Undergraduate Religious Studies Association

News and Events

Faculty and Student Lunches, Movies and Field Trips

Spring Semester, 2012

  • "A Serious Man" film screening with free pizza from Aver's, hosted by
    Prof. Sarah Imhoff, February 16th, 7pm Sycamore Hall (room # TBA)
  • Student/Professor falafel lunch in the Religious Studies library (Sycamore 224) with Prof. Eva Mroczek, 12-1pm, March 2nd. RSVP required.
  • URSA meets every Friday from 5-6pm in the RS library in Sycamore Hall, 224.
  • For more URSA events, please check back soon – this page is updated periodically.

 

URSA News

Religious Studies undergraduates step up to lead
MLK Day activities and discussion focused on religious pluralism

URSA MLKWhile many college students were enjoying a day off from classes on Martin Luther King Day, Religious Studies undergraduates Kyle Earl and Kristin Riebsomer were busy leading a program on religious pluralism as part of Harmony School of Bloomington's Martin Luther King/Social Action Day.

The outreach was sponsored by the Undergraduate Religious Studies Association (URSA), of which both students are members.

Earl and Riebsomer spent the morning discussing five of the major world religions with a group of 20 elementary-aged children. Their presentation included information about Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and Hinduism. A hands-on craft activity accompanied each, including hand-drawn sheep decorated with cotton balls, popsicle stick constructions of the Star of David and the Five Pillars, prayer beads, and story telling. Secularism, atheism, and agnosticism were also part of the discussion, all presented in the spirit of diversity and tolerance. According to Earl and Riebsomer, the message they hoped to convey was "'It's okay to believe what you want to believe…there are multiple religions in the world, and each person gets to choose what is right for him or her."

In the afternoon, they worked with an older group of 15 students in grades 8-12. "Homosexuality and Religion" was the topic of this presentation, which included watching YouTube videos that illustrated a spectrum of religious views of homosexuality from conservative to liberal. This led to a rich discussion that organically broke off into smaller groups led by the students themselves.

Riebsomer concentrates her undergraduate studies on Western religions. Her favorite class this semester is "Gnostic Religion and Literature," taught by Prof. David Brakke. Earl, who focuses on the study of Asian religions, says his favorite class is "Buddhist Art of the Himalayas," taught by Prof. Richard Nance. Both students agreed that they would like to see this outreach continue and possibly expand to other local schools in the future.