Immersion Proposal

Student Name: Angelica Pickles

What group from the spectrum of diversity do you plan to immerse yourself in? (remember, you must have no previous personal contact with members of this group)

I plan to immerse myself in the Christian religion (Catholic denomination).

5pts

Why did you choose this group to immerse yourself in? Explain with detail. (100 words minimum).

I chose to immerse myself in the Christian religion because I am a member of the Jewish faith. The majority, if not all, of my friends growing up were Jewish too. Though I have seen a lot of movies about Christian traditions, like Christmas for example, I have never experienced Christianity in person. I have never been inside a church before, since we worship in a synagogue. I am very interested to see what Christians are all about and see what a Christian church service feels like. Christian churches are often historic and incredibly beautiful from the outside and I think it will be a very enlightening experience to immerse myself in both the history and culture of Christianity.

10pts

What is your immersion plan? (100 words minimum)

I am going to attend a Christian church service at St. Patrick’s Church. I am going to attend the 11am service on Sunday, September 3rd 2016. The address of the St. Patrick’s Church is 1234 Irish Drive, Somewhere, OK. I discovered this church and its schedule online and their website is www.stpatricks.com. I chose this particular church because it is within walking distance from my dorm. There were other churches to choose from, but this church had the most interesting website and I feel excited to visit there because of that. Their website was interesting to me because it showed pictures of a lot of diverse people. I do not need prior approval to attend the church service. I know this because the website says it is open to all people.

15pts

What are the special considerations that you will need to be aware of for this immersion experience? How will you adhere to each special consideration? Please include appropriate behavior/etiquette, way of dress, and respect. (125 words minimum)

There are several special considerations that I should be aware of during my immersion experience. First, I know that I need to keep my cell phone on silent and not use it during the church service. If my cell phone rings during the service it will be very distracting and disrespectful to the people around me. Also, using my cell phone during the service would be offensive to those around me because it would imply that I am not interested in or taking their religion seriously. Secondly, there is a lot of ceremony in Christian church services. There will be times when I will be expected to read from the bible or hymnal. I will do my best to find the correct pages and follow along. This will show my interest in and respect for the service. There will be times when I will have to rise and stand and though I may not know what I am doing, I will follow along with those around me. There will be times for bowing my head in prayer. Even if I am not comfortable praying at that time, I will still bow my head out of respect for those around me. Thirdly, I will need to dress semi-formally, which means that I will not wear jeans or shorts. Most people will be wearing their “Sunday best” so I will put care into my appearance out of respect. Lastly, I know that this will be very foreign to me so I will make every effort to assimilate with those around me and even if I hear or see something that I do not believe in myself, I will keep that opinion to myself (not speak up out of turn and not make disapproving faces).

15pts

How do you know what the special considerations are? (25 words minimum)

I called the church and spoke to the receptionist. I told her that I am coming to attend a church service but have not been to a Christian service before. I asked her how I should behave and dress and how I can show respect to members of the church while I am there. I also did a google search about what Christian (specifically Catholic) church services are like so I can know a bit more about what to expect.

10pts

What do you hope to learn and gain from this immersion experience? Be specific regarding the group you have chosen and how the experience could benefit you personally. (150 words minimum)

There is so much that I hope to learn and gain from this experience. While growing up I never paid too much attention to other religions because my community was not religiously diverse. The only time I really noticed that there were other religions was during the winter holiday season when television channels were flooded with Christmas movies. My parents were not terribly strict with us about our religion, but I do remember them quietly steering us away from the Christmas programming, which of course made us kids want to watch those shows even more. I hope to learn a little bit about who Christ is to Christians and why his teachings are so meaningful. I also really hope to humanize Christians. A lot of my views on Christianity are shaped by the media and I cannot seem to help thinking that a lot of Christians say one thing and then do another. I want that to change. I want to see Christians differently because surely that is a narrow minded view. Most of all I want to find common ground. I want to learn more about what makes us the same, rather than what makes us different. I think that identifying similarities between Jews and Christians will help me to relate better and even contribute to breaking down stereotypes in my own small way.

15pts

Discuss your anticipation of the experience. Are you nervous about anything? Why or why not? (50 words minimum)

I am nervous to enter a new environment for the first time. I have not had to do many things alone in life yet and this feels intimidating when I stop and think about it. I am nervous that I will stand out in the crowd and people will sense that I do not belong there. I am also worried that my parents will not understand why I am doing this.

10pts

Think very candidly. Do you have any pre-conceived notions about the group of people you are going to immerse yourself in? If so, what are they? What are the stereotypes that you have heard about this group of people? (50 words minimum)

I guess I have always looked at Christians as being very conservative people. Part of me has shied away from learning more about Christianity because I have felt exhausted at times when seeing news reports where it seems like Christians pick and choose the parts of the bible that they want to believe in and then use it to further their personal agenda. I know this is not true of all Christians, only a very small minority, but I truly hope that my experience at this church service gives me a whole new perspective.

10pts

Using the information you have written in your proposal, please create one SMART goal with three objectives.

FILL IN

10pts