As I walked into a classroom in the PAC, I was immediately engulfed with an array of aromas from the spread of food on the tables beside me.
When I was informed that students and professors held a small dinner before each class, I half expected the dinner to be very light and quick but was greatly surprised by the home-cooked five-course meal presented in front of me.
The classroom had been properly rearranged to mimic a dining room with a long table in the middle adorned with etiquette glass plates and cups.
Everyone was wearing Sunday clothes, quietly talking among one another, and being a random observer, it would have been very easy for me to feel like an outsider, but almost immediately, students began adding more chairs to the table and involving me in conversation.
The class “The Examined Life” is taught by the three faculty-in-residence: Frank Anderson, Jason Crawford and Phil Davignon, and it is typically taught in either a professor’s or student’s home. This allowed for a more comfortable environment that initiated conversation instead of regular lectures.
“It’s more of a conversation than it is a lecture,” professor of sociology Phil Davignon said. “More of an experience.”
Due to the added guests, including myself, this past class took place in the PAC, but I could still feel an overwhelming sense of hospitality and knew immediately that everyone in the room wanted to be there. The students could place their phones in a container by the door or keep them. All the students and professors placed their phones in the container, which proved they wanted to be with one another without interruptions, which is admirable.
This particular class was student-led, and each student brought a homemade dish inspired by a specific subject taught throughout the semester. The students that were a part of the class served drinks while everyone else around the table was engulfed in conversation.
It would have been easy for each student to go to the store, buy prepackaged food, and put little effort into the meaning; however, each student took the time to get their hands messy and make specialized dishes for the class.
I was taken away by the effort of all the dishes; whether it was a veggie dip representing learning or bread made from scratch representing Christlikeness, or even a Taiwanese pork dish representing love, I could tell it was all made with love and that it did not feel like an assignment for them.
“You can see it in the student’s eyes that they are inspired,” Davignon said. “They’re interested, they want to learn, and want to know just for their own sake.”
Each student stood up and presented their dish along with a small speech on the meaning of it and why they chose it.
The class felt like a dinner night at my own home. It felt like family members talking among each other, when everyone from different backgrounds and friends comes together on a Monday from 7-9 p.m. to fellowship with one another.
What was unique about this class is that it was almost effortless for the students to welcome outside guests in as one of their own, and that allowed for conversation to flow very easily, which is an essential aspect of the class in general.
Even when we were done eating, the students continued asking if we wanted seconds and strove to ensure everyone felt welcome.
Their kind actions reflected what was taught in the class and showed that the students were practicing what they were learning by providing an environment where anyone who is not a usual student feels included and part of the group.
“It’s refreshing to see that students want to learn about the topics,” Davignon said. “It’s a deeper level of honesty and sincerity.”
This is the first semester this class is being taught at Union University, and you can tell by the pass/fail grading system and by the unique structure of the class that students are not taking it for just a credit.
“(The Examined Life is) the best class with a perfect balance composed of both loving Christ-like community with loving, relaxed interactions,” junior creative writing major Eunice Tan said, “while also encouraging excellent learning from a place of pursuing truth, not a grade.”
It was very easy to see that the students in the class cared about what was being taught and that they trusted and were comfortable with one another, which enhanced a more conversation-driven atmosphere than a lecture filled with information.
Something that the students found very important is expressing the same hospitality to their guests as their professors have expressed their hospitality to them.
“Home is something very hard to recreate—especially on a college campus,” Tan said. “But I feel like I am walking into a home every class. Jesus created a home every time we fellowshipped with his disciples, even as they moved around from place to place—they were guests and yet they were always home.”
The night ended with a group prayer where everyone — including guests — held hands. Once the class was dismissed, everyone could return to their dorms; instead, they stood around, conversing with one another despite the time.
I could even feel my eyes become slightly heavy, but I did not want to leave the hospitable atmosphere and continued walking around, joining in on different conversations.
“Their hospitality has been evident all through this semester” Associate Professor of Ministry and Missions Frank Anderson said. “I’m the oldest one here, and being around all these younger people gives me a different perspective of life.”
