CHRISTINA DUKE | staff writer
Common Day of Learning will not only be a day of faculty and guest speaker presentations but also a day of sessions by students who will be teaching and relating to their fellow Cougars.
From teaching methods to mime and movement, it is sure to be a day full of wisdom and adventure.
Senior viola performance major Alex Wen will present on technology in the session “Worship and Culture.” This presentation looks at learning styles, social justice and contextualization in worship It also focuses on the psychology of worship and its relationship to technology.
“The way we do [worship] sometimes breaks congregational relationships and touches our lives far outside the church building,” Wen says. “To understand [worship] is going to help us connect with people who might be in the same place as us.”
The overall goal is to set straight a lot of miscommunications that come with technology in worship and show how to implement it better.
Another standout session is “Faith and Life After APU.” This presentation discusses common logistics of the life decisions students make post-graduation.
“It’s very applicable to our lives, even [for] freshmen who say ‘That’s four years away,’” senior business administration major Brent Willard said. “Time goes by really quick and students need to know what’s ahead of them—it’s a lot of responsibility.”
For those interested in biblical research, senior English major Mallory Ortberg presents “Jesus in a Pharisaic Context” in the session “Knowledge from Undergraduate Research: Nominations From the School of Theology.”
This explores whether or not Jesus and the Pharisees were as much of opponents as many Christians believe them to be.
“In so many of my biblical studies classes, we discussed monolific, oppressive, anti-woman ideas and I was really disturbed,” Ortberg says. “I was wondering whether or not Jesus saw himself as a freer of these things.”
“Preparing for Earth Day ’09: Thoughts To Think and Thinks To Do” is a session that focuses on the importance of living in sustainability.
“Think globally, act locally,” senior sociology major Janel Harden said.
More specifically, it examines what that looks like in the Christian faith and how individuals’ actions affect the environment, people in need around the world, and future generations.
“There is a lot going on right now and it’s important to know what is going on and how [people] can be a part of it,” Harden said.
This session strives to educate and motivate change among students.
“It’s the little things in our daily life that make a big difference,” senior global studies major Megan Hoffmann said.
The presentation emphasizes the significance of acting quickly.
“We’re in a point in our world that unless we take on and embrace sustainability, there is going to be a lot of irreparable damage,” senior global studies major Serena Manzo said. “We are moving toward that place very fast and it’s not an option anymore to not take action.”
While this session is straightforward about the facts, its goal is not to scare students but to be realistic about issues taking place both on-campus and around the world.
Whether your interests are in the psychology of worship, faith and life after college, biblical research or taking care of the earth, there is sure to be something of interest to attend.
