World Religions is one class offered at the Advanced Studies
Program, and this summer there are two teachers and two classes for the exact
same subject. This course was so popular that all of the eager students
couldn't be contained into one class. The two classes are separate, but both
study the same religions and
write, do projects, and go on field trips to convey their knowledge. However,
with different teachers and groups of students there is no way that the classes
are completely identical. The students in each class have a slightly different
but equally informative experience.
The tradition of having two separate world religions classes began last summer during the Advanced Studies Program. Due to construction on the Linday Center, not as many science courses could be offered to the students, and more humanities courses were needed to replace them. World religions has always been a popular choice among students, so it seemed logical to create second class.
Since the two classes are taught by different teachers, the curriculum is not completely identical. The two teachers, Jessamine Price and Hillary Collins-Gilpatrick, do not coordinate their classes beforehand. The two only determine which weeks they will both teach what religion and the field trips they will go on during those weeks, but other than that the lessons are planned separately. The two have an easy time teaching the same subject because they taught together in 2009 when Collins-Gilpatrick was Price's intern. The two classes focus on the same subjects, but the activities vary slightly.
The focus of World Religions is to inform students about religions from all different places. Both classes learn about the different aspects and culture of religions from all over the globe. “The questions we focus on are how does God exist and in what form? And what is the best way for each of us as individuals to worship him?” described Isabelle Eyman, a World Religions student from Profile, a World Religions student. Each week the class is taught about a different religion. So far Price's World Religions class has focused on Hinduism and done presentations on the different deities to learn about these topics. At the end of the week the students must write a final paper summarizing what they have learned before they can move on to new religion.
Collins-Gilpatrick's World Religions group has been doing activities such as coloring, presentations, and mandala making to learn about Hinduism. The students describe this class as being full of discussions about religion. When asked what the best part of class was World Religions student Evan Howard from Oyster River High School said, “I love the teacher; she's awesome!”
One of the more exciting aspects of both World Religions classes are the field trips. On Thursday June 28, the two classes attended their first field trip to the Sri Lakshmi Hindu Temple in Massachusetts. All of the World Religions students visited the same place but went there separately. “Every time we go there it is different because Hindus worship whenever it is convenient for them so you never know who is going to be there,” said world Religions teacher Jessamine Price. This year when the students went, there was a Hindu wedding taking place. While at the temple, the groups were given a tour by one of the temple members. “We learned a lot about Hinduism and getting in touch with the spiritual self; I've only read about it here I got to experience it,” said student Evan Howard.
The two World Religions classes continue to give students a slightly different experience. The way that the students learn is different, but the information covered is nearly the same. The two classes are both extremely enjoyable and valuable to the students. Perhaps next year St. Paul's will choose to do the same thing so that more students can learn about the eye-opening topic of World Religions.
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