University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Experiencing Differences on Campus: Jewish Culture at the University of Illinois

ASRHET233

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/16367

Description

Title
Experiencing Differences on Campus: Jewish Culture at the University of Illinois
Author(s)
ASRHET233
Issue Date
2010
Keyword(s)
  • Judaism
  • Jewish life
  • college students
  • Spring 2010
  • RHET233
Abstract
The Jewish population at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign makes up approximately 11 percent of the undergraduate population. With 3,500 students, this constitutes a rather large minority religious group. This research paper seeks to identify what makes Judaism unique and what separates it from other religions on campus, but also notes similarities found within other religions, such as experiences of Muslim students on campus. Through observation, interview, and analysis of articles, the culture of Judaism is explored. How is Judaism defined on the University of Illinois campus? What do nationwide trends of Jewish undergraduate statistics show about the University of Illinois population? Throughout the researching process, it was concluded that there were no striking differences between Judaism and any other religious group on campus, and that the Jewish community was welcoming and inclusive.
Series/Report Name or Number
Rhetoric 233 (Principles of Composition) is an intermediate expository writing course where students refine their skills in critical reading, argumentation, revision, anticipating audience, and editing. In this course, students explored the relationships between language, culture and identity, as well as examined the ways that writers understand their surrounding cultures, contexts, and audiences (and what that means for their writing). They explored how writers use language to not only express themselves or their ideas, but also to do something—act politically, resist dominant structures, express agency, enact change, etc. As part of the Ethnography of the University Initiative (EUI), a major part of this course was to produce an in-depth research project, where students chose some aspect of language, culture, and community/identity to study on the University. They engaged in ethnographic research methods, which included collecting data, observing and participating in their chosen culture, recording their findings, and analyzing what they collected and recorded.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/16367

Owning Collections

Student Communities and Culture PRIMARY
The university offers an extraordinary opportunity to study and document student communities, life, and culture. This collection includes research on the activities, clubs, and durable social networks that comprise sometimes the greater portion of the university experience for students.