Final Reflections

1. Class Discussion/ Facilitation/ Conversation
I think that I learned a lot from class discussion. I often had questions about the readings or something that a speaker had talked about. Being about to discuss and also learn from my classmates questions and insight was really beneficial. I knew very little about this subject matter coming into the class and there was so much to learn. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed in class discussion because I felt like I didn't know enough to contribute. I found that it was really helpful when Dr. Horowitz would put things that we read into perspective, especially going through Armstrong's book.

2. Video Conferencing
Video conferencing was one of my favorite parts of this class. I really liked that we did it a little later in the quarter, not because the camera scares me, but by then I felt like we were knowledgeable enough to ask them questions. I thought it was so interesting to get to hear people talk about their lives and how they are affected daily by what is going on. These conferences were so beneficial for gaining a tangible view of different people's perspective. One challenge about video conferencing for me is that it is hard to disagree with them. There is a fear of being disrespectful or ignorant that often keeps me from asking a controversial question.

3. Readings and the topics
Armstrong's book was very helpful to understanding the context of Jerusalem and its past. Parts of this book were hard to get through but the in class discussion as well as reading other people's thoughts on these chapters was helpful. I really enjoyed the other reading that we were assigned outside of Armstrong's book. A lot of these readings really helped me to understand the current conflict in Jerusalem. It was good to read articles or pieces from different sides of the issue. Even if they were bias, it was helpful to see how people living in the situation actually feel.

4. Lecturers and Speakers
I enjoyed our in class guests very much because I felt like it was easier to have a dialogue with these people. It was easier for me to ask them questions than in the video conference. I'm not sure why. This might be because I feel like technology makes it hard to question something a speaker said. Regardless, Dr. Hermann's visit was really challenging and beneficial. He made me think about a lot of issues. These class periods often inspired me to pursue knowledge. The more I learn the more I see I don't know. It was really nice to just be taught for the entire class.

5. Blogging
I really enjoyed reading other peoples posts on the class blog but was often hesitant to put things of my own up there. I often struggled in deciding whether or not to put something in the class blog or just in my own blog. I think in the future it would be beneficial to clarify what should be placed in the class blog vs. individual blogs. I enjoyed getting to post my own thoughts in my blog but often wondered if my thoughts were on the right track. I think it would be beneficial if commenting on other people's blogs was required. I think that receiving feedback made me more excited to post the next time. Feedback on my posts would also be helpful. Often I didn't know if the way I was interpreting information was clear, accurate, fair...Also I think I learned a lot from reading my classmates blogs. Either I saw that someone had a similar question that I had or I was challenged to look at something from a completely different angle. With that said, it was hard to read all the material and post on it every week and still get to reading other people's thoughts.

6. Syllabus and its clarity
I thought the syllabus was fairly clear and enjoyed the open format of the class. Sometimes it was challenging for me because I would question what I was suppose to write about. This course definitely taught me how to reflect on the information I was taking in. I feel like it was a lot of information and I am still reflecting. I have found myself asking, "What does all this information mean to me now? After the class is over, now what?" This is something that I will probably be reflecting on and figuring out for a while. I would be interested to hear how my classmates would answer these questions.

7. Final Project
The idea of the a final project was really stimulating to me. To take one thing that interests you, that stirred you up, that made you think and develop that thing into a project. I was really hoping to do a multimedia project because I love them but the pieces just didn't fall into place. I began ask myself, "What has intrigued you most? What issues surrounding Jerusalem do you continue to think about even after class is over?" In answering this question I landed on Israeli Settlements. I knew I would find a lot of information but I had no idea it would as much as I did. This issue is current, very current, which placed it in multiple articles and all over the news. I decided to look at the issue through current issues. I wanted it to be as relevant and personal as possible. I tried to use as many personal accounts from all perspectives as I could. In the end I wanted my paper to paint a picture of the issue from all sides and the main concerns with it in general. The more I researched the more I found I didn't know. This seems to be a theme with this class. I learned an unbelievable amount through this project. I felt like I couldn't even articulate a lot of what I learned into my paper. In the end I think that this project was successful in challenging me to really dive into an issue that surrounds Jerusalem and the on going conflict. I barely scratched the surface but my eyes were opened greatly. It was really cool getting to see my classmates projects. I feel like I learned from seeing their final projects. It was also really neat to see how much they learned about what they studied. Throughout presentations you could see how excited people were about their project. I think these projects were successful in giving each of us a little bit better of a perspective on Jerusalem. In the end it seems very successful.

8. Personal Reflection
My personal reflection is probably the hardest section to answer because I have learned so much, I walked into this class with very little background on the conflict or the information that surrounds it. I am a Christian, love Jesus, and follow the Bible so seeing other people's perspectives was definitely interesting. Being in this class has challenged how I think and how to speak about issues that affect so many different sub-cultures of a society. I felt very quiet in this class because I was often unsure if I had anything insightful to add to the conversation. I think I grew a lot from learning about Jerusalem and have found myself in multiple conversations outside of class where I have been able to talk about what I have recently learned. Initially I was nervous because of my ignorance but as I realized that we all have a lot to learn about this issue it became easier. The final project was probably one of my favorite parts of the class because it forced me to really dive into a particular issue. I had to engage with it. I had to deal with it. I had to figure out what it meant for this conflict but also for me personally. The final project would not have been as successful without all the information and class discussion that came before it though. This class challenged me to think, take in a lot of information, and then process it really quickly. Ultimately, I think it gave me a great base of information to continue thinking about this issue.

one tribe.

there isn't really a great video of this song but have you guys heard it?

Final Project...again

I think I want to write my final paper on settlements. I have been unsettled (no pun intended) between the Dome of the Rock and Israeli settlements. I have found some interesting opinions from both sides about these settlements. Its so interesting to me. I think I am going to write about that...in fact, I am. I would like to spend most of the paper looking at these settlements from different people's views. Ultimately, I want to discuss how they are affecting present day Jerusalem. What divisions are they causing for peace negotiations in the future? I know it seems late to change my topic, but I've been thinking about it for a little while now. Our conference call last week pushed me over. It was crazy to hear him talk about the wall and these settlements as they impacted his life. The impacts they are having on real people's lives. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this...
Also, it's 2am? When did it get to be so late...?

Crater Lake

This has nothing to do with anything but since Amy brought it up today I wanted to show you guys a picture of Crater Lake. It's beautiful and also really cool. I love Crater Lake (in the "I have never been there and probably will never go" kind of way). Regardless, here it is...

That little guy in the middle is Wizard Island. Know nothing about it except I think it sits on a lava dome. It has a pretty cool name though.

Reflection on Professor Herrmann

Having professor Hermann come in was great. I feel like I learned a lot from hearing him talk. One thing that really stuck with me was about the two state solution. I guess I didn't realize fully how close they were to making an agreement in the nineties and how it crumbled. It was really interesting to talk about the peace conflict in relation to our government. We don't understand. "You don't understand. Too much has happened. Too much has happened over the past ten years and it cannot be forgotten." Maybe this sounds foolish but I never considered the severity of 9/11 on this issue. It made so much sense when he was talking about how Palestinians are able to bomb Israel but then they have to deal with all the terrorist publicity from the US. They don't really have many other options outside of that. Anyways, I am interested to see what our government tries to do now that the administration has changed...guess I need to pay more attention to the news.
Another thing that has really stuck with me was about the western wall. We have been talking about the wall recently but seeing those pictures was crazy. The image of that Palestinian city that is completely surrounded like a prison. We saw pictures of kids leaving through the gates to go to school, does anyone get to leave the city or are they trapped there? It looked like they lost a lot of their farm land when the wall went in, are they still able to use this land or not? How has the loss of these farms affected the ability for people to support themselves?

Reading Responses Week 8

I found the first article about unifying Israel through architecture to be difficult. It did not keep my attention. Was the architectural design of the city and infrastructure really that big of a deal? Why did it matter so much? I understand the idea of unifying a city through distinct cultural practices and traditions but why all the controversy about how buildings, neighborhoods, and city blocks were going to look?
The other article or book rather was really interesting. I found myself constantly checking the page numbers to validate that these documents were in fact in the same text and that I didn't skip a few pages. The way the text is set up kept me interested but I wonder why the author chose to do this? Besides that, I really enjoyed the the poems and narrative in the beginning. Maybe I liked them because it was so different than the first article. I liked the picture that Oleibo paints as he talks about his experience with the city. Every little detail reminds him that this is his home and he knows that this city is also the home of other people. He isn't concerned at all with his specific culture, race, or religion. He cares about Jerusalem. He was born their and it is his home, just like plenty of other people.
I also really like his poem. I feel like I can relate to how he takes in his surroundings. He feels a unique tie to his home, his culture, his Jerusalem because he knows it so well. He talks about waking up in the morning and recognizing where the dome is above his pillow and how the walls look. He notices details. I do this all the time. I can't help but keep track of details. Numbers, sounds, the way the sky looked, or the color of someones T-shirt. I know the room I live in. I know where the wall is cracked and dented. I know where the floor creeks. I know that there is a black spot on my ceiling that looks like a bug...but isn't. I am constantly taking in information that makes me feel tied to my surroundings. I feel like I have claim on it and I appreciate it more. I am not saying that this is the same to Oleibo's thoughts about Jerusalem but simply that I understand the way he is thinking. I understand that our surroundings are complex. These "silent witnesses" have plenty of stories to tell.

Walls, Walls, and More Walls Week 8

I think it was professor Hermann who was telling us about the wall in detail. Remember when he told us that they call it a fence? That is not a fence. I guess call it what you want but you can't deny that it is a barrier. Whether it's for the protection of it's people, land, or culture...it's a barrier. The article talks about how this wall and the settlers that have moved in are creating a giant obstacle for future political discussions. These settlements are so intriguing to me. I guess it's because I can't fathom what is going on. It seems so shady. It seems like Israeli forces are pushing people further and further into "Palestinian land". It seems sneaky...manipulative. Am I wrong? Am I misunderstanding what is going on here?
"Israel is trying to contain both the territory and the population and to develop levers of control over them, instead of sharing rule with the Palestinians." This article clearly does not disagree with my thoughts. They are intentionally trying to cut Palestinian Arab's off from social, political, economic, and cultural ties. A quarter of a million people will be trapped? Trapped physically but also in all these other ways. Trapped from their families and jobs?

"The World Bank estimates that in addition to the 220 000 residents of East Jerusalem, about 60 000 Palestinians will be trapped between the border system separating them from the West Bank and the walls separating them from East and West Jerusalem. Israel does not intend to grant them residency or the status and rights possessed by East Jerusalemites. It certainly does not intend to offer them the Israeli citizenship that was rejected by almost all the residents of East Jerusalem."
Who are these people then? What do they do now that they are physically trapped? How do they view themselves? This is more than confining Palestinian's into the West Bank...it's saying "you can't be in Jerusalem, you can't be in the West Bank, and you can't have citizenship to anywhere." They are trapping people...physically, culturally, personally...
The article claims, "It has to do with the Israeli vision of destroying East Jerusalem metropolitan functions in order to assure Israeli domination."
What do you guys think? Is this Israel's vision or is this a massive overstatement?