Religion 342
Religion and Literature fulfilled my Global Citizenship Perspective. In this course we discussed various religious movements and how they impacted different authors in world literature. We read and analyzed works from existentialist thinkers such as Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Later in the semester we delved into the literary aspect of existential ideals. We read Wise Blood written by Flannery O’Connor as well as Knot of Vipers written by Francois Mauriac.
While I began this class not quite knowing what to expect, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed Religion and Literature as a whole. The assigned readings were challenging and at times frustrating to read and decipher meaning behind, but they were genuinely of interest to me. Despite the difficulty that presented with many readings, I took great pleasure in coming to class and hearing different perspectives of the various authors and their writings.
In addition to the literary aspect of the course, each week we were assigned to complete contemplative practices. I took twenty minute, silent walks outside at least three times a week, I completed a nightly examination of consciousness, and attended a silent reading session once each week.
I have attached below my final paper that I wrote for Religion and Literature. We were tasked with integrating a literary work read in class with at least one of the existentialist thinkers that we discussed during the course. Writing this paper was a challenge for me but I am incredibly proud of the work that went into it!