Throughout the Fall semester of 2017, I was able to connect History 3510 to a few of my other classes.

The course I was taking on utopian literature provided many examples of what ‘ideal’ or ‘perfect’ societies which were more directly a critique of the authors’ society. Within humanity, there seems to be an endless search for a utopia or perfection within communities, and this affects all aspects of living including education. Literary examples through the utopian literature course provided insight into what specific authors believed to be ideal learning situations and outcomes. One which directly related to my views of education was William Morris’ News From Nowhere. Within this novel, the people of Nowhere do not have a formal education. Rather they learn through experience. Children are ale to choose what they learn through their interests. Often, learning is gained through spending time outside and with nature among other people of similar age. This is seen as creating a sense of independence as well as enjoyment through individual learning. The Nowhere informal education is Morris’ critique of education in19th century England which was very formal and separate from the natural world. While I see the advantage of formal education as it is essential for citizens to learn skills in all areas (such as arithmetic, reading, and writing) the ideas of incorporating nature and individual choice into the education programs was something which I think it important to bring into the classroom.

Another course which was relatable to History 3510 was the History of Religion in Canada course. This course helped me make the connection between religion and school as during the early years of standardized education religion had a significant influence over schooling and was present within many classrooms. Through learning about religion in the classroom through both courses I came to the definite realization that religion and education should be widely separated. While this is the view of the education system today it still holds some ruminants of the previously religious system. For example, the celebration of Christmas within schools, which is a Christian holiday should either stop, or open up to include other religions and their celebrations. Choosing to celebrate one religions holiday can be isolating for children of different faiths and encourages ignorance towards religions outside of the more common strands of Christianity.