Week 5
Learner Outcomes 1) Examine the impact of familial and religious traditions in making important life decisions. 2) Examine the impact of cultural voices in shaping one’s life and one’s self understanding. 3) Examine the impact of media voices in shaping one’s life and one’s self understanding.
Topics To Whom Should I Listen?
Activities 1) Discuss a time that you went against the advice from your parents or friends, or disagreed with a teaching from your faith tradition. What factors contributed to you making your decision? Reflect on this issue in light of Weaver, and Tan. 2) How have cultural voices influenced your life ? “What limiting social scripts bear in upon Americans of different races, genders, and backgrounds today? Upon you? Where do you, and others, turn for the strength to resist these scripts?” (Schwehn pg. 381) Reflect on this question in light of the reading about Malcolm X, the video clip from the documentary Malcolm X (Swank), and the following writings by Latino authors: http://theliterarylink.com/ mangostreet.html and http://xicanopoetrydaily.c om/2008/06/20/stupid – america/ 3) Media Voices: How do voices from the media influence you? What did you discover about yourself and your media consumption from your Media Log ? (Can be found at the end of this syllabus). View the clip from The TAO Of Steve (Kaltura). What message does media give us about romantic love? Do you agree or disagree with this message and why?
Required Readings/Video Clips Matthew 25:14-30, p. 317 Elizabeth Gaskell, from “The Life of Charlotte Brontë,” p. 321 Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, from the screenplay of Good Will Hunting, p. 322 James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues,” p. 330 Thomas Lynch, “Passed On,” p. 435 Kant, from Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, p. 320
Graded Assignments or Assessments and Associated Points Please do the following: 1) Create a list of at least five gifts that you feel you have. 2) Ask two people that you are close to you to identify the gifts they see in you. 3) After reflecting on the lists, write a 4 page paper in which you answer the following questions: a) What gifts did you discover, or what gifts did others see that surprised you? b) Where am I using my gifts in service to others who are marginalized or disadvantaged (including family members, neighbors, work colleagues, etc.) and c) How can I build on the ways that I am currently using my gifts to expand my service to others in the future? What populations might I serve? What organizations could I volunteer for? How could I use my gifts to help these populations and/or organizations? (10 possible maximum points)