First Medium Post: Introduction

My name is Maddy Hettler and I am a sophomore at Colgate with an intended major of Political Science and a possible minor in Philosophy. I am very interested in political theory and enjoy how philosophy fits well into that. I have lived in New York City my entire life and feel lucky to have been able to grow up around a diversity of cultures and with access to many unique opportunities and experiences.

I decided to take this course because I am very interested in the way religion plays into our daily lives, specifically from a political viewpoint. It has played a role in shaping our nation to the point where it is often hard to separate religious aspects from our daily lives (even in simply reciting our pledge of allegiance). I am also very passionate about social justice so I was intrigued when I discovered this class studied religion in the contemporary world with a concentration on the role of religion in black lives in the United States, and I hope to learn more about the extent to which it has played a role in protests for equality. Given the current political climate, I think it is a very important time to study the Black Lives Matter movement and gain a comprehensive understanding of its history, processes, and goals.

An ideal online learning environment for me would be one where the professors as well as the students facilitate discussion. This can be achieved through the professor using students’ comments to pose questions to the class and steer the conversation to important topics. This always requires me and other students to participate, connect texts and historical events to the topics at hand, and to engage in thoughtful discussion with each other.