Now at The Tech Museum of Innovation: Islamic Science Rediscovered

An illuminating exhibit about scientific and technological innovations from the Muslim world is now open at The Tech.

More information can be found here.

News Roundup 9.27.11

Glee's Christian star speaks out for gay rights

• Christian Glee star Kristen Chenoweth: "I don’t think being gay is a sin. Period." Advocate
• One author's quest to meet Satan Christian Post
• Florida Republican Party appeases Tea Party elements, denies a Muslim a post on state committee Huffington Post
• Study's controversial finding: Christians having pre-martial sex and abortions as much as non-Christians Relevant
• Heckler to President Obama: "You are the Antichrist!" New York Daily News
• A latest weapon in the fight against climate change: Durga, the Hindu goddess GroundReport 

 

Week 06: Christian Scientists

Eschewing medicine, followers instead rely on healing through prayer

Mo 9.26
Read: eR—“The Crusade Against Evolution” (Wired), “Intelligent Designer” (Salon), “In Defense of Evolution” (NOVA), “God by the Numbers” (ChristianityToday)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Easy Fixes: 10 Grammar Rules to Know”

We 9.28
Read: eR—“Paul Bettany’s Journey to the Dawn of Creation” (Vanity Fair), “Governor Perry, Like Many Christians, Wants to Leave Room for God” (Washington Post), “Teaching Evolution: A State-by-State Debate” (NPR)
Class: Lecture—“Spirituality on Film”
Due: REFLECTION 3

UPCOMING:

Week 7
Mo 10.3
Read: eR—“The Evolution of Creationism” (Salon), “The Texas-Size Debate over Teaching Evolution” (Newsweek), “Defending Intelligent Design” (NOVA)
Class: Guest speaker TBA

We 10.5
Read: eR—“Board vs. Teachers” (NOVA), “Evangelicals Question the Existence of Adam and Eve” (NPR), “Evolution vs. Creationism: Study Reveals Public School Science Lagging” (Huffington Post)
Class: Reading discussion; Lecture—“The Fundamentals of Rhetoric;” Assignment—Persuasive essay

News Roundup 9.21.11

Why be buried when you can be plasticized?

• Thinking outside the box: Alternatives to casket burials LiveScience
• Christian Coalition leader on bullying; “I hardly think bullying is a real issue in schools." Think Progress
• Pat Robertson continues to draw flack for advising man that it's okay to divorce his wife who has Alzheimer's Christian Post
• Atheism on the rise in America Washington Post
• Texas family: The Virgin Mary saved our house from wildfires CNN
• European Sikhs protest for better treatment at airports PRNewswire

Reflection 3: What's Hot Now!—Cultural Appropriation and Religious Symbols

Gods, symbols, and rituals have all been absorbed into the mainstream

Cultural appropriation is the act of one culture "incorporating" aspects of another culture into its own. However, this is different than American hip-hop adopting Bollywood moves or fusing Thai ingredients into Mexican cuisine. In cultural appropriation, a dominant group assimilates aspects of a foreign culture without regard to their original use or intent. In other words, parts of one culture might be absorbed into another in insensitive or offensive ways, often for their perceived exoticism or cool factor. This practice extends to the religious and spiritual practices of other cultures, as well. Thus, in America, we've seen hipsters embrace Dia de los Muertos, the popularization of sacred Tibetan symbols as tattoos, celebrities sporting Kabbalah string bracelets, and the labeling of a clean, Asian-influenced design as "Zen" style. Each of these is misunderstood and, in turn, misapplied; and yet each has seeped into pop culture. How have you seen the religious iconography of other cultures absorbed into the American mainstream? And what of those instances when a particular culture is offended by the use of their religion in our culture, such as Buddhists objecting to Victoria's Secret's Buddha-themed bikini? What is the line between borrowing, often sacred, cultural artifacts and misusing them? Do we truly respect and understand the traditions of Ojibwa dreamcatchers, or Maori tribal tattoos, or Siddha Yoga chants when we engage them?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Kanji Tattoos are Primarily for Western Eyes” (Japan Times)
• "On Hipsters/Hippies and Native Culture" (Bitch)  
• "Día de los Muertos: Cultural Appropriation Meets Craft" (ONTD Feminism)
• "The Conversation on Cultural Appropriation" (The White Hindu)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Must be exactly two-full pages in length

Due: We 9.28

Assignment: Editorial Essay

Since September 11th, 2001, America has wrestled with understanding Islam, the second-largest religion in the world. And while many Americans seized on those tragic events to learn more about the faith, others turned to prejudice and hate. Thus, a sad byproduct of those attacks has been the rise in American society of Islamophobia, an irrational fear or prejudice towards Islam and Muslims. In their book, Islamophobia: Making Muslims the Enemy, Peter Gottschalk and Gabriel Greenberg chronicle the ways in which our culture has demonized Islam over the past ten years. They argue that American politicians and media have used Muslims as polarizing figures in American society, painting them in the broadest strokes possible. As a result, not only does prejudice run rampant, so too does ignorance. In a concise editorial, explain how you believe we, as a society, should address this issue. How do we start a national dialogue about the ways this is negatively impacting Americans—Muslim and non-Muslim alike? And what are some of the most challenging aspects of Islamophobia to confront? To support your thesis, cite evidence from Islamophobia: Making Muslims the Enemy, one article you find on your own, and at least two articles/clips below:

• “Making Islamophobia Mainstream” (FAIR)
• Interview with Geert Wilders from Glenn Beck (FoxNews)
• Interview with Rep. Keith Ellison from Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
• “Islamophobia: Media Myth?” (FoxNews)
• “Islamophobiapalooza”from The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
• Interview with Rep. Keith Ellison from Glenn Beck (CNN)
  

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
• 3-page minimum
• Cite from Islamophobia: Making Muslims the Enemy, one article you find on your own, and at least two articles/clips above 

The best papers:

• Have a title that articulates its point of view
• Stay within the parameters of the subject matter
• Have a concise thesis which clearly outlines a position
• Are written in a voice that is casual, yet informed
• Clearly support their thesis with solid evidence and a logical structure, citing from Islamophobia: Making Muslims the Enemy, one found article, and at least two articles/clips above
• Conclude with a summation of the argument
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Are in compliance with MLA Style

Sample editorials from the New York Times:

• "Eggheads and Blockheads" by Maureen Dowd
  
• "Where the Jobs Aren't" by David Brooks
• "Is It Weird Enough Yet?" by Thomas L. Friedman
• "In Honor of Teachers" by Charles M. Blow
• "It's Still the 9/11 Era" by Russ Douthat

Due: Mo 9.26

Week 05: Santerians

A woman has her fortune told by a Santeria priestess in Havana

Mo 9.19
Read: ISLAM—p. 89-152; eR—“Making Islamophobia Mainstream” (FAIR), Interview with Geert Wilders from Glenn Beck (FoxNews), Interview with Rep. Keith Ellison from Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
Class: Reading discussion; Lecture—“MLA and Works Cited;” Presentaions (Sec. 3: Khuloud Rasheed and Erika Vasquez; Rachael Valdez & Christina Huy); Assignment—Editorial essay

We 9.21
Class: Watch—Religulous (2008)

UPCOMING: 

Week 6
Mo 9.26
Read: eR—“The Crusade Against Evolution” (Wired), “Intelligent Designer” (Salon), “In Defense of Evolution” (NOVA), “God by the Numbers” (ChristianityToday)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Easy Fixes: 10 Grammar Rules to Know”
Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY 

We 9.28
Read: eR—“Paul Bettany’s Journey to the Dawn of Creation” (Vanity Fair), “Governor Perry, Like Many Christians, Wants to Leave Room for God” (Washington Post), “Teaching Evolution: A State-by-State Debate” (NPR)
Class: Lecture—“Spirituality on Film”
Due: REFLECTION 3