Course SLO's and SPO's:
This Geography 2 course focuses on human culture and its implications. The hybrid class has taught me how to create original maps and identify pattens on the five cultural issues of language, religion, urbanization, politics or economics, and lastly, on human-environmental interactions. These individual maps had tasked me to find out the cause and effects of the identified patterns and offer feasible solutions to the difficulties or problems faced. In addition, I also got to participate in the lively discussions in which I got to interact with my fellow classmates through the use of the Canvas web-based learning portal used at Pasadena City College, California, USA.
This interesting class has 3 Course Learning Objectives SLO's and 6 Student Performance Objectives SPO's. They are the skills and knowledge that students taking this class should gain over the course of this Geography 2 class. While SLO's are more general overarching course themes, the related course SPO's are more specific skills and knowledge. Each assignment in the class connects with specific SLO's and SPO's.
Without much further a do, here's...
This interesting class has 3 Course Learning Objectives SLO's and 6 Student Performance Objectives SPO's. They are the skills and knowledge that students taking this class should gain over the course of this Geography 2 class. While SLO's are more general overarching course themes, the related course SPO's are more specific skills and knowledge. Each assignment in the class connects with specific SLO's and SPO's.
Without much further a do, here's...
Student Learning Objective 1
Demonstrate multicultural literacy and global awareness by analysis and interpretation of the origins, diversity, and distribution of basic cultural patterns, with particular attention given to: language, religion, urbanization, political and economic patterns, and human-environment interactions.
Student Performance Objectives
Student Performance Objectives
- Analyze and interpret cultural geography data and patterns in multiple forms (maps, graphs, tables, diagrams).
- Have the skills to read, analyze, and interpret maps.
Religious Problem Map
Since starting college in America at Pasadena City College during the fall 2012 semester, I have driven around Pasadena regularly and came to realize that the city of Pasadena, California, has many beautiful churches. This fact is confirmed on the map that I created with the help of Arc GIS at: http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=2fb36af8daac4d6b867430c42aa1d98b.
In addition, I just found out that there are six churches within walking distance from college itself. Therefore, I decided to make a second Arc GIS map, http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=f8f2a80db8f54e2ba8282ad20bef9a62, which showcases the church density. According to the map below, Happy Science USA is along East Del Mar Boulevard, the Knox Presbyterian Church of Pasadena is located along the intersection of South Hill Avenue and East Del Mar Boulevard, the St. Philip The Apostle Church and Saint Philip the Apostle Church are located along South Hill Avenue, while The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Fittingly so, Sid Galley, a volunteer at the Pasadena Museum of History described on Pasadena Star News on 08/10/2014 that Pasadena is a city of churches as Christian immigrants from all over the world settled in and that the first two churches built in the city around 1875AD were the Pasadena Presbyterian Church and the Pasadena Methodist Episcopal Church. The link to the article can be found at: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20140810/pasadena-was-a-city-of-churches-from-start.
However, despite the fact that the city of Pasadena website http://cityofpasadena.net/Pasadena_Facts_and_Statistics/ indicates that the human population in Pasadena has diversified in religion over the years since its incorporation in 1886AD where the dormant religion was Christianity in the city, there are now two Hindu temples, namely the Pasadena Hindu Temple and Ma Durga Temple, two mosques, namely the Majid Al-Taqwa Mosque and Masjid Qurtubah Mosque, two Buddhist temples, namely the Pasadena Buddhist Temple and Sri Lanka American Buddha Dharma Society and a Synagogue, the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center today.
I have recognized that despite the 12.7% Asian population and 17.7% of residents of other ethnic background in which the city of Pasadena declares on their facts and statistics website at: http://cityofpasadena.net/Pasadena_Facts_and_Statistics/ , there are no Sikh temples in existence for the Sikh American community in the city of Pasadena, California. This is the religious problem that I have identified from the first map that the Sikhs in the city face daily. With the nearest Sikh temples in the cities of Alhambra along East Live Oak Avenue and Los Angeles along Franklin Avenue respectively, the Sikh Americans face vast distance constraints. As such, they are currently not able to seek spiritual solace, practice their own religion readily when they wish to at their free-will, without the inconveniences of the need to drive, or to take public transportation to the nearest place of worship, observe the American values of liberty, equality and democracy and most importantly, exercise their Bill of Rights to Amendment I of the Constitution of the United States of America which clearly states at the United States archives website on http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”.
Therefore, I really hope that the Pasadena City council can solve this religious issue by freeing up some land so that the elderly, disabled, young, and all Sikh Americans all can have a place to gather for religious and cultural purposes near their homes.
Works Cited
"The Bill of Rights: A Transcription." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html>.
Galley, Sid. "Pasadena Was a City of Churches from Start." Pasadena Was a City of Churches from Start. Pasadena Star News, 10 Aug. 2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. <http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20140810/pasadena-was-a-city-of-churches-from-start>.
"Google Maps." Google Maps. Google, 14 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <https://www.google.com/maps/search/mosque+in+pasadena,+ca/@34.1425449,-118.2375279,11z/data=!3m1!4b1>.
"Google Maps." Google Maps. Google, 14 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. <https://www.google.com/maps/search/sikh+temple+in+pasadena,+ca/@34.0835398,-118.2169073,12z>.
"Google Maps." Google Maps. Google, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. <https://www.google.com/maps/search/places+of+worship+in+pasadena,+ca/@34.1452817,-118.1595833,13z/data=!3m1!4b1>.
"Pasadena Facts and Statistics - City of Pasadena, California." Pasadena Facts and Statistics - City of Pasadena, California. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. <http://cityofpasadena.net/Pasadena_Facts_and_Statistics/>.
Reflection
- Define your course Learning Outcome 1 (SLO 1). HINT: You may have to look this up in your course syllabus.
Both religious problem maps demonstrate multiple literacy and global awareness by my analysis and interpretation of the origins, diversity and distribution of the current religious issue at the city of Pasadena, California, USA today.
2. Why did you choose your artifact (exam question/assignment/project) and why is your artifact the best evidence you have of SLO 1?
I chose this artifact as it is interesting to note that although Pasadena began as a city of many churches, the city has progressed with time as people of diverse backgrounds moved in. The availability of Buddhist temples, Hindu Temples, Mosques, and a Jewish Synagog in the city is proof that the city welcomes peoples of all walks of life.
I think that the religious problem maps that I have created are the best evidence of SLO 1 because I feel that the city has Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism represented but has left out the last major world religion of Sikhism. Dictionary.com defines the Sikhs at: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sikh as members of a monotheistic religion, founded in the Punjab c1500 by the guru Nanak, that refuses to recognize the Hindu caste system or the Brahmanical priesthood and forbids magic, idolatry, and pilgrimages. According to Harvard University's The Pluralism Project at: http://pluralism.org/religions/sikhism/sikhism-in-america/first-arrivals/, the earliest records of Sikh immigration from Vancouver, Canada to America took place in 1903. This means that the religion has been in America for the past 116 years! Therefore, I feel that Sikh-Americans living in the city should also be recognized with the provision of land for a Sikh temple, so that they can practice their religion freely without the need to travel far away to the nearest temple by car in Southern California.
3. What specific skills and knowledge from SLO 1 did you utilize by creating or completing your artifact?
Through the creation of the original maps, I learned the skills of analysis of available data and the identification of concerns that a population may be in shortage of. As I utilized the Arc GIS software online to analyze human geographical patterns for potential religious issues around the world today, I developed knowledge of cartography and how to read and interpret map data. I subsequently identified the problem and decided to do research on the problem. Sure enough, I found out that there are no Sikh temples in the city, despite having the other four major religions represented with their own places of worship.
4. List three ways you think your knowledge or skills have grown or developed as a result of creating or completing your artifact.
- Before this project, I did not even know the skill of how to utilize mapping software to make my original maps nor add the necessary symbols such as the North arrow and scale bar graph.
- My knowledge of the racial breakdown of the city of Pasadena has improved tremendously. Before this, I thought that the city only comprised of churches and that no other type of place of worship was present.
- With the knowledge of making maps acquired , I soon developed the confidence of making them quickly.