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By Aurora Sekine
North Potomac, Maryland
Religious Studies,
Japanese
After Mac: Teach for America in mathematics,
then graduate school in Japanese religion
From teaching GED preparation
courses here in St. Paul to exploring Japanese language
and culture in Tokyo, my
Macalester experiences have
changed my life. One highlight was participating
in this year’s Civic Forum. The
forum brings together scholars and students
to explore issues related to civic life,
leadership, and engagement in early 21st
century America. The topic was “Religion
and the American Public Square.” As a
religious studies major, I jumped at the
chance to present my thoughts on the role
of religion in American public life, and I
ultimately decided to prepare a paper on
instituting a religious studies curriculum in public secondary schools: “Educating the Global Citizen: Redefining the Role of Religion in Public Schools.”
In the United States today, I think we are
overly concerned with the role of religious
practice in school, such as prayer and
dress, but we do not adequately address
the role religious studies should play in
educating public school students in the
plurality of religious cultures. Though I am
not an expert on secondary education or
religious studies, if I can influence someone
to rethink our public education system
and consider a more complete curriculum,
I will have made a difference.
I have always shied away from public
speaking, so the thought of presenting
in front of my peers and professors was
daunting. However, with practice and
support, I overcame one of my greatest
fears—and succeeded! I received valuable
feedback from Professor Jane Rhodes,
Dean for the Study of Race and Ethnicity,
and had the opportunity to spend time
with the keynote speaker, something I
can’t imagine happening at any large
institution. I then prepared my paper for
publication in the Macalester Civic Forum
journal.
My time at Macalester has flown by and I
am thankful for the opportunities I have
experienced. Macalester has trained me to
be an effective global citizen of my local,
national, and transnational communities. |
