The ideas and viewpoints expressed in the posts on the Ideas and Creations blog are solely the view of the author(s). Luther College's mission statement calls us to "embrace diversity and challenge one another to learn in community," and to be "enlivened and transformed by encounters with one another, by the exchange of ideas, and by the life of faith and learning." Alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the college are encouraged to express their views, model "good disagreement" and engage in respectful dialogue.
Students from every J-term course in 2014 are blogging. As you can expect, some are creative, some insightful and some downright hilarious. When you have a minute-peruse a few. We've selected a few to get you started.
Renae Hartl, Luther head softball coach and associate athletic director, reminisces on when she decided to become a college coach and reviews what a "day in the life" of a collegiate coach is like.
Martin Klammer, Luther professor of English and Africana studies, shares some notes on Nelson Mandela from a recent Luther grad. A fitting tribute to an inspiring man.
Aaron Lurth, director of visual media, takes a look back at the past year through a photo journey, "2013 in photos."
Guy Nave's blog, 'What Good is a Ph.D. for Reading the Bible' was selected by Sojourners' founder, Jim Wallis, as one of their 7 best articles for 2013.
Brooke Joyce, associate professor of music and composer-in-residence at Luther College, wishes you a safe and joyous holiday season and shares a short organ meditation on a chant based on "Ad te levavi."
Gereon Kopf, Luther College professor of religion, challenges the community to think critically about disagreement and what readers can do to open themselves to a different point of view.
Philip Freeman, Luther professor of classics, discusses how Cicero was able to see through the follies of political stubbornness during Caesar's reign by making an interesting and thought-provoking argument relating Cicero's writings to the present day political world.
Robert Shedinger, Luther associate professor of religion, contemplates the irony of Handel's "Messiah." For Isaiah, Cyrus is the Lord's Messiah, not Jesus! Does the 2,000-year-old interpretive tradition that reduces Isaiah to nothing more than a prophetic predictor of the coming of Jesus erase the far more prophetic message standing at the heart of Isaiah's proclamation?
Britt Rhodes, Luther associate professor of social work, talks about her courses where knowing the answers comes secondary to being able to grapple with the tough questions, and knowing that our students' eventual answers will have real bearing on people's lives.
Kate Elliot, Luther assistant professor of art history, discusses the relationship between studies and extracurricular activities during "Christmas at Luther" week, as well as the understanding that these activities are actively developing some of the "soft" skills that students so desperately need in the workforce.
Jennaya Robison, Luther assistant professor of music, searches for the perfect piece to start the school year: not too difficult, not too easy... a piece to inspire.