Ana Jenny

        Last night the honors class attended the Poehler Faith and Learning Lecture given by Dr. Carl J. Schoenbeck. The title of his lecture was "Teaching the Children Well: One Educator's Perspective on Integrating Faith and Learning." Obviously this topic applies very well to the Honors program because it is the basis for it. I agreed with everything he said about learning being a lifelong process and the importance of connections and applications. His speech really outlined and articulated my thoughts on Concordia University as a whole. When I am catching up with old family and friends, they often ask where I go to school and if I like it. I find myself saying I really love it but I can never quite place my finger on why. Many times I talk about the small class sizes and the fact that I know the professors here on a more personal level but Concordia means so much more to me than that.

Although I am not pursuing a career in education I thought a lot of his lecture could apply to any vocation. He spoke about how teaching does not always result in learning. I think this is very important for anyone in a management position to know as well as anyone who wants to one day be a parent. Dr. Schoenbeck outlined three important factors when helping others find a passion for learning and thus making teaching more effective. They are connections, applications and questions. I realize that Concordia is geared toward all three of these things. My two majors are sociology and psychology, which are two similar studies. However, I find that my professors often actively make connections between the two that I would have never thought of. This practice has helped me make connections from my schoolwork into my everyday life. I find myself thinking about a theory that I just learned and applying it to my environment at work. When connections are made applications can begin. Questions are the final step in this outline for learning. I grew up with a father who taught me that 'why' is the most important question you can ask and that there are no stupid questions. As a result I like to challenge people's ideas and I have found that Concordia provides a safe place to do that.

I now have a specific and logical answer to why I like Concordia so much. It's not just the class sizes (though they do provide a feeling of security when it comes to asking questions) or the fact that the professors know you by name, it's the fact that Concordia faculty are actively providing an environment for effecting learning and teaching. I felt like I could really connect to what Dr. Schoenbeck was saying last night because it's behavior that I see on campus every day.

At this Wednesday's convocation we listened to Anil Singh-Molares talk about his life and his experience as a "professional immigrant." I thought he had a lot of good advice to offer us, especially with regards to finding a vocation. He has a very interesting professional, spiritual, academic, and personal background so it was not hard to sit and listen to him speak. I especially like the fact that he said being an immigrant is actually an advantage because that is something I can relate to. I have always been a lot more mature than my peers in a lot of aspects and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I had to rely on myself to adapt to new environments. Being bilingual doesn't hurt either. I agreed with a lot of the things he said.

Anil talked about going through many different phases in his life, all of them leading him somewhere new. What he said about college being the time to explore and get to know yourself is something that all students can relate to. To me the most interesting thing about Anil is the balance he manages to keep in his life. He has been able to balance multiple cultures (I'm still struggling with two) and he was able to manage being in a cut-throat corporate world while still staying true to his moral beliefs. He has also balanced multiple religions (once again, I'm having issues managing one). I have a lot of respect for him and I'm still intrigued by how he has managed to accomplish this. From the sounds of it, he put his cultures and religions on a very basic, general level, found the common things and held on to those concepts in order to create harmony. I think this is a fine way to do it but to me that would almost take out the whole purpose of culture. Culture is supposed to differ and be unique. I liked Seexeng's idea of taking the better aspects of each culture and making your own.

Another thing I don't completely agree with Anil on is immigration. I do agree that we have to be understanding of different cultures entering this country but I think it takes a lot more accommodation on the part of the immigrant's themselves. On Monday night he mentioned that he didn't think immigrants should be required to learn English, although it would be more practical to do so. This is the main issue I don't see eye to eye with him on. I do think that immigrants should be required to learn English because that is the key to surviving in this country. Immigrants since the beginning of the founding of this country have had to learn English and I don't understand why exceptions are being made now. Culture is one thing, and even that sometimes gets in the way. For example, I remember hearing a while back about grocery store clerks with Middle Eastern backgrounds who refused to ring up pork items because it was against their religion to touch it. In my opinion, if they are not willing to fulfill the job requirements, they should be fired. That's like a pacifist joining the army for crying out loud. Of course, they couldn't be fired because of religious freedom but I don't think that's the issue at hand here. I think the main concern should be whether or not the job requirements will be fulfilled.

This is also why I feel language should be mandatory. It's true that Spanish is being spoken at nearly the same frequency as English and as a result many places offer Spanish translations, but where will we draw the line? We can't possibly translate everything into every language spoken in this country. Not learning the language hurts not only the immigrant, lessening their chances of employment and thus a higher quality of life, but it makes life difficult for others as well. Imagine being a landlord trying to explain rent to someone who doesn't understand a word you're saying. It would be great if everyone realized the value of learning English while living in this country, but a new trend in immigration seems to be the expectation that we will bend over backwards getting them whatever they need. I realize I sound very cynical but I'm speaking from experience in dealing with immigrants from many different backgrounds as well as from seeing my mom struggle to learn English while others sit back and coast.

This past Monday Seexeng Lee came to speak to us about Hmong art, his art and the context from which both come from. It was a very interesting discussion because I had no idea Hmong art was so unique. I never realized how American it is to think of art as aesthetically pleasing and nothing more. To be perfectly honest, I have fallen into the trap of liking art for its aesthetics and not taking a deeper look into the context from which it came. While I have enjoyed art my whole life, I now realize that it has always been on a shallow level. I really like the definition Seexeng gave for art and how he believes that art is about the journey, not the final product. I have never really taken the time to consider what art means to me and coming from more of a performing arts background this idea of art is one I can definitely relate to.

Another aspect of art that I never took into consideration is the fact that in most "primitive" cultures art serves a practical purpose. Seexeng pointed out that Hmong art consists of flower cloths and story cloths which are used as clothing, baby carriers, etc. I never really thought of how weird it is to hang a blanket up on a wall rather than use it. Another thing that really caught my attention with using art for practical purposes is the idea that art forms bonds and identities between people. Embroidered clothing is used to distinguish between the different Hmong clans (such as White Hmong or Chinese Hmong). Again, having been Americanized I had never considered art to be a part of an identity for anyone but the artist but now reflecting on it, it seems like common sense. When an artist is putting together a masterpiece, they are not just putting their own identity into it but they are also helping others develop their identity through viewing it, or in the case of the Hmong, through wearing or using it.  

I think the biggest thing I took away from Monday night's session was the importance of thinking about art in the context of the artist. For example, many of the flower cloths represent the Hmong beliefs and their spirituality. Without knowing this, the hats that are made for babies in order to protect their spirits are just hats and nothing more. Or the necklaces worn by men to keep their spirit around are just nice pieces of jewelry. I found it sad to learn that the work of many Hmong artists is rejected and not believed to have content simply because the context of their culture is not very well known. I think after viewing not only Seexeng's art but also the art from other immigrants and refugees at the convocation earlier this semester, my view of art and its importance in society has changed. Art from other cultures allows us a window into that world despite language barriers and I think art can be an important medium for making connections among any one from different backgrounds.

This past Monday night we heard from three CSP students who were first generation immigrants but were kids when they first arrived in the US. All three had lived in Southeast Asia right after the Vietnam War and if I remember correctly all three had spent time in refugee camps. I have had a couple of classes with Xang and I never realized he had gone through the things he shared. It was an eye-opening experience in the sense that you never really know what people we interact with everyday have gone through. I found their stories intriguing because they were so complex. There are many things about the Hmong culture I will never understand but all three students had a strong connection to their culture which is something I envy as I have lost a lot of connection to mine as a result of trying to "fit in" for most of my life.

One thing I always want to know when I speak with immigrants, especially the younger generations, is how they have dealt with a dual culture lifestyle. Much of my curiosity comes from the need to know that I was not the only one who went through a difficult time culturally in school. Since all three students attended high school in the US I wanted to know how they had dealt with their roles as American students and Hmong sons or daughters. From what I gathered with each answer, all three were able to keep their Hmong culture in their home life and adapt to the American culture at school. However, when asked what aspects of their culture they disliked and which they wanted to keep as they grow into adulthood I was surprised that the answer to both was the same. Pa Houa and Xia both talked about the male dominance present in their culture and the expectation for the girls to stay home and cook when the boys got to do as they pleased. Both seemed slightly resentful of this but when asked if they would uphold this tradition with their children both answered yes. This was quite surprising to me given their dislike of this cultural norm present in their lives today. The Latin culture has a similar structure with regards to girls staying home and cooking and cleaning and the males being head of the household but this was one aspect of my culture that I was quick to dismiss. My parents played a large part in that as well by steering me away from dependency on males and teaching me to be independent. This is considered the "American way" and it is one aspect of American culture I gladly accept. I am surprised that Xia and Pa Houa don't feel the same but once again it is an aspect of their culture that they feel attached to and I respect that.

This experience was a great way to round out our study of the Hmong because at this point we have heard from older adults, young adults and our own peers about the experience of being a refugee. As I said for me it was eye opening with regards to not knowing what people have gone through upon first meeting them. In addition, it gave me an opportunity to compare myself to peers as far as how they deal with the culture clash that exists any time one moves into a new country.

Today we attended the Immigrant and Refugee Artists Exhibit Convocation. There were art pieces varying in subject matter and cultural background and it was interesting to see them all in one place. It was very beneficial to have the artists of some of the pieces there to explain their intentions and the message they were trying to send through their art. Without the artist who made the pieces from cloth I would not have known their true significance. To me they were just beautiful designs on cloth but after the artist explained that the calligraphy said things that would be cause to be thrown in jail in Saudi Arabia I realized what the piece meant to her and to refugees as a whole. Furthermore, when the artist from Chile explained the sculpture of the tree he made it made so much more sense than when I thought it seemed weird to spend all that time putting new wood on top of old wood. It was helpful to know a little bit about each of the artist's backgrounds and cultures to know why the pieces made such an impact. Several of the pieces made very big impressions on me and jump out now when I am thinking back to the event.

The first piece I noticed in the gallery was a picture that had three people superimposed next to each other. Starting at the left there was a young boy, perhaps eleven years old, holding a sign that had a number on it. The image next to him was of a young man, perhaps about twenty holding what looked to me like a citizenship certificate. The final image was of an older man, perhaps about 50 or 60, and he was holding up a passport. Although the artist was not there to tell the specific story he intended for the piece I think its message was fairly clear. To me it is about the journey one makes as a refugee. At first you are just a number, then slowly you gain citizenship and finally the passport allows you to move about from country to country on your own terms. One thing I noticed about this particular piece was that the eyes of the boy change as he ages. When I looked at it I saw hope in his eyes. This is the hope most children carry throughout childhood; the carefree "everything will work out" kind of hope. As the boy ages I found that hope disappearing more and more between the young man and the older man. I'm not sure if this was intentional but I would imagine it can be taken into metaphorical terms as part of the journey one makes as the age, learning that life is hard and most of the time it only gets harder. As a refugee you may be safe in a new country but there are new, perhaps more difficult struggles than have been faced before. I'm not completely sure why this particular piece stuck out the most to me but I think between talking about refugees all semester and being able to somewhat relate to that journey it was the image I could identify with the most.

After seeing this artwork made by immigrants and refugees it has occurred to me that art can serve as a happy medium when there is a language barrier. After reviewing all the works I could see a message in each of them. Perhaps it was not the exact message the artist intended for me but I think that that's what makes art such a unique form of communication. Beauty is subjective but no matter who looks at it a piece of art will manage to get a message across in one form or another and perhaps we should start exploring art as a way of breaking down barriers between natural born citizens and immigrants/refugees.

             This past Monday night we heard from Mr. Long Yang and Ms. Choua Thao about their experiences living in Laos during the "Secret War" and coming to America. It's still fascinating to me that one story can be told in so many different ways by those who have experienced it. It was very interesting to hear from people who were adults during the war. Life for refugees who arrived here as adults versus those who arrived here as children seems to be vastly different. This is apparent in the stories they tell about their experiences. Kalia Yang had discussed her experiences in the school system and taking care of her younger siblings. It was interesting to hear the other side of the coin. Mr. Yang and Ms. Thao gave their accounts of a life here that consisted of working and going to school all the while taking care of their families. Both went on to get their associate's degrees. Their stories were inspirational.

            I've always had a hard time sympathizing with people who were born and raised in the US and didn't make anything of themselves. It is true that not everyone has the same opportunities in this country - not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth - but if two people from a country torn apart by war can come to a country with a different language and culture and manage to work while studying I find it very hard to understand why people born and raised here can't do the same. This is something that has baffled me as far back as I can remember. I was glad that Ms. Thao enthusiastically shares my views on this matter. I have never met a woman so full of life and smiles, despite all that she has been through. I was quite surprised that she was so headstrong when she came to the US. I am glad to hear it because so many refugees and immigrants do not push the way she did out of fear or misunderstanding.

            Growing up my parents raised me to push and fight for what I want because no one else will do it for me and I'm glad that Ms. Thao is sharing this message with everyone she comes into contact with. Monday night's panel has reinforced my feelings towards people who don't take advantage of all the opportunities this country has to offer. It's hard to justify not doing my best when there are people who came from much harsher backgrounds succeeding.

This past Monday night we met at the Hmong center and listened to Professor Xiong talk about his experience in Laos, Thailand and coming to America. It was my first time in the Hmong center and it was a very interesting experience. Since beginning the semester I have become more and more fascinated with the Hmong culture and history. I have had many Hmong friends who have sort of explained to me the history and culture but to have it laid out by multiple people who are experts on the topic has been incredible. The thing that interests me the most about the story of the Hmong is that each person has their own story and thought there are similarities each one is captivating in its own right.

Seeing the clothing and jewelry and the small models of the secret village where Prof. Xiong grew up made the story more real to me. To have someone who lived there and played there and later escaped from there speaking right in front of me made the information sink in so much more than it would have if I had simply read a history book about this. It was also really interesting to hear Prof. Xiong's story compared to Kalia Yang's story because they both lived through a similar experience but there was a slight age difference so they saw their worlds in a different light. It was pretty inspirational to hear about how his parents went to school and eventually made too much to live in the housing projects and listening to him talk about his work with politics and how far he has come since living in Laos. It's refreshing to know that even though we are studying the Hmong for the majority of the semester, it will no be getting boring because there is so much to learn from each person.  

I was not aware that there was a Hmong studies minor available at Concordia and after looking at the requirements I have realized I'm actually taking the majority of the courses through my sociology major. This was really exciting to me because as someone who is looking to go into a field working with people in an ever diverse society I can use all the knowledge about other cultures I can get. As I said the Hmong continue to fascinate me more and more the more I learn about them.

I went to see Gran Torino last Saturday night. I'd heard a lot of good things about it and I was very excited to see it. I'm glad to say that I was not at all disappointed. The theater I went to was absolutely packed with people and seats were hard to find. I'm not sure what I was expecting going into the movie but I think I was hoping to get more insight into the lives of Hmong immigrants, in particular the second or third generation Hmong who struggle between two cultures.

I felt like this movie was a very accurate portrayal of multiple cultures and the everyday racism that occurs. I was happy to see that it was not just one group portrayed in that movie as the "good guy" or the "bad guy". The movie displayed the hard-working Hmong families but it also showed the Hmong that decide joining a gang is what they want to do. I find that it is these few that often get a bad reputation for the whole culture. It also showed acts of racism across the board. Walt and his barber, the three black guys with the one white kid and Sue, and the old grandma with Walt were all examples of racism. Although many immigrants face racism, it is a smaller struggle in the face of living in a bad neighborhood. One major difficulty immigrants face is finding help from the police when there is trouble. Many are afraid of the police because they come from countries where the police force is corrupt. In the movie Thao's mother couldn't do anything when his cousin tried to make Thao join his gang. If it had not been for Walt scaring them off at the beginning Thao would have most likely ended up in serious trouble.

I was incredibly fortunate growing up because while I did struggle to find a balance between two cultures, I had a father who was American and helped my family mediate between the two cultures. I did not face all the struggles many immigrant families have because my dad spoke perfect English and he was able to take care of all the big important, sometimes scary things about being in a new country. He made sure my brother and I went to good schools and that we did not fall into and sort of gang or drug activity. I think many immigrants who are parents lose control over their children because the adults have a harder time learning the language and the cultural norms. When parents can no longer control their children it is harder to keep them away from gangs and drugs. I think Gran Torino did an excellent job of outlining some of the deeper issues facing immigrants, the Hmong in particular.

This past Monday night we got a chance to go through and discuss each chapter of The Middle of Everywhere. The discussion was a really interesting way to get to know more about everyone in the class and their background. For me it was really interesting to see how much my family had in common with some of the families other students grew up in. Growing up I was always a little bit different because of all I went through at a young age, and I have to admit I feel like I can relate a lot more to some of the people that I've read about that I can to an average American, but it was nice to hear that other students value the closeness of their family as much as I do.

Reading some of the quotes in the book such as "with Americans eating is just for physical needs" or "we were born on third base and we think we hit triples" made me laugh out loud at times because those exact thoughts have crossed my mind often but it was really nice to actually sit down and have students who were born and raised here tell me those things aren't necessarily true. The topics we talked about on Monday are not ones that I would discuss with friends so I have never really had a chance to talk to anyone aside from my family about the stereotypes I have placed on Americans (sorry guys). It was definitely a learning experience for me.

As much as I enjoyed hearing the thoughts and experiences of others, it was a lot harder sharing my own thoughts and opinions on this matter. Talking about the characters in the book and what they experienced in their life has stirred up memories I had pushed away but I realized those experiences have made me who I am today. I'm looking forward to learning more about the lives of immigrants from other cultures and the connections my peers make to their own lives. 

In his book Galileo, Darwin, and Hawking: The Interplay of Science, Reason, and Religion, Phil Dowe expresses his belief that science, religion and reason can all coexist and interact harmoniously. He discusses several topics that propose conflict between religion, reason and science and attempts to find a middle ground where interaction between these areas of study can occur. One of the topics Dowe addresses is the struggle between creation and evolution. He argues that belief in the theory of evolution does not necessarily preclude any belief in the teachings of the Bible. He presents an interesting argument which will be analyzed in this paper.

In presenting his argument, Dowe begins with Aristotle's teleological view of science. According to Aristotle everything should be viewed in terms of its purpose which is most often intrinsic. Thomas Aquinas took Aristotle's ideology a step further by proposing that not only does everything have a purpose, but its purpose was bestowed upon it by God. Dowe goes on to point out that even in Newton's mechanical explanations of physics there was room left for the discussion of design. "For Newton the purely mechanical operation of the solar system is so beautifully intricate and ordered that it simply could not have come about by chance. It must, therefore, have been the product of a mathematically minded designer" (108).

Next Dowe introduces William Paley's argument of the watchmaker. Like Newton, Paley believed that so many things in this world were intricate and complex that a designer must be behind it. Dowe goes on to spend the remainder of this chapter discussing Darwin's theory of natural selection and evolution. He also includes Asa Gray's defense of Darwin's theory. According to Gray believing in natural selection does not automatically make an individual, or Darwin in particular, an atheist. He proposed the possibility that natural selection was part of God's design all along. This once again allows for discussion of science and religion.

Dowe's main premise in this chapter is that in each argument against creation there is room left to discuss the idea of intelligent design or theistic evolution. He believes that the reason that creation should not be ruled out is because none of the arguments are strong enough to hold up against creation. According to Dowe, all theories discussed are an inference to the best explanation. For example with Darwin's theory, "the probability of the range of biological evidence (E) given the theory of natural selection (H₁) is greater than the probability of that evidence given in natural selection (H₂)" (119). Since this is the case, creation cannot be fully ruled out and as such discussion and interaction between creation and evolution can occur.

Dowe makes several important points in his argument for interaction between religion and science. One definite strength in his argument is the fact that he traced this topic back in history. This shows that there are individuals throughout history that have discussed and debated this topic thus making it more legitimate. He makes it very clear that each individual he wrote about did not completely dismiss the idea of a designer. Using several different examples he showed that individuals throughout history have been consistent in making connections between science and religion. He also made it clear that Darwin's theory was not a definite answer but rather the most likely and thus creation could not be ruled out completely. If his purpose was to show that religion and science can somehow interact he succeeded.

While Dowe presents a convincing argument there are several key factors to take into consideration when reading his work. First and foremost is the fact that he has a very clear bias. As such he specifically picked examples and individuals who would support his argument. Furthermore the title of this chapter implied that the topic at hand would be creation rather than intelligent design. While he stated that creation cannot be definitively ruled out, he did not provide an argument in support of it. Instead he chose to focus on the idea of a designer rather than the creation stories from the Bible. Overall his was a good argument but it is important have a critical mind when deciding who or what to believe.

In Dowe's discussion of creation and evolution he managed to find ways in which interaction of religion and science could occur. While he had some weaknesses in his argument he managed to succeed in his initial goal. Dowe showed that there could be discussion among people in dealing with the idea of evolution.