Welcome

What are the “borders” of your life? Coming into college, each of our lives has “borders” of belonging. Some of these borders are cultural or ethnic, others can be religious or political. In a positive sense, sometimes these borders can help define our identity and community cultural wealth, or even serve to protect us from harm; in other cases, as we are currently experiencing in Los Angeles and the country as a whole, borders can be erected in a negative sense in order to dehumanize and exclude. Through the interdisciplinary lenses of religion (specifically Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), social psychology, and nonviolent social protest, this course examines the theme of borders in UCLA, Los Angeles, and our personal and familial lives. As a Community Engagement (“XP”) course, students will cross borders experientially through: guest speakers of the Abrahamic religious traditions; a walking tour of ethnic Los Angeles; visiting a religious congregation which outside of their own tradition; and a service project related to immigrant communities.