Venture Outside Our Comfort Zone

Note: If you're looking for the service assignment, look one entry down from this one.

Due: 11/30 (Monday, BY NOON)

We'll discuss your responses in class on 12/ 1, Tuesday.

 

UC 160.12 - blog assignment for our “Venture Outside Our Comfort Zone” – visit to the Noor Islamic Cultural Center (Mosque) in Columbus:

Three Important Questions for You to Write Your Responses (stress one of the three):

1.     1.  Before your visit to Noor, what were some of your personal attitudes, understandings, and feelings about Muslims, Islam, Mosques? Were any of your thoughts confirmed by your visit to Noor; were any of your thoughts changed or refuted by your visit to Noor?

2.      2. Before your visit to Noor, were you comfortable with the thought of visiting a Mosque? How did your experience at the Mosque compare with your feelings before your went? Did anything at the Mosque surprise you; challenge you; make you feel even more uncomfortable; make you feel more comfortable?

3.     3.  Imagine you are telling a family member or a friend back home about your experiences at Ohio Wesleyan so far. You start telling them about our visit to the Mosque, and they stop you to express their concerns about Muslims. How would you respond?

Service Assignment

Important Blog Entry: Reflection on the Service Project at the LSS Food Pantry

Due: 11/16/M, by noon

Between noon and class on Tuesday, read everyone’s submissions here, and be prepared to discuss their experiences and yours in class on 11/17.

By now, you should have completed your service hours at the LSS Food Pantry.

Read Adam Davis, “What We Don’t Talk About When We Don’t Talk About Service” (its on the wiki under "Readings"). 

Davis raises some serious questions about our motives for providing volunteer service to those less fortunate to ourselves. Did your experience at the food bank reflect or contradict any of Davis’s comments. Respond to at least one of his assertions, either defending it or rejecting it in the light of your own experiences.  Here is the one I intend to respond to, but you can respond to any passage you want to:

We become significantly more cynical when we turn to those who explain service by appealing to the reputation it wins for the server. Here the good of the server remains primary, but the good of the served is tertiary rather than secondary. I ladle food onto your plate because others who see me do so will think better of me. And, oh yeah, you won’t be quite so hungry.

Blog Assignment #6: Choosing a Life Story

Blog Assignment #6: Choosing a Life Story

For next time, read the following short pieces in LLTM:

1. Frost's poem on pp. 458 - 59

2. The selection from "Good Will Hunting" on pp. 322 - 29.

3. Badcock's essay on pp. 101 - 07.

All of the readings are about choices at critical moments in one's life. Who am I? What do I want to be? We are constantly telling the story of our lives as we live it.

The first year of college is all about change in the way we see ourselves and the choices we make make. Some of you came to college secure in the vocational path you wanted to take in life. Some of you aren't sure.

In general, reflect on the changes that have occurred in your life's path in the last two months.

All of these readings are giving you advice, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly, about the  choices you must make. Has your choice of a vocation changed in the last couple of months? If so, why? If not, why not?

Have you discovered that your abilities/ talents are suitable to your choice of vocation? Is any of the advice in the reading helpful? How so? If it isn't, then reflect on the failure of some specific piece of advice in your particular case.

Blog Assignment #5 -- Reflections on Family Influence

Due: Posted as a comment on the blog by noon on Monday, 9-28-15

We'll discuss the story and your response to it in class on Tuesday, so you might want to bring a copy of yours to class. You also might want to read other people's responses before class. I know I will.

Read Amy Tan's recollection of her battle of wills with her mother (pp. 370 - 380).

The ending is particularly beautiful, don't you think?

Reflect in a paragraph or two about your own relationship with your family: the control they have over you and the advice they give.

Here are some prompts to help you out. You don't have to answer them all. They are just a way of getting into the topic.

Your family certainly have aspirations for you. Are they your aspirations for yourself? Is it possible that your aspirations might change? How influential is your family in determining those aspirations? Do you foresee any conflict with your family as your aspirations change?

I like the way the editor of LLTM puts the question: "What can it [the story and its ending] teach us about how to learn from our parents without being crushed by their influence?"

Blog Assignment #4 -- Family Workshop Preparation

Due: On the blog as a comment by noon on Monday, 9/21.

The blog assignment is to be about your memories and reflections about your family:

1. Where did your family(ies) live over the past few generations?
        What continent(s), nation(s), states(s), region(s)?

2. What do you consider your family background(s) of origin?
         What culture(s), nationality(ies), faith tradition(s)?

3. What stories do you remember being told about your family(ies)?

4. What core values, faith traditions, cultural traditions, rituals, etc. does your current family maintain – how are these the same or different than your family(ies) of origin?

5. How are your personally the same or different than the majority of your family? What do you think makes that so?

Below is a place to put your family workshop paragraphs.

Blog Assignment #3: Posting Your Student Interview on the Wiki

Blog Assignment #3: Posting Your Student Interview on the Wiki

Due: Monday, 9/14, on the wiki in the appropriate folder:  

When you have completed  your student interview and the written assignment associated with it, post it on the wiki in the folder entitled "WA#1/Interview."

Please see the assignment sheet attached to the syllabus for more details.

 We'll discuss them in class on Tuesday, so I hope you'll post your own and read the essays of others.

 Please don't try to post it here. It won't fit.

Blog Assignment #2: Did they live virtuous lives?

Blog post due date: The blog post is due by Monday at noon.

The reading for this week is from LLTM, pp. 166 - 175.

In a paragraph or two, discuss whether you consider one of these characters virtuous. They are all fascinating, but concentrate on one of them. You may want to refer to one or both of the other characters for comparison or contrast. Also, you might want to consider what Aristotle might say about your character. What would Aristotle say? What do you say?

I was immediately attracted to the self sacrifice of Iris Chang. Her service to others led to her early death. However, I wonder whether she ultimately would have done more good for the world if had stayed alive or if her error-filled efforts actually did more harm than good.

Joe Landrum sacrificed himself to the success of his wife. Many people would not consider him a hero. Is he a hero?

However, I'll probably write about Ray Kroc. I found the following passage about him quite disturbing: "MacDonald's still represents Americana. . . . It has a somewhat snobbish appeal for the young, who are enamored of the American life style." It is quite possible to see Kroc as virtuous. I'll try to examine that claim from both sides.

Remember, these are blog entries, not formal essays. Generate some ideas that you can share during our class discussion.