Even though there are countless activities for college students to do during summer break, most of us choose to sit on the couch playing video games or binge watching Netflix and HBO. This summer I wanted to do more.

I decided to take a few classes to get ahead. This was a great decision because not only did I get ahead, but I learned about a culture and religion that I was previously ignorant of. Studying a religion that I had a limited knowledge of was a wonderful experience.

The Literature & Writing Studies Department’s class entitled LTWR 320: Sacred Texts is one of the most important classes students can take. The class description says students will “study selected texts drawn from the world’s religious traditions – Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Confucian and Muslim.” The class was taught by Professor Salah Moukhlis and focused on the study of Islam. To my knowledge, during the spring and fall semesters the class focuses on the sacred oral literature of Native Americans.

During the summer semester, one debate kept coming up: Whether or not people had free will. Our class realized that there was no way to prove whether we did or didn’t. But the most interesting thing I learned about the notion of free will is that, even though these ideas opposed each other, they existed harmoniously in the Koran. For me, the primary take away of the class was learning about the history of Islamic culture. I had no idea it was so rich. Though I had taken the class just to get ahead of the game, I came out with new knowledge about the progressiveness of Islamic culture.
I know that summer classes sound like a drag, but if the only thing you have planned is TV time, take them. I especially encourage you take a course that will give you insight into other cultures. Not only will taking summer classes get you ahead in your studies, but you will also learn some new things. And hey, you might just have fun.