Charleston is often referred to as the Holy City, but do you know why?
In an effort to learn more about their adopted city of Charleston, advanced English Language Institute students spent time exploring these sacred spaces around Charleston.
Students toured local places of worship where they learned about the history of the church or synagogue building and its members. Once the students completed the tours, they worked with a partner to prepare a power point presentation that was given to the class.
Students also discussed the meaning and purpose of a “sacred space.” Initially students defined this as a place where a religion was practiced, but after much discussion, they decided that these spaces could be any place where a person would feel safe and at peace.
With this in mind, students then began a final research paper on a sacred space that was important to them. The purpose of the paper was not only for students to learn about this place, but to also do college-level research. Students were required to use credible sources and cite these sources using the proper format.
Once the final papers were graded, each student created a presentation for the class that summarized what they had learned.
The students agreed that they learned a great deal about the city by visiting these churches, including the history of Charleston. For example, some original buildings were destroyed by an earthquake or fire. This is something discovered in their research. Others who practiced different religions said they had never been in a church or synagogue.
All remarked that the process of researching and writing a paper of this complexity was challenging, but that they all felt proud of the work they did.