Today was a day full of information, maybe a little bit too much. It was extremely daunting walking into the first lecture today as many of my friends at UWS have said ‘Society and Lifestyles’ is the hardest module to pass, knocking my confidence before I’d even met the lecturers. I feel that I can confirm that this module will indeed be the hardest. Nevertheless, it is also the module that I am most interested in and so I hope that may work in my favour.
I learned a lot today about what was expected from me, as the learner. This looks to be a difficult module and so it will be beneficial in the long term for me to fully understand the layout of the course. However, a knew aspect that I also learned today was the different approaches to religion (i.e. the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ approach). Before the lecture, I was unaware of the different ways that religion is taught or understood. This leads on to the important philosophers in regards to religion, one in particular being Ninian Smart. Phenomenology is a term that was first introduced to me today and I have since in the hours upon leaving university researched thoroughly to ensure full understanding.
As a whole, I have understood everything that was ‘thrown’ at me today despite some of the teaching being new to me. We were given the opportunity to research a theorist of our choice (out of the three given) and I chose Bronislaw Malinowski. I chose him because I liked his name, however upon researching him, I found I liked his theories more. Malinowski believed religion played a huge role in regards to the primitive side of society. Giving individuals a leader was a sort of security blanket, a way of explaining things that are not deemed as normal. He thought religion to contain several scientific laws that in turn prevented any chaotic behaviour. A relatable example being that as we have policemen to ensure that everyone follows the law, keeping everyone safe in the long-term, religion allowed individuals the psychological release to not live their lives in fear of the unknown.
After today, I have not identified any particular concepts or issues that I am struggling with. I believe this is due to me having a passion for learning about religion and philosophy. Despite me not being religious, religious education has continued to be my favourite subject right through my school years. However, I am a firm believer that you can never have enough knowledge and so I will continue to research and study the different components of religion and the effects that it has in society.
My knowledge of religion within society has certainly increased. Before today, I was not aware of just how much of our lives is affected by religion. Religion is incorporated throughout every aspect of our society, no matter the context in which it is placed. As a future primary teacher, it will be my job to educate children in all aspects of religion, from the beliefs of individuals right down to the social relations. It is understandable that some parents, carers and teachers may not feel comfortable teaching children about the various religions and their influences for multiple reasons however, in order for society to function, I believe that knowledge of religion is extremely important. When I think of religion, prejudice is a word that is synonyms.
It is easier to judge someone because they are different from you than it is to educate yourself on why. The debates on banning the burka in France are prime examples of prejudice, being that many people associate them with previous terror attacks rather than the actual religious beliefs behind it. The religion seems to be a second thought to a lot of people. I understand the different viewpoints regarding religion and why some people are more against certain aspects however after today, I feel inspired to teach young people why it is okay to be different from others and why it is okay to follow religion no matter the stereotypes which may be associated with said religion. I have come to learn that religious diversity is a positive thing as it introduces tolerance to society whilst also enriching society with new cultures and views.
My first day of this module was overall a success, nevertheless there are still things that I can improve on. The main area for improvement in this module was highlighted to be my ability to link theory with practise. To be more precise, the incorporation of theorists in my answers. I am aware of what the question is asking of me and what I need to write in order to get a good mark however, my answers seem to be ‘hazy’, in that I’m not entirely confident with the concept of linking everything together. To improve, I must practise writing exam style questions as well as research each theorist/concept more widely in order to gain the confidence and knowledge needed to pass Society and Lifestyles.
