Humanities

Taking Humanities this semester has helped me open my eyes and see the world around me from a new perspective. I valued this class a lot because it allowed me to apply the principles I was learning in class to my everyday life. My favorite assignment in this class was attending a religious service that was not my own. I attended a Catholic Mass and learned so much by simply attending. I was so intrigued that my friends and I are planning on attending other church services around Utah. The written analysis on my attendance of the Catholic Mass was probably my best work because I simply enjoyed the project. Due the exposure to other religions in this humanity’s general education class, I have further decided to take the world religions class offered at Salt Lake Community College this summer semester.

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Humanities taught me that it is okay to have a different view than those around you. In my other online classes this semester was had a lot of discussions on society and personal views. I usually tend to roll with the crowd on these discussions not fully express my point of view. By taking humanities I realized its important to express your side of things, although it might be different it can still be valid information. I loved that Professor Francis at the beginning of every discussion she offered us to share personally experiences along with course material. This allowed me to really see how I am impacted by the topics learned in class. And if I were struggling, I could see how it related to my classmates, helping me better understand the course material.

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At the end of the semester we were asked to participate in a civic engagement activity. I chose to help clean a church building in my local community because I wanted to have a better understanding of the impact religion has on our society. This was a unique opportunity because the church had just been shut down because of COVID-19. They were cleaning it for the last time until the church could be reopened. I love religion, so that was a strength in this final project. One of my fears while participating in my civic engagement activity was that I was going to contract COVID-19. That is a huge fear we are all facing and is very valid. Sometimes serving others takes risks and sacrifice but we do it because we love others. As time has gone on, I am beginning to realize that I was living in fear. So much fear that it was becoming disabling. I am still very cautious and follow the guidelines but am not letting fear control my life. I learned that serving others brings so much happiness. You forget about yourself and the problems you may be facing for a short time. Service is not about getting a reward for helping, it is about the deeper feeling of knowing you made an impact for good. With COVID-19 impacting our society so much right now, we see that the service that used to be so available to us is now gone. But there are new ways to participate in civic responsibility. I have been able to go grocery shopping for family members that cannot go on their own, or even just calling those in my life who may be lonely or sad at this time. We can always make an impact; we just must put forth effort.

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Overall, by taking this humanities class I have grown so much as a person and as a citizen. I have realized that the things we say, do, believe, treat others, and share has a large impact. If we want to change the world, we must first make a change in ourselves. Not one person is alike, we have all grown up in different homes, countries. religions, family structures, time periods, and so much more. Everyone has a story and it should be heard. Being different does not mean you are bad; it allows you to bring new perspective. I am still working on respecting and valuing everyone, especially those who have a different lifestyle than me. It is so easy to judge and stereotype, yet hard to always choose love. That is my major take away, I want to love everyone around me, because I truly do not know what they are going through. I loved this class and I would recommend it to anyone. I learned more life lessons in this one course than I have my whole college career.