Journal - The Qur'an.docx Size : 14.653 Kb Type : docx |
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Humanities - ePortfolio Reflection.docx Size : 14.266 Kb Type : docx |
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All of the assignments I have completed in this class have had their own contribution in producing good learning outcomes. However, the reflective journal I wrote about The Qur’an had a major impact on the development of my ability to think independently, analytically, critically, and creatively about products of culture and the information they contain.
Before reading about The Qur’an, I had an idea in my head, similar to most Americans, that Islam was a rather crazy and violent religion. I think this idea was generated after 9-11 as well as hearing about all the insane acts performed by Muslims with their reasoning being it is for their faith in Islam. I eventually realized that I was stereotyping all Muslims, and decided to study the Qur’an open-mindedly. While a good portion of Americans maintain a certain stereotype of Muslims, being open to learning about the Qur’an really helped me start thinking more independently. Once I got into the reading, I found myself analyzing the details of the Qur’an and comparing its’ contents to those of other religious scripts. I made many notes that distinguished what the text meant to me, and correlated many similarities between Islam and Christianity. I also found a few unique ideas that Islam possesses, but I came to the conclusion that in the end these ideas were not too distinctively different than others. Instead of judging the different aspects of the Qur’an, I was thinking analytically.
Furthermore, even though I tried my best not to form a biased opinion of the Qur’an, I felt like somewhat of a critic while studying it. I found it crucial to begin questioning many different scriptures and attempt to formulate my own answers to these questions. I was also paying specifically close attention to the consistency of Islamic beliefs. I took pleasure in exploring the Islamic version of the story of Adam and Eve, and the story of the devil, who they call Iblis, falling from heaven during pre-existence. One thing I wondered was how today’s world religions are so separate from one another even though most of them seem somewhat similar after analyzing the content of each religious text. My explanation would be that there are many varying interpretations of these texts. Studying the Qur’an in this contour assisted me in advancing my skills in thinking critically and creatively.
Achieving these learning outcomes has had a very positive effect on my college experience by allowing my mind to think differently about numerous subjects. I am eager to utilize my newly acquired thinking skills in the future and I will do this by applying them to my job, future classes, and my social life. Taking this course has opened my eyes to a whole new world of ideas, and has provided me with some knowledge that will help me further my education. I am inspired to progress in college with the mindset that I have right now.