In this class I was introduced to interfaith studies. We read many different books in the class about different religions and religious beliefs. We also volunteered once a week for an hour for the semester. I chose to volunteer at an after school tutoring session and most of the people who came were New Americans that needed help with their homework. This class opened my eyes to all the different beliefs that are in this world and lead me to add an interfaith studies minor to my curriculum.
This class was the next step after my Compassion and Hope class. It is a class that all people studying interfaith have to take. The majority of the class was spent talking about the books that we read on different religions and having class discussions about interfaith. We also had different speakers who practice different beliefs come in and talk with us about their life experiences.
This course is different for everyone who is getting an interfaith studies minor. You need to find a way to incorporate the things you learned in other interfaith studies classes and apply them to your major. As a nutrition major what came to mind was food and how food is different in all cultures and religions. I was asked to join a committee called Hospitality Task Force to help the food at Concordia's Dining Center become more of an easier place to eat for people who avoid certain foods for religious reasons. I spent an entire school year making new menu cards that had pork and beef as an allergen on them. This made it easier for people who are Muslim to eat in Dining Services because then they can tell clearly what has pork and beef and what doesn't.
This course is an introduction to the religious traditions of East Asia. The course focuses on materials from China, Japan, and Korea, especially the “Three Teachings”: Daosim, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Students will examine ways East Asian people have understood human action in society and the cosmos, and explore ways that East Asian traditions challenge and often confound Euro-American expectations about religions. This course can count toward the global studies program.