Although it seems like the SDLC courses are directed mainly at language learning, there is almost as much to learn about culture as there is about language. Additionally, most of the cultural learning that occurs throughout the semester culminates into the Culture Project. While my family is Afghan--which provides me exposure to many aspects of a culture that speaks Dari, I have gained a lot of cultural knowledge from taking SDLC 110 and hope to continue to do so in SDLC 111.
Last semester I learned about Afghanistan's contemporary culture in regard to the nation's media, music, and societal values; if you would like to see the project, this is it. Specifically, I focused on Afghan Star (essentially, an Afghan version of American Idol) and how the show's popularity contrasted and went against the radical / extremist views of the Taliban; which still maintains a strong presence in Afghanistan.
This semester I'd like to take a look at the role of Islam in Afghanistan (since Dari is widely spoken in the country). Considering the recent outrage over the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims," I feel that the topic is pertinent to what is occurring culturally in Afghanistan today. Although it seems that Islamic extremism is not as prevalent as it was in prior years, a film such as the "Innocence of Muslims" has the power to provoke violence and tension; as evidenced by the killing of J. Christopher Stevens, who was, at the time of his death, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya.
Luckily, due to my choice of topic, there will be a wide array of sources to help analyze the role of Islam in Afghanistan. It will certainly be interesting to learn how religion has influenced Afghanistan, and, if possible, to see what affects religion has had on Dari.
Considering the topic of my Culture Project, my cultural learning goals for this semester are as follows:
- Learn about the role Islam has had in Afghanistan, with a greater focus on contemporary history in the nation
- What affects / role does Islam have on Dari, if any exists
- Determine how the role of Islam has changed in Afghanistan from the past and where it is headed in the future.
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