Classwork--by Dani

3/23
1) Students watched a documentary WITHOUT COMMENTARY called Baraka about people’s ways of life all over the world. One of the most interesting parts of the documentary was when they fast forwarded b-roll of cars in NYC. It was amazing and saddening to see the continual stop-and-go that each car participates in; it’s like a line of ants!
2) This film served as a review of the course thus far. It showed a Buddhist man begging (which allowed Mr. Remedios to pause it and review Buddhism), and there was a clip of the whirling dervishes (Islam). Basically, it documented the human experience in relation to religion. This was a worthwhile review, because after three quarters of information, it’s easy to forget course material.
3/25 and 3/29—continued to watch Baraka and review and make connections. Filled out worksheet to focus and synthesize information
3/31
1) Students listened to Kevin Kelly’s story as told on the radio program This American Life on NPR. Kelly was a freelance photographer who had a revelation while in Jerusalem taking pictures: he came to the conclusion that he would die in six months, and that he believed in God. Kelly traveled the world, and ended with a bike trip home to visit and say goodbye to all of his family.
2) This exercise dealt with how people perceive reality, and how they respond to encounters with Christ. Although it seems extreme to jump to the conclusion that one would die after encountering Jesus, at least Kelly RESPONDED! Having a strong reaction, though slightly eccentric, is better than having no response at all, because it shows that the encounter is important. This relates to Fr. Murray’s assertion about religion being a toy.
4/13
1) Students watched an episode of This American Life in which an improvisational group pretended to be HUGE fans of the Ghosts of Pasha band. The group members learned the lyrics to the band’s songs, and each responded to the music in a different way: some completely jammed out, while others were more introverted, pretending that the music had a profound effect on them.
2) This clip illustrated charity without truth: the improv group was trying to do a good deed by making the band members feel like rock stars. In reality, however, when the band found out that the whole night was a sham, charity became cruelty. This illustrates the Christian belief that truth and charity must always be employed together, because one without the other is cruel.
4/15
1) Students watched youtube clips of Ms. Swan on a plane (aka Swans on a plan) and of an American man participating in a Japanese game show. Ms. Swan kept kicking the seat of the man in front of her and pressing the ‘call’ button. When asked about doing either of these things, she hid behind her accent, and just said “yah, ok.” She was not being reasonable, so there couldn’t be effective communication. The man on the game show ended up in a scary situation because he couldn’t understand what the host was saying
2) These youtube clips illustrated, in a humorous, engaging way, the importance of effective communication. This is important for inter-religious dialogue. The activity also showed the importance of reason in perceiving reality. For example, Ms. Swan’s request for a vegetarian meal with “a liiiitle bit of bacon” was not reasonable, because as a vegetarian, she needs to recognize that she is not supposed to eat bacon. I can relate to this, because I am also a vegetarian who loves bacon….
4/19-4/21
1) Students watched a video about Sophie Scholl and filled out a worksheet. Sophie was arrested for her participation in the White Rose student organization that disturbed anti-Nazi leaflets. She was a Martyr, and stood up to the Nazi’s every step of her journey. A key scene of the movie was when Sophie told the prosecutor that he would be in her place soon; this statement was very insightful.
2) Students learned the concept of Martyrdom; although it is often confused with simply dying, martyrdom actually means bearing witness to the truth unto death. This film also gave a personal account of a young woman’s encounter with Nazi Germany. Students were given an up-close look at how the Nazis suspended basic human rights, and also saw, through Sophie’s interrogator, that the most dangerous factor of the whole situation was the human heart.

4/23
1) Students watched a scene from Crash, where a policeman saves a woman from an overturned car. The woman is terrified of the man, because he tried to molest her at a previous time. The man asks for forgiveness, and the woman allows him to help her. Although the situation is dangerous, and his peers try to take him out of the car, the police officer is intent on rescuing the woman. He saves her seconds before the car explodes.
2) Students then made connections to the idea that love alone is credible. Although logic told the man to leave the woman in the car, because the situation was so dangerous, love encouraged him to rescue her. This relates to the monotheistic idea of God’s unconditional love for humans.

4/27
1) Students listened to an account of Daniel’s struggles, and related his story to the idea of unconditional love. After spending his early years in a Romanian orphanage, Daniel had attachment issues, and took out his anger on his adopted parents (particularly his mother). When many parents would have sent Daniel back to Romania, Daniel’s mother continued to love and help Daniel, because she loved him unconditionally.
2) This related well to the Christian view of love. To Christians, God is love, and therefore, every act of love is Godly. The love that Daniel’s mother bestowed on him was especially powerful, because she gave it so generously.
4/29
1) Students made connections between the cross, the scapegoating mechanism, and sonship. By allowing his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross, God nullified the scapegoating mechanism. Instead of encouraging people to look down on the less fortunate, Christ’s death encouraged people to help the lowest in society. Also, it showed that when people die, they will be reunited with their human bodies, because like Jesus, humans are the sons and daughters of God.
2) The cross is the most well-known symbol of Christianity. It is therefore of the utmost importance to understand how the cross reflects and contributes to the Christian message. Mr. Remedios left students with the challenge of seeing how long they could go without hearing others gossip or put down another person. I lasted about 2 class periods. Wow.
5/3-5/5
1) Students connected different church theologies, and discussed unity, diversity, and division. The church hierarchy was discussed, as well as many church traditions, such as the fact that only men are allowed to be priests. This is one of the most controversial church topics
2) It is essential that students understand the theology of Christianity, as well as the different factions of Christianity. Like all religions, there are different views on certain teachings. One of the key points of the class discussion was that churchgoers are HUMAN. They make mistakes, and therefore the church is imperfect (which might be a good thing).
5/7—no classwork, only lectures and bell work
5/11-5/13
1) Students watched the film In America, which details the struggles of an Irish family that immigrates to America after a family tragedy. Students were asked to find examples of suffering, faith, joy, and new life. They also found connections to how Christians view destiny. The character who struggled the most with the idea of destiny was the father, who blamed God for allowing his son Frankie to die. It took the entire movie for him to accept his loss, and that maybe God had a plan for Frankie.
2) This film helped students find examples of Christian principles in everyday life, which served as a nice review for the test. Christians believe that suffering, like the kind the Irish family had to endure, goes hand in hand with love. People make sacrifices for their loved ones. If the father did not love Frankie so much, then he would not have suffered so much after Frankie’s death. The movie was all around awesome, and provided a nice relief from the monotony that is the school day.
5/17
1) Today, students were tested on the Christianity unit. There was a study guide, and students were required to know all of the vocabulary words in the book. It was also suggested that students review previous bell works, lectures, and class activities. The test took approximately 40 minutes, and had about 10 vocab questions, 2 short answers, and 2 essay questions.
2) As a student, testing is a painful part of the schooling process, but I know that it is also very useful, because it forces me to review the test material. This allows for a better retention of information in the long run, particularly for the IB World Religions exam next year.