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2. Creating Notes

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2.1 8 Big Questions

Think through "8 Big Questions" you have for the class. Things that you want to learn about. Why you are here. What kinds of curiosities do you have that will motivate your learning this semester. These will be your “Big Questions” for this semester.
Think big, push yourself to get creative with these questions; balance the tension between specificity and broadness. You want questions that are specific enough that you know if it is answered and broad enough that it will have use for you beyond knowing a specific date, the name of an author, etc.
These are hard to answer questions, things that could likely motivate your research for some time. A good open-ended question will guide your learning.
Two examples of big questions from students are:
“What is the relationship between religion and trauma and how do we use or not use that relationship to make the world better?”

“A lot of religions have a connection between their beliefs and nature and the natural world. Do those connections exist within Quakerism and if so what are the religious based Quaker beliefs on nature?”
Here is how Tiago Forte describes big questions:
They are probably hard problems without simple answers. The answers are probably very different depending on the person or situation. They are “high context” problems. Answering them would unleash huge value for yourself and others.
The purpose of this exercise is not only to clarify them for yourself, but to help you formulate and frame them in a way that makes it as easy as possible for others to help you.
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Progressive Summarization and Big Questions

Think of your big questions as the filters you will be reading everything through. If the questions get at your passions, curiosities, etc. then they will help you find the valuable “nuggets” in the readings as you go.
👕 Your questions are like clothes hangers that you hang your notes (i.e. resources that get you to an answer) on.
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Write your big questions below:

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Add a Question
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8 Big Questions
0
Big Question
Why is this important to you?
Topic
Responses
1
If the global food system is working off of oppression, can any product of it be pure and holy?
Our food system is deeply corrupted.
Social Concerns
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2
How can food fuel my faith?
I desire a deeper spiritual connection to food.
Theology
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3
How is our spiritual faith represented in food and it’s preparation?
I have little experience with faith connected to food.
Contemporary
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4
How has processed food and genetically modified food affected people’s spiritual connection to food?
Most food is processed or modified.
Social Concerns
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5
Does food serve a higher purpose than fuel for our bodies?
what is purpose of flavor?
Other
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6
How different is a chef from a priest? Are they similar?
comparison
Other
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7
What makes one type of food pure and holy while the other tainted and sinful?
classification
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8
How has the land shaped people’s beliefs surrounding different types of food?
Landscape shaping the faith and practice surrounding food.
History
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There are no rows in this table
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Next: 👉
2.2 Checklist
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