Final Journal Entry

I had the discussion with my brother last week about how fascinating we now find the issues of world development.   We both commented that taking a class like this when were 19 or 20ish would not have evoked the same reactions.  At that young age, you are just trying to get through the class.  Generally speaking, it is not until much later that culture, language, religion, ethnicity, etc become important. 

Right from the start, this course has been interesting.  It immediately took me back to my survey and mapping days – townships, sections, etc.  One of the best parts of the text book was all of the maps – they put the world’s similarities and differences into a picture.  

Because I am a business major, I was particularly interested in the industry and services portions of the course.  While major course work touched on some of the factors involving the global market, this course allowed me to look at little deeper at location and situation factors and how services originated. 

It is amazing to reflect back on everything we’ve learned this semester.   Most of us have a tendency to become compartmentalized in our world, so it was eye opening to learn and research different cultures and religions.  Christianity has been the mainstay of my life, so to venture into other religions and learn their beliefs and customs was exciting.  Religion has such a deep and powerful history in our world.

It was significant to study the religion of Islam.  So many people have strong feeling against this religion since 9/11.  This was my first opportunity to take a look inside and realize how misunderstood this religion has been.   

Once I have completed my degree, I would like to go back and learn more about the different folk and popular cultures of our world.  For now, I will miss my weekly peek through the world’s window.  This course definitely re-ignited my interest in world travel.   

A special thanks to Professor Artz for going the extra mile to include a piece of art from different cultures each week and a Thought for the Week.  These provided an opportunity for additional insight to our world. 

Week 11

Professor Artz has provided us with “Art of the Week” for the last 11 weeks of this course.  There were two weeks of art in particular that really stood out for me.  Benjamin hiff’s The Magic City – Jerusalem has lovely blue colors.  This picture depicts this holy city in the evening, with twinkling light.  It has an almost futuristic appearance.  The second piece that was intriguing to me was the digital image of the stained glass window at the Holocaust Museum at Auschwitz.  The first thing that caught my eye was the array of colors.  Then the five ghost-type figures, with their mouths open with screams that no one hears.   This is such a stunning stained glass piece – something so lovely depicting the horror of the German concentration camps.

We just completed a week of studying the Islamic religion.  Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this religion has been misunderstood.  A friend’s son converted to Islam about 14 years ago – this was devastating to his Christian family.   However, the nail in the coffin was when he married a Muslim Indian woman.  My friend and her husband knew nothing about Islam, but they realized in order to maintain a relationship with their son they would have to be tolerant.  They struggled with accepting his wife, who always covers her head with a scarf.  Today, they have fully accepted the beliefs of their son and his beautiful wife.   It was only through an open mind and heart that they were able to step beyond their comfort zone.

I could never have imagined how interesting this course has been.  This has really opened my eyes to the uniqueness of our world.  The social sciences utilized to study human geography are fascinating.  I have told a number of friends and family that if I were just starting my degree, I would seriously consider human studies and geography as a degree and career path.   However, perhaps I would not find this as interesting if I were a 19-year old student as opposed to the non-traditional aged student that I am.  Just the same, this series of courses has sparked an interest that will last well past the completion of this semester.

I have never taken the time to study religion beyond Christianity until this class.  What a pity that more people do not have the opportunity to learn a little bit about religion beyond what they learn as children and carry into adulthood.  It would be wonderful if everyone adult would be willing to open their mind to the concept that other religions are important to the world’s culture.  Imagine how different the world could be if we all worked toward understanding people who worship different faiths.  I cannot help but believe there would be less violence and more peace in our world if only people would be willing to step outside their religious boundaries.

I will always remember this as the semester during which I lost my very dear friend.  She passed away April 5 and her death has affected me so profoundly.  I knew she was terminally ill, but I really was not prepared to lose her so soon.  While reading about Hinduism and the individuals wish to end the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, I could not help but be glad that my friend believed in rebirth.  As I read about Buddhism, I once again thought of her – she always found the middle ground, or “middle way” as Budda taught.  It was oddly comforting to me to study these religions during such an intense grieving period.

Class Journal Entry 1

I am proud of myself for getting this blog set up and actually figuring out how to get in and post.   I am so technically inept! 

It has probably been at least 40 years since I took a geography course.  In those days it was a matter of getting through the class and moving on to something that was of interest to me.  Now, I have a much better appreciation of world and cultural studies – the studies I found boring and useless in my teens are now fascinating to me.   Being a “non-traditional age” student gives me a better appreciation for general education.   Don’t misunderstand, I still want to get through the classes and finish my degree.  Now I take the time to really enjoy the courses that open my mind and expand my horizons. 

I look forward to exploring the objectives in this class.  With the busy lives we lead and the crazy schedules most of us keep, it is easy to be insulated and naïve about other cultures and religions.  It is sometimes hard to remember that we live in an era of global markets.  Companies must learn to value, respect, and embrace all employees and their cultural differences.   

 

    

Milestone 1 - Final Project

During the final stages of World War II, atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.  As my final project, I plan to write an academic paper on the recovery of these two cities 67 years later. I plan to work on this project alone.