Welcome to Justice Across Cultures! Week 1---

Welcome to Justice Across Cultures- I look forward to getting to know you all by talking about some complex issues over the next few weeks.  I am originally from Lexington, Kentucky, and I have spent time living in Egypt, Uganda, Denver, and now Washington, D.C.  

I am a doctoral candidate at DU, studying religion and global affairs, and I am currently writing my dissertation on the efficacy of religious engagement in peacebuilding processes in Lebanon, South Africa, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.  I also work as the Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, based in D.C., which focuses on the challenge of anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States.  I work with a number of religious denominations and organizations in the US to collectively address this issue in upholding the American values of individual religious freedom and diversity.  Prior to moving to D.C., I was the Assistant Director of the Living and Learning Communities at DU, and I coordinated the Social Justice LLC for 4 years.  Thus, I come to this course with a number of diverse experiences and bring them all into the readings I assign and discussions I organize and participate in.

While Canvas is our main "hub" for assignments, readings, and discussion boards, our course blogs and Twitter will be an important piece of course communication as well.  I will write a weekly post to introduce some of the topics and questions (in lieu of "lecturing" on the readings) and you will be asked to use your blog for various assignments and responses throughout.

This week, we are seeking to unpack some of the terms and questions that we'll explore throughout the course:  What is justice?  What is culture?  And what are some of the "cultural" or religious clashes over justice in the world today? Our readings raise a few of the major questions and dichotomies that arise when dealing with issues of cultural or religious specificity (meaning, the values that seem to be specific to certain groups) and the issue of universal values, which are becoming increasingly important, but also increasingly debated, in our globalized world.

Culture and religion, while not equivalent, certainly overlap in important ways, as religious values and paradigms often inform the way certain societies configure notions of justice and social justice.  And yes, cultural and religious identities are in no way homogenous.  For instance, people who identify as Muslim have vastly different interpretations of what that means, and what it entails in terms of justice, across the globe.  In this class, we cannot possibly cover every perspective or issue, so we’re sticking to a few key ones, but please feel free to bring up other perspectives or issues that interest you (related to the theme, of course) through discussion forums, Twitter, and your blog. 

As I noted in the announcement this week, it is critical that you read the syllabus thoroughly and pay close attention to the structure and deadlines for the modules each week (which are explained in the bi-weekly announcements).  This is a 4-week, 4-credit class, all held online!  It’s intense!  Please be sure to keep up, as it will be very difficult to catch up.  Read thoroughly (the syllabus, the announcements, the modules/assignments), follow instructions, think critically, and you should be fine.