Incoming students

Dear Incoming Students,

Some of you may be nervous about starting your first college English class while others of you may feel confident about applying your critical thinking skills and conquering analytical writing. At first I was nervous because I thought college writing was a different level from my high school writing assignments. I was not sure if I was prepared to start writing college papers. Yet this quarter of English 110 has been truly a memorable experience. Although it was tough at some points, I feel that I have gained experience and proficiency for analyzing various forms of media and using those analytical skills to express my thoughts in writing.

The main focus of my English 110 class was religion in secular media. Having this focus created an appealing atmosphere for the class because we were able to explore in depth a recurring topic in today’s society. Eventually, all our work culminated in a research paper using secondary and primary sources. This paper took a lot of time to research and write. I advise you to choose a topic that is flexible because you will not get to use many secondary sources. Yet after finishing this paper, you will feel a sense of accomplishment for completing your first college research paper!

Throughout the quarter, we read various articles about topics such as religious views in the health care debate. We had deep discussions about these controversial topics Also, we discussed possible research questions and how to further explore our sources of information. One of my favorite discussions occurred after we watched the Scooby Doo clip about the hex girls and whether their representation of Wiccans was accurate. Incorporating a popular and well-known subject such as Scooby Doo into the class discussion brought a refreshing and pop culture aura to the classroom.

Another exciting aspect of class was writing blogs and “common place” essays, which are essays written by college students for a college audience. Through these different formats, I was able to learn to write creative, informal, and entertaining essays. In this part of the class, you will have your chance to express your own thoughts without any restrictions imposed by formal writing.

Overall English 110 is a class where you will learn a great deal if you pay attention, listen, read, write, rewrite and rewrite some more! I feel that I have become a better writer and thinker because of this class and enjoyed the process.

"Blessings"

Recently, while conversing with one of my friends, I had a fascinating discussion regarding religious customs. My friend’s church has a custom of organizing arranged marriages for all men and women before the age of eighteen. That is, the main minister matches the two individuals who are unknown to each other until the wedding day. Surprisingly, rather than calling it a marriage ceremony, it is known as a “blessing” and is performed as a mass gathering with up to 40,000 people getting married all at once on the same day. My friend’s church is unique from other religions because it requires arranged marriages as a requirement for being a member.

Our opinions greatly differed on this religious custom. I feel that churches should not force people to get married at a young age, especially with someone whom they have not created a special bond or with whom they may be uncomfortable. People should marry when they are comfortable with their partner. If the couple’s personalities and lifestyles clash, they could both be very unhappy. People can show their faith to God in ways other than participating in arranged marriages. However, my friend feels that the arranged marriage shows the couple’s faith in God because they are ready to meet a stranger whom God has chosen for them. She believes that meeting her chosen husband will rid herself of any trouble of finding a partner and that together they will begin a lifelong journey together. She trusts that through God’s match-making, both the husband and wife will grow spiritually.

Our tone throughout the conversation was mild and there was little arguing. Instead, we listened quietly and respectfully to each other’s opinion and discussed in a nice and quiet manner even though our opinions were greatly different from each other.

From this conversation, I have learned that people show their faith in God in various forms, even marrying someone they do not know. Although I may not be used to the concept of arranged marriages as a way to show trust in God, I respect my friend’s belief because it is a custom that she has grown up with and is accustomed to following.