Channels of Rage

I really enjoyed this video, though it was sometimes hard to understand and follow. The video really helped to illustrate the diversity of Israel.

It also really illustrated how music can be a bridge to peace or a tool to divide. It's all in how you interpret it and make it.

The video also reminded me of something Dr. Hasan-Rokem said. She said that may of the younger generation seemed right wing. Both Tamar and Sublime were interpreted as being right wing when neither of them really thought they were. They were both friends who wanted violence to end and to perform their music. To me, this illustrates a generation gap.

Final Project, Part II

So I didn't really expect that response. My intent was not to my people angry, rather to make people think. I firmly believe that a wall should not ever be a solution. I believe they are a weak solution for severe diplomatic failure. But beyond that, if one wants to sink to the level of wall building, at least attempt to do it fairly.

When I was a freshman in high school I participated in a program similar to this. A small group of us were chosen to correspond with high school students from Israel, culminating with an end of the year video conference. At that video conference one of the students asked an interesting question. This student, who was two years away from compulsory military service asked me what I thought about the possibility of building a wall. Then, as I would say now, I told her that building a wall only divides us further. We should be trying to pull together, not be divided so clearly. I used the example of the US during the time of segregation to illustrate this point. There was once a point in our own nations history when violence was big possibility and racism permiated. But instead of continuing a flawed strategy of "seperate but equal," the US chose to change their strategy. This change in strategy is an improvement which I believe this entire classroom has benefited from.

Do not reduce me based on this final project or things which I have written or said. These are parts of me, and do not add up to a whole. I can forgive someone for lashing out at a moment of intense emotional pain. Believe it or not I can. I've been there, I understand. But I will have a much harder time forgiving someone for not respecting me or attempting to reduce me.

This quarter has been amazing. Thanks guys!

Evaluation

Overall, this class has been a very big challenge. I have learned things about myself and how I interact with others that I don’t think any other class could have taught me. I would like to thank Dr. Horowitz and the entire class for pushing one another and have the compassion to see that we are all trying to be on the same page.

I really enjoyed the Final Projects. They gave us a chance to be really creative, and let some who don’t speak much in the class express themselves in the open forum. Though I think that in the future students should not have the option of doing just a research paper without a powerpoint or similar presentation.

The Class Discussions were very interesting. I almost always learned something new, but sometimes had a hard time remembering that we are all different people who come from extremely different background. I wish there was a better way fro me to understand how difficult it is for people with certain backgrounds to sit at the table. I approached this as just a class, and I think others approached it as a life changing experience. Understanding this better at the beginning might have made class discussion more profitable.

I’m not so sure about prerequisite courses. That might discourage students from other academic backgrounds from taking this class. I know I probably would not have taken the course if I had been required to take a Middle East politics or history course first, simply because it would not have fit into my schedule. Keeping the class open allows for a more diverse group of people to take the class.

In general, I would say that the size of the class was too big. I think there might have been a problem, had everyone chosen to speak the same amount. If this class becomes a study tour, then it might be useful for there to be a short essay to accompany the request to join the class.

The video conferences and guest speakers were amazing, especially the video conferences. They helped to put a different spin on the topic. It might be helpful for the class to discuss the reading in class before discussing it with the experts. It seemed like we were slow to get questions rolling, and this might make it easier.

The web blogs were actually quite helpful. I was surprised, but they helped me to get my thoughts in order, and present my ideas better. I definitely hope these stay a part of the class.

Having a smaller class would increase the communication amongst the blogs. Also, when I was in high school I took AP English online. We had to comment on what we were reading in a similar discussion forum. Our instructor made us comment a minimum of 3 times on every subject. Though it was sometimes forced, it really helped to get conversation rolling. It would also help increase international communication if we added students from Hebrew University and Al Quds University to the blog. It might not be as cool as video conferencing, but it’s easier and allows for us to learn from our peers.

I also think it would be appropriate to add active listening to the course. At the beginning we discussed what we weren’t going to do in the class, but adding an element of what we should do might be helpful. I know some students think this is a waste of time, but I think it could help conversation.