Katherine Mateo: Dialogue and Progress

From an early age, I learned the importance of dialogue in order to ameliorate a situation. It is a lesson that is taught to many of us very early on in childhood. Nonetheless, it is not a lesson that is sufficiently applied when dealing with topics such as interfaith work and religious conflict. This class has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career as a student, seeing that it took a conflict which throughout history, has seemed to be ubiquitous to civilization, compacted it to be manageable, and allowed a small group of interested college students to deliberate its multiple facets. From this experience, I leave with increased knowledge of the struggle a pluralistic society faces when dealing with religion and a valuable experience in working in the community.
With the increased globalization the world is facing, in addition to the fact that the United States has attracted members of different cultures, ethnicities, and religions, it has been stimulating to study the interaction of people of different faiths. This course allowed me to explore such issues from the start, introducing my peers and I to the intersections between religion, law, and politics. To start, one can ponder how exactly the United States and its people embody secularism? What are the differences between religious tolerance, acceptance, and respect? Further, how does this play into relationships between people of different faiths?

This class did not limit itself to teaching us about the history of religious conflict; rather, it brought real world issues to the fore and pushed us past our boundaries. Looking back on the past semester, I think it is fair to come to some conclusions on effective interfaith dialogue. For starters, we need participants to enter into the dialogue with an open mind. Interfaith dialogue requires contributors who will be respectful of one another and are knowledgeable, yet willing to have their ideas contradicted. This dialogue also necessitates a goal. Our goal was to  educate one another about interfaith interactions and service, in hope of having an effect on the wider Penn community.

There were many moments throughout the course where I felt all of these goals truly embodied. Nonetheless, my best memories can be found in our alternative spring break retreat. The class assisted a religiously based community organization in North Philadelphia, a neighborhood ridden with poverty and crime, to build a hydroponic in a community garden as an additional means to grow fresh produce. We were able to learn more about the neighborhood and the issues, which afflict it. Most significantly, we were able to have a positive effect on the community in a short amount of time. However, what I enjoyed the most from that experience were the conversations the other students and I had. Each one of us learned something different from the situation and had widely differing opinions about the community. In listening to each other, however, we were able to take more from the experience.

This class has turned out to be one of my most rewarding experiences while at the University of Pennsylvania. At the start of the course, I expected to meet a group of students with a genuine interest in the topic at hand. So, in the end I'm not too surprised that my assumption proved true. What has really astounded me is every single member's disposition to share with the group and be vulnerable in discussion. The intersections between our dialogue and our acts of service were very satisfying and have provided me with lessons that I hope to incorporate into my endeavors after college.