My penchant for backward course design impresses the need to consider method more and more. I'm asking myself what kind of work do I want students to be able to do by course's end. How will they know what they know?
Indeed, the comparative method has long been the preferred tool of those seeking to prove the similarity—and especially the equality—of religions across time and space. That agenda, however, has not always been successful and has at times engendered ironically problematic scholarship.
Because portions of the world developed differently due to histories and geography unique to their specific region, they in turn cultivate traditions organic to the heritage of their area—they develop a culture. It is this culture from which all traditions of a given region are derived, including particular rituals relating to as well as the practice of specific forms of spiritual maintenance. From this culture, ethnic identities manifest symbiotically, coexisting in the continuation and evolution of a society’s cultural climate.
The drastic reversal of many essential elements of Maoism by Deng Xiaoping indicates that in order to preserve the very survival of the Party, the founding principle, as sacred as Maoism, can be rejected. In this sense, Maoism was treated in a transactional way, so much so that once its utility ceased to exist, it was immediately thrown away.
Keeping with the spirt of the season, we've assembled another edition of the Jedi Council for a review of The Last Jedi that you'll only find here at Sowing the Seed. Drs. Matthew J. Cressler, and Megan P. Goodwin join forces to discuss the ins and outs of Episode VIII with our curator.
Sowing the Seed 