Our LBAR section is slowly winding down. Over the last 11 weeks we have explored a wide range of examples of Judaism & Islam's intersection with the media: from Muslim Nasheed artists use of music to present distinctive images of Islam in popular culture to exploring how UltraOrthodox Jews have debated about the internet and television and the influence these media might be having on their communities. I hope these case studies have been both thought provoking as well as spring boards for you to learn more about how religious communities engage with and view the media.
So I want to hear from you now...what is the main idea that you will take away from this LBAR course? What have you learned about Islam & Judaism and its engagement with and beliefs about media?
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12 comments:
Like most of us in this class, this wasn't my first choice when I was signing up, and I wasn't sure what to expect from it. However, as I progressed through the course I was pleasantly surprised at how interested I became in the material and how much I talked about what I had been learning with my friends and family. From this course, I think I'll always recall what I've learned about the Jewish and Islam religions, the traditions, culture and people. And that will allow me to be more knowledgeable and open-minded whenever I encounter anyone who is Jewish or Muslim. And I'll always bear in mind what I've learned about these different cultures when I see media coverage about them, and I'll be able to think about how they are portrayed by the media, how accurate it is, and how it may affect them. I could even expand this and apply this style of thinking any time a social category is portrayed in any way by the media.
My answer will be very similar to Kristen's, as I agree completely. I really enjoyed learning about Islam and Judaism as religions and also as distinct cultures and ways of life. I have come away with what I believe is a sharper, more accurate picture of each of these religions and a better understanding of where people of these religions are coming from. I am also more aware of media in general, as something important and inescapable in our modern lives and also as something that is flexible and as we learned, malleable. I guess the main idea I will take away is just a feeling of the cultures of Islam and Judaism and how they mold the media that surrounds and enters their community.
This class also was not my first choice although I feel that I learned a lot. I thought it was going to be like my other classes that I dread going to, but after the first couple classes, I looked forward to going to class. I did not think that I would enjoy listening and learning about things that arn't common throughout my life, but after learning about them it really struck my interest. I feel that I learned the most when we had guests come and speak to us. They were very interesting and I felt a lot more educated about their culture after they spoke to us. I feel that I learned a great deal about the Jewish and Muslim community. I did not think I could be so fascinated with other religions that were not my own. Like I said earlier, when I signed up for this class I didn't think their was much to be said about Jewdism and Muslim concerning the media, but after this class I am very educated and aware about their society.
What I enjoyed most about this class was the chance to learn about these religions from people who actually take part in those traditions. I've always been interested in different beliefs and culture, but I never could have imagined how wrong I was as to what Jews and Muslims actually believe. I have learned that relying on just the media for information on Judaism and Islam can give one a completely skewed view. The most important thing I have learned in this class is that news articles only give us have the story. Also, I have learned to place myself in the shoes of Jews and Muslims. As a Catholic, I hate when the media gives the Church negative attention. It must be the same for Jews and Muslims. I now understand that media can be a double-edged sword though, and that religious leaders can take media and turn it into a positive force in maintaining tradition instead of just sitting back and letting damage be done to their communities.
I have always been interested in other cultures and religions but have rarely had the opportunity to study them in any great depth. Throughout the semester I discovered that I really knew very little about Judaism and Islam, and much of what I did know was not altogether true. I think what really got to me in this class is how insensitive people can be to other religions. It is hard for me to understand why anyone would publish things like the Islamic cartoons. Like most Americans I do not like the idea of sensorship, but I do think that a little self-restraint and common curtesy in the media would be a very good thing. I had also never realized that modern technology could pose such difficulties to various religious communities. I really admire how they have adapted the media to suit their own needs and purposes. I think that the most important lessons that I will take away from this class is to be careful when listening to the media and to keep an open mind when dealing with and learning about different religions and cultures.
I enjoyed most the opportunity to learn firsthand about Islam and Judaism from members of the faiths. It was very eye-opening to hear things from a different perspective, and it really provoked a lot of thought for me. I think it's very useful to be able to understand where different people are coming from, including the different people in the class itself. I will definitely be more well-informed and able to sift through all of the information thrown at me by the media to determine the truth.
This class has really opened my eyes to the major role that media plays in either helping extinguishing or aggrivate religious based quarrels. The part of the class I most enjoyed was having the quest speakers and the ability to ask them questions in an intimate setting. I feel I have developed a better understanding of Islam and Judaism that will help me better understand current events. I will always keep in mind that the media picks what to show and what not to show.
I found this class to be very interesting. I was surprise to find out how much I actually didn't know about the Jewish and Muslim religions and I am very glad to have a few of my misconceptions corrected. I found all the new information to be very interesting and I appreciate having a better understanding of these religions and their cultural backgrounds. I have also come out of this class more aware of how the media affects not only these religions specifically, but religion in general. I believe that this class will make me more suspicious of what the media conveys to me about the beliefs and practises of others. I have realized that we have to be more careful then ever in society to get an accurate description of a religion (especially since most religions vary within themselves). It will be interesting to see how much I notice the ways in which religions are affected by the media as well as the ways in which the media is affected by religions.
I've always had an interested in different world religions, especially their unique customs. I'd already done some research about Islam, but still learned learned a lot from our guest speaker. And I learned more than I thought I really could about the Jewish community, the traditions they have, and how conservative and liberal the different groups are. Just learning about the different aspects of Judaism taught me about my own faith, considering Christianity is rooted in a Jewish past. I tend to judge how worthwhile a class is by how much it has taught me to interact with others, and by how much it has taught me about myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the class, because not only did it teach me about accepting others and their beliefs, but it also made me realize that the media affects my views of others more than I'd really like it to.
At the beginning of the year, I was not sure how much I would like this class. It was not my first choice as others have said, but looking back I'm glad I took it. I have learned a lot more about how Judaism and Islam relate to the media than I originally thought I would. The guest speakers were very informative and it was awesome to hear their story and their view on the religion etc. Also, all of the case studies have been very interesting and thought provoking. I really appreciate the opportunity to take this class and have had a really good time with it.
I really enjoyed this class because it explored issues that are so relevant and important to our lives. There is so much going on in the world and its hard to keep track of everything, but this class not only kept us informed but gave us the tooks and information to form opinions and be educated about extrememly complicated issues. I really liked the discussions we held as a class and I enjoyed hearing everyones diverse opionions. Being open minded is one of the most important things when it comes to getting along with all different types of people, and I think this class furthered that ability for everyone.
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