Priya Patel: Much More Than Just A Class

When I first heard about this class, I knew that it was something I had to be a part of. I loved my freshman year at Penn, but I felt like I wasn’t taking advantage of attending such a diverse college. I also felt like I was reaching the “Sophomore Slump”, a time in which I stopped making new friends and seemed to have settled into a predictable and not too exciting lifestyle that year of college. I wanted to bring back that part of me from high school in which I found it easy to connect with people regardless of their religion on a spiritual level, something I thought was difficult in college. 


I remember thinking on the first day of class that it was amazing how diverse our class was especially in terms of academic interest. This was the first time I was not taking a class because of a college, pre-med, or major requirement. Everyone in this class was taking it because they found the subject interesting, and I have found that throughout the course, everyone’s genuine interest in the material we discussed was so important in maintaining the quality conversations we had. We all came from different backgrounds and had different interests; it was amazing to have that opportunity to hear everyone else’s opinions, experiences, and perspectives on situations. 



I remember enjoying the mini-retreat we had very early in the semester. That week, I had written about in my reflection how my religion felt almost like a label. But as this course went on, I became a lot less concerned with accurately representing what I believed in and started thinking about all the issues presented in a bigger context that concerns the faiths of everyone, not just myself. Part of that also came from getting closer to all my classmates. Once we had gotten to know each other pretty well, a lot of my focus went from explaining my views to learning to appreciate those of others.


The discussions that impacted me the most were the ones we did in the middle of the semester that I thought were more personal, including the Atheism, Gender and Sexuality, and Race and Ethnicity ones. The discussion on Atheism forced me to think about how people come to hold the beliefs that they choose to have regarding religion and how it is seems impossible to escape having to make assumptions in any part of the Atheism-Religion spectrum. I felt like the Race and Ethnicity discussion addressed many issues such as interracial relationships and stereotypes, which many of us deal with, especially in such a diverse group of peers. And of course, leading the facilitation on Gender and Sexuality was a great experience from both ends; it was very interesting to hear everyone’s views and thoughts during the discussion, and I learned so much about the topic when researching for and preparing the facilitation. 


I learned an incredible amount in this class and had many wonderful experiences. My favorite part was the Pendle Hill retreat and getting to participate in all the service projects. I loved all the conversations I had with my classmates, some of which I will remember forever. After this class, I feel like I’ve gained the ability to really have a deep, faith related conversation with people. I also thought that helping out with the service projects was a really great experience in which I learned so much about the different types of interfaith action going on in Philadelphia. Through this class, I gained a great group of friends, experiences I will cherish well after college, and an inspiration to get more involved with the interfaith work we’ve been doing.