“Reflections” Week 15 Blog!
1198 words by Whitney
1. Give students a level of expertise in the discipline of biblical studies.
Well I will like to begin by saying that I have learned a lot from this class being that I wasn’t very familiar with the different ways of interpreting the Bible and how things in the Bible change over time. Dr. Homan made me feel like I could become a bible scholar simply because he taught or at least explained how research is conducted. I think that you have to be either neutral or very solid in the religion of your choice. I’m a catholic and to be honest this class really should me that I didn’t know everything as far as the Bible is concern because in most catholic churches you don’t read from the Bible you read from book that tells you in advance what chapters and verses the church will be reading. I really believe that in many was I was missing out because once I realize that I would have to know who wrote what to whom in what book of the Bible I knew that my journey for hardship was on the way. It takes patience, hard work, and skills to be able to fully understand the Holy Bible and even when you think you have mastered the skill there is still more to come. Since over the course of the semester I have came more Bible literate as far as being able to talk to others about what I know and also have learn since I have been in this class.
Provide the tools to read the Bible in an academic and critical manner.
Dr. Homan has lectured and showed visual of different criticism in this course we have learned about several different ways to criticize the books in the Bible such ways to do so is to use different criticism such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, LXX, Leningrad Codex, and MT. We also looked at different textual criticism, form criticism, historical criticism, and literary criticism. With all of these different techniques I have learned many new methods of being able to understand things that are stated in the Bible.
Improve students ability to effectively communicate and to write clearly on matters involving critical thinking.
At firs I was very skeptical about having to write a 1000 word blog a week but once I read that it will about things that we already discussed in class I immediately got over it cause I figured what could be so bad about have to write about something that you have already learn. In many ways these blogs have help me in being able to think critically, effectively, and also in a timely manner. Being able to write 1000 words a week doesn’t seem so bad to others but once you have to constantly have to write it becomes a challenge of whether or not you have it in you to finish out with it. I know that I haven’t blog all of my words on time but when I do I’m always sure that I blog more than needed being that I’m already late in posting. Posting blogs on time was also another thing that played apart in being able to communicate effectively and to write clearly on matters.
Improve the world
My professor Dr. Michael Homan came up with this project where we had to choose three things that we could do to change the world and out of that three we had to choose one which we thought that we could make a difference with. I chose the lack of education for minorities and what I did this semester to help with this problem to improve the world was to become a tutor for St. Peter Claver Catholic School under the TYC program at Xavier University and with this program I tutored four days out of the week to help kids from grades third through eighth in problems areas such as mathematics, reading language and science.
Agree with Paul or James in the Faith vs. Works conflict?
Paul believed that faith was more important than works. He felt that all only need was faith but works was good also. James, on the other hand, one must perform works to have faith. I agree with Paul because in life we all have to work towards something such as graduating from college or becoming a professional football player. I believe that if you have faith then there for you should have no problem in working and believing that things will all work out for the best. I can say all day long that I’m saved and have faith but do I really have it if I can’t work for it say that I have these qualities. No one can say on I’m rich without saying I worked for this company for twenty five years because without work and dedication then there is no way one can have faith or be rich.
Best part of class!! WORST part
The best part of class was being able to talk freely about certain topics whether they where about religion or not. Dr. Homan made the class very comfortable and interesting in everyway possible. I also enjoyed helping improve the world by tutored this semester and helping the kids to succeed in trouble areas, but most of all I enjoyed coming and learning about religion and all the different ways that is came about and how we are still living it today. The WORST part was probably typing the blogs and having them to be in on time. I know this is not an excuse but there is not enough time in a day to where I have time to just sit down and type although in the beginning I was very dedicated to doing it but once I started volunteering at the school my time just kind of slowly drifted away without a trace.
Xavier core curriculum??
Yes I think this should be apart of Xavier core curriculum because if there is any student out there who is like me with no clue about theology and how the Bible works should definitely take the class whether required or not because you never know how much you can learn from just this one class.
Major field of study…
This course has a lot to do with my major which is Chemistry/ Pre-Pharmacy as far as the course load and being able to adapt to different methods of doing things such as writing 1000 words a week. Being a chemistry major is very hard work and this class has proven to me that hard work is nothing when you are dedicated to what you do. I also think that some of the stories we read in this class also related to me in everyday life whether its educational wise of just me living life as a young adult. Since this course I have become a better person with dealing with pressure and having to do something that makes a different not just for me but for others