Something really cool that I got to do this week was interview someone close to me about Islam—my dad! I figured he would be a good person to talk to because he teaches 7th grade social studies, and in Indiana, that’s the year that social studies covers religions of the world. I wanted to compare …
Author Archives: medavis1
Tell Them, I Am
In light of our end of the semester discussion about how our studies are relevant today, I’ve been thinking about sharing a podcast I really enjoy. Tell Them, I Am is hosted by Misha Euceph and is about “the small moments that define who we are and who we are not.” The stories are about …
On the Train
I took the South Shore Line into Chicago over break, and took Reza Aslan’s book to read on the ride. With the title “No god but God” and the Kaaba in Mecca emblazoned on the cover, it’s pretty clear that it’s about Islam with one quick glance. As soon as I got on the train …
Drum Circle!
I was so glad that we got the information about the Center for Citizenship and Community Drum Circle! I had no idea it was going to happen, and it was a really special thing to go see. The students participating were part of the drum circle that sounds like it’s part of a Butler ICR. …
Academic and Personal
I’ve been thinking lately, as we’ve been making our way through the Qur’an, that religion is a really cool thing to study because we can (and kind of have to) view it through both an academic lens and a personal lens. We consider the foundations of a religion—we learn about its origins, sacred texts, significant …
Omar Offendum on Music and Culture
Last Thursday, I attended the School of Music Convocation with Omar Offendum. The SoM Convo is a weekly meeting for every undergraduate music major at Butler, and we have a wide variety of topics, from different guest speakers to audition tips to music networking opportunities and lots of random things in between. Some of these …
“Good” Music—Culturally and Personally
I’m a senior music ed major, and in the last 3 years I’ve spent a lot of time developing my personal philosophy for music education. Something that’s become really important to me is cross-cultural and cross-curricular teaching—basically, using music to connect to other subjects and other cultures. Music is a unique and powerful tool in …