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.