You’ve set a goal for one of the OS global competencies. It’s time to set one for a course-specific competency. Here they are:

· Students will personalize their individual religious studies by designing and building portfolio assessments in order to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of their studies.

· Students will develop a working definition of religion by identifying universal features of religions in order to develop a pluralistic appreciation for diverse spiritual practices and beliefs.

· Students will study the intersections of religion, history, and changing belief systems in order to analyze the role of religion in contemporary societies.

· Students will analyze the impact of globalization by examining threats that religions and cultures face in order to contextualize fundamentalist responses to the cultural hegemony.

· Students will perform high quality research by identifying and selecting peer-reviewed evidence in order to develop persuasive arguments and demonstrate independent learning.

· Students will build cultural competency by analyzing the perspective and bias inherent within primary and secondary sources in order to develop empathy for diverse points of view.

· Students will develop metacognitive awareness by reflecting frequently on the process and outcomes of their learning activities in order to cultivate joyful learning habits.

To begin, read this article by Danny Forest: 31 Important Things You Should Say ‘No’ to for a Happier Life. [” We all have things that we are good at and things that we do that bring us down, and any goal-setting exercise should help us focus zero in on those things that help us be healthier and happier. The things we do that aren’t healthy are exactly the things that will get in the way of reaching our goals so let’s tackle them head-on before we do our goal setting exercise today.

As you read it, think about the things that you do each week that prevent you from being our best. When you set your goals below, use at least one thing from the article to he|p you make better choices this vear.

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