles and sizes, but they are joined together because of their purpose. People are reminded by symbols, hear scriptures, and as the pastor said, “It becomes our own story and we become the holy people…We are surrounded by the words of God.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this visit because of the great presentation given by the pastor and how beautiful the church was. With all of the past visits, it has been very valuable to be able to connect the material that we have read and learned about in class to the visits.


Word Count: 354

Reflection

While in the process of planning and writing the interdisciplinary essays, I had misunderstood the guidelines. Like many of my classmates, I thought that the essay was supposed to be a concise essay that provided a quick summary and analysis, and was straight to the point. Instead of elaborating and proving that I knew the material, I felt like I was holding back and had to shorten my paragraphs. After the clarification in class, I was still unsure of what a good essay would entail. I think that the change in format and omission of themes for the next essays will result in less misinterpretations and I am hoping that I will be able to do well. I like the fact that the focus will not be on the themes like before because I felt like I was spending all of my time trying to make connections between the literature, art, and music to the theme. I would try to find abstract ways to connect the concepts to the themes and it affected my analysis. Hopefully, the new format will allow me to concentrate on the pieces themselves. I am also trying to do a better job with keeping up with the material and reading assignments in order to start preparing earlier for the exams.

I thought that the lab on Friday was very useful and that I have a better grasp of what an exemplary analysis would have to be like. Now that I know what kinds of details should be used, I will be sure to include them in my essays. The school website with the pictures of paintings and architecture and their descriptions will certainly be a great resource as well. Prior to the lab, I probably would have described the pieces, analyzed them, and applied them to the themes. However, after the lab, I have learned that we should include much more details and apply them to the bigger picture.

Word Count: 324

As-Salamu Alaykum

Muslims greet each other with the phrase, “As-Salamu Alaykum,” meaning “peace be upon you.” Our visit to the Islamic Society of Augusta has been my most favorite one so far. Mjad Sabke, the imam, had a really refreshing sense of humor while possessing a lot of wisdom and insight. He is from Lebanon but has been living in the United States since the 1980s. It was very evident that he is proud of his roots and is very devoted to his religion.

He explained about the Five Pillars of Islam and went into much detail for each one. The first one is the belief in one god and that the prophet, Muhammad, is the messenger. Muslims must pray five times a day; in the morning before sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night. Next, Muslims must pay charity out of their savings and not their income whenever it is possible. Lastly, they must perform a pilgrimage (hajj) once a year at Mecca. As for the beliefs of Islam, they believe in the oneness of God and that he is watching over them, the existence of prophets and messengers, and revelations. Also, they believe that everything that happens is a result of God because he is the one in control. Muslims also believe that there is a judgment day where they will be put on trial so that their actions can be judged.

One part of the presentation that really stood out to me was the part about relationships. Sabke explained that differences are good and that there is nothing wrong with disagreements. Having disagreements are normal and even the best relationships must have them. The best community is where people share commonalities yet they respect differences amongst themselves. Each of us has our own methodologies but we still have the ability to join together as a community. This statement had a lot of significance to me because I have always had the same mindset. Many people believe that disagreements are not good when it comes to relationships, but they actually strengthen relationships. The fact that one person can get along with another despite their differences really says something.

Word Count: 357

Interdisciplinary Essay Worries

The lit midterm portion made me realize how much material we have covered throughout the semester so far. Although I keep up with the reading questions, keep good notes, and attend every class, it can become overwhelming at times. History is not one of my strengths and I have always had trouble with memorizing facts and connecting them to the bigger picture. I feel like memorizing concepts is not enough, and one must be able to connect each of the concepts to the culture, and ultimately, to the main themes of the course. It is essentially three courses integrated into one so I am still in the process of becoming adjusted to that.

For my first essay, I am planning on focusing on the role of suffering on human life. I picked Hinduism as my main culture because I feel like we spent more time on this culture and the concepts are more engrained in my mind. Many of the components of Hinduism’s literature, art, and music can be connected to the concept of suffering. I think that I will be able to make a connection between suffering, and moksha, samsara, and karma. Lastly, I will be comparing and contrasting it to Judaism. Both cultures have some commonalities such as having the ultimate goal of uniting with God. However, one of the main differences that I will be addressing is about Judaism’s linear pattern of life and Hinduism’s cyclic pattern. The Jewish believe that throughout life, one is constantly developing and strengthening his relationship with God. On the other hand, one of Hinduism’s principles is that the divine essence is unchanging.

The next culture that I feel most comfortable about is Classical Greece, so I will be focusing on that for my second essay. For this essay, I am discussing the impact of obligations and how it shapes one’s life. The idea of upholding duties is very prevalent in Greek literature, art, and music so I will connect them to the period concepts of idealism, shaping the soul, and excellence. I thought that Rome would be a perfect choice for the compare/contrast portion because both cultures have their unique features. While Rome was set on maintaining their empire and conquest, Classical Greece was somewhat of the opposite.

Word Count: 377

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Having not a lot of knowledge about Judaism, I was eager to learn more about it during our visit at the Congregation Children of Israel Synagogue. The rabbi was friendly and knowledgeable, answering everybody’s questions thoroughly. It was obvious that he is devoted to his religion and is well-informed about all of its aspects. He emphasized that the phrase, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is one of the core values of Judaism. As a Buddhist, I related the quote to one pertaining to Buddhism; “Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.” Both Judaism and Buddhism hold the belief of putting others before oneself.

The rabbi made many comparisons to Christianity and he referred to Christianity as a fate system while Judaism is more of a family. He said that Christianity is essentially the combination of Judaism and a belief in Jesus. The Jewish are not a race and instead, they are a group comprised of a diverse range of people. In Orthodox synagogues, men and women are separated and the services are held entirely in Hebrew. For the services at the Congregation Children of Israel, it is half-Hebrew and half-English. Men cover their heads with yarmulkes for cultural reasons such as showing respect. In Orthodox synagogues, men are required to cover their heads at all times. I found it interesting when the rabbi brought up the point about American culture having the opposite custom. As a sign of respect and etiquette, Americans usually remove their hats upon entering indoors. Along with the yarmulkes, the Jewish also wear prayer shawls that have fringes that represent remembering the commandments.

Although Hanukkah is the most well-known Jewish holiday, it is actually one of the less important holidays. Passover is one of the most important Jewish holidays and it celebrates the Exodus in Egypt and there is also Yom Kippur. The rabbi opened up the tall decorative panels in the center of the synagogue stage and everybody murmured in awe as it revealed beautiful scrolls. After removing the decorative covering, he recited a small portion in Hebrew and then translated it to English. He stated that each scroll takes a year to write and if the calligraphy is imperfect, it must be recopied onto a new sheet of parchment paper. Overall, I am glad I had the opportunity to sit in a synagogue and learn about Judaism from the perspective of a rabbi.

Word Count: 414