Kristine Penningroth-- Reflection on Class

The semester has drawn to an end and as it does I am reflecting on what I have learned in this class. To be honest, I don't think that I expected the class to be anything like it was. I expected to go through class and look at different pictures and then discuss them in groups and then add our own interpretation to them. I never thought that there would be so many different aspects that could be explored. I have learned a lot through Van der Leeuw's book and through his teachings and I find myself looking at religious art very differently. Not only the art, but the different aspects of religion such as dance, word and architecture have taken on a new meaning for me. I know I would never have had this kind of understanding of the topic had it not been for this class. I can leave this class and look at the different art types and the different types of architecture with a new meaning. I also gained knowledge from listening to others in class and their experiences and learned something new. The drum circle was a new experience and was quite interesting and something that I would be able to participate in again. All in all I have enjoyed learning something new about religion and how many different other people think and fell about it.