Announcing HUMN 160 Global Religion & Culture
For the Portage Learning Academic Team, one of the biggest challenges to developing an excellent course is finding the right person for the job. Are they an expert? Are they engaging? Are they experienced? Are they passionate about teaching? All of these questions (and more) are asked during the initial course development phases. In the case of our newest course, Global Religion & Culture, we knew an expert in the religions of the world should also hold a high degree of appreciation for cultural diversity. After all, the course concepts will be on a global scale.
Enter Dr. Jonathan Watt.
During the initial discussions for developing a world religions course, several strong recommendations were put forth for Dr. Watt. We quickly understood why. It was not just his nearly 30 years of teaching experience in the fields of history, religious studies, English, Greek, linguistics, anthropology, and sociolinguistics that made him stand out. It was also the way and the places he has lived. Dr. Watt was born in Australia but was later raised in various parts of England, Hong Kong, and the United States. He has made his experiences living around the world a vital part of his unique approach to teaching.
As our discussion moved towards his experience with religions across the globe, Dr. Watt quickly described some of his favorites: trekking across ancient Aboriginal grounds in Australia, visiting Buddhist pagodas in Hong Kong, gazing at Animist shrines in Japan, admiring mosques in Turkey, touring cathedrals across Europe, and sitting quietly in Middle Eastern synagogues (just to name a few!). All the while, as Dr. Watt described his travels and interactions, his compassion and love for people who were culturally diverse from himself was readily apparent.
HUMN 160 Global Religion & Culture examines the intersection of religion, culture, and globalization, particularly as they are manifested in the workplace. Drawing from his unique experiences, Dr. Watt guides students through an in-depth exploration of eight major religions, as well as the cultural implications and effects that a globalized world has had on society. Simply put, this course challenges a person to answer one of life’s many questions: How do we relate to people who are different than us?
