Favorite Class of Summer Term
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum is all about trying out classes in different departments, so I decided to give the Religion Department a go!
I decided on the course "The Jewish Jesus" because although I grew up in a Christian household, I did not know much about the historical life of Jesus. This class specifically focused on Jesus' Jewish identity and how that influenced his life. The class also discussed how Jesus' Jewish identity has often been stripped away in favor of a European Jesus.
With the class's small size of around 20 students, it was an interactive learning experience where we were encouraged to speak up in class.
My overall favorite part of the class was my professor. Professor Vuong was a visiting professor for the summer, and she had so much enthusiasm for the material! It was clear she had extensive knowledge of Jesus' life and even knew several ancient languages so that she could tell us what terms meant during his time.
In order to get to know Professor Vuong better, I took her to the Pine Restaurant in town with another classmate through the Dartmouth Take-Your-Professor-to-Lunch program. Over lunch, we learned more about her beyond the classroom. We also told her all about Dartmouth's unique traditions!
During office hours, I got to dive into the material on a deeper level and connect stories from my childhood Bible School to stories in the classroom.
For my final paper, I analyzed the movie, "Jesus Christ Superstar," and compared fact and fiction within the film to the real story of Jesus.
Just recently, I saw the "Virgin of the Rocks" painting by Leonardo da Vinci at the National Gallery in London, which I was able to connect to the class!
Overall, "The Jewish Jesus" proved to be yet another example of the liberal arts advantage. Last weekend, I saw countless versions of the Westernized Jesus in the National Gallery, London, and I was reminded of the class. This gave me an opportunity to email my professor and catch up!