HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE

STUDENT SELF EVALUATION

Student Name Katherine Watier Term   Spring 1998

School/Course# SS 132 Title Religious Movements & Social Change

Instructor Sue Darlington

********************************************************************

This class was one that grew onme. I'm not sure exactly what I wasexpecting, but I found it difficult to adjust to Sue's teaching style and tounderstand the religious theories presented early in the class.  At the same time, I was adjusting to the pressuresof juggling two jobs off campus with a full course schedule.  I have to admit that I often took"mental health days" early in the semester that I'm sure onlyhindered my understanding of the concepts presented in class.  I also have a personal vendetta against thedynamics created in East Lecture Hall, and I began to get more involved inclass when we moved to a classroom. Istruggled with all of the papers and the corresponding theoretical articles inorder to understand the concepts enough to comment on or respond to.  It wasn't until the unit on liberationtheology and the group debate that I was really able to get involved in theclass dynamic and discussions.

Without a doubt, the most positiveaspect of this class was my involvement in my final paper.  Utilizing the theories presented in classand by comparing the events I researched with the case studies we studied inclass I was able to "discover" and give specific evidence for theemergence of a new religious movement that is gaining precedence today inAmerica. Not only was it exciting to write about a virtually unresearchedphenomena, but it was gratifying to be able to apply the concepts in class witha real life situation of social change.