Beyond Belief

In the honors seminar Beyond Belief, we discussed many global religions and politics. We had three hour classes once a week. In preparation for each class, we read and commented on reading material that applied to the topic for that class. For some classes, we visited a religious institution and spoke to a tour guide or religious leader there. We visited the Hebrew Union College’s Skirball Museum and also the Clifton Mosque. During that time, our guides gave us details about their religion and allowed us to ask detailed questions. Another assignment, outside of class, was to visit a religious institution with which we were unfamiliar. I chose the Scientology Center and went with a group of classmates. When I saw this class on the list, I immediately added it to my schedule because discourse on religion is interesting to me. I do not know about any religion other than my own very well and I thought that this course would be perfect for me to begin exploring other religions, cultures, and ways of thinking on my own. By taking this course I think that I will be better enabled to meet, interact with, and understand people of different cultural and religious backgrounds than myself. 

In this class, the culminating assignment was a research paper on a political and or religious topic of our choosing. I have included my paper below.