Final Evaluation

    International Studies 501, Living Jerusalem was a very interesting and educational class. I feel that its open structure and discussion set it apart from all other class that the university has to offer. With that said, I would like to discuss both the positives and things that can be improved upon to provide a more tailored and focused educational experience for future students enrolled in the class.
1. The Class Discussions
    I can say  that I thoroughly enjoyed the open and respectful dialogue that the class is based on, focuses on, and helps students to develop. The open discussion was well needed because often times at a university as big as Ohio State it is hard to find classes the provide students with student to student and student to professor interaction. The discussion also helped me to develop a better understanding of the subject matter. The enjoyed the informality of the discussions because they allowed us to express our minds freely and not being prompted or coerced into thoughts. However, I feel that the lack of structure in the class discussions carried over into other aspects of the class, such as the blogs, and the video conferences. I feel that if a more focused discussion type were implemented it would benefit both the students and the project. I feel that a specific topic can be addressed and then discussed. I think giving each class a broad but generalized theme would help to create a more educational discourse.

2. The Readings
    Overall, the readings required for the course were very educational and left little room for confusion. I believe that the readings provided myself, as well as others, with  beneficial information to gain a better understanding of the history behind the conflict and to engage in educational and more thought provoking discussion. Moreover, I feel that some aspects of the material could be changed to help further grasp the information presented. I understand that the course is a higher level course but I feel that the readings could be more separated to make a more beneficial experience. I only mention this because I found it odd that the beginning of the course was filled with reading but as the quarter progressed the reading amount dwindled to nothing. I also mention this because it was often the case that our discussions concerning, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths was often cut short. I feel that if less material was covered at one time the class would be able hold more in-depth discussions and to absorb more information to help them develop more scholarly opinions and/or learn accordingly.
3. The Blogs
    I feel the class blogs are very interesting. At first, I was hesitant when I knew that a technological aspect would be incorporated into the class but as the quarter progressed I became comfortable with the class blog and my personal blog. I liked the blogging aspect of the course because it always made me open to discussion and it allowed me to express my thoughts outside of the classroom. One way that the blogs could be improved is to establish a certain type of format of posting to create cohesion throughout the student blogs. I feel that the different types of people and their personal style of responding in the blogs made it difficult to comment on posts.
4. The Class In General
    Overall, I think the class was a great experience. I really enjoyed the experience and I will recommend the class to friends in the future. The class was very interesting in the fact that it did not have a set structure but it still allowed us to learn. I feel that the class could be a little more structured to produce a little more clarity. There were often times especially near the end of the quarter where I felt confused. The experiences with the scholars, authors, professors, and students were exceptional and by far the highlight of the class. I enjoyed this aspect because the guests often raised thought provoking questions. The religious scholars and Dr. Hermann were very interesting and I would definitely recommend having them return to future classes. The only improvement that I have to offer in regard to the video conferences would be to have a set room or to have a classroom that has video conference capabilities. I enjoyed the class because it helped me to become more educated on the conflict, Jerusalem, and injustices as a whole. I enjoyed how the content incorporated different aspects of life. The only thing that I would recommend be added to the course would be a section on what it is or what means to live in modern day Jerusalem.
    In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed being a student in the Living Jerusalem 2009 course. I know that there is room for improvement in the class but nonetheless I can say that I learn a great deal of information from material.

Response to the Readings(Week 8 Pt. 2)

Old and New Walls in Jerusalem

Throughout the reading I could only think of one thing, how wrong that the wall is. As discussed in the reading the wall in inhumane and is used to separate things of unequal qualities. I can only think that this is very similar to the ways Jews were quartered off during WWII and put into ghettos. This is the same concept they are sectioning off the city and forcing Arabs to move into the sections for “safety” reasons. I don't see how the Jewish Israeli government can do this while thinking they are don't good. One would think they would recognize such inhumane actions because of the events that their ancestors faced which led to the founding of the Israeli state.

Above:A photo of Palestinians near the wall in Israel

Below: A photo of Jews near the wall that created the Warsaw Ghetto

Response to the Readings (Week 8)

I found the articles for this week very off the wall. I know they relate to the broad topic of Jerusalem but I don't see how they tie into what we are reviewing at this moment. I especially enjoyed the reading about architecture because the article relates to what I am learning in my Intro. to Architecture class. I enjoyed the statement, "Architecture can reflect and represent the cultural aspiration of a community." This quote is very powerful and it relates to architecture as a whole and not only in Jerusalem.

Response to the Readings(Week 7)

Jerusalem: Not the Mother of All Cities

I found that the essay was presented in a very unique way. I liked how Hasan-Rokem used the metaphor of marriage when referencing Jerusalem. I found it very intriguing to look at the conflict through the eyes of a woman. I enjoyed the section where Hasan-Rokem stated that Jerusalem was a city with needs. I think that with all of the conflict people have forgotten that people actually inhabit the city and conduct daily activities there.

Sharon and My Mother-in-Law

The stories presented by Suad Amiry were very interesting. They were both informational and entertaining. I liked that the reading was rather easy and allowed the reader to gather a lot of information relating to daily life. It was interesting to see the views of Palestinians and the ways in which they were discriminated against. I found it ironic that Emily was the friend but also the oppressor. The stories not only provided a detailed account but they revealed the injustices that the Palestinians faced in daily life. I found it quit funny that animals were given more rights than people in chapter 7 of the readings. I feel these sections of the novel present the oppression of the Palestinians in a playful way to avoid hostility and to bring light to the situation in a non-confrontational manner. Because of that aspect I enjoyed the readings.

Outline for Final Project

Introduction- Overview of “Art” (a collage of some sort)
Music- Discuss how modern contemporary music has been influenced by the conflict. I plan on having samples of music and video clips. I hope to show and discuss music form Oren Lavie, Yael Naim, Achinoam Nini, and Mira Awad.
Dance- I am interviewing an OSU graduate student who lived in Israel and danced for an Israeli dance company I am also planning on focusing on the Batsheva Dance Company.
Some Questions:
-What was your experience like in Israel as a dancer?
-Could you see a direct correlation between the battle over land and the development of the arts in general?
-What specific aspects have helped to shaped the modern dance world?
-Do you feel that dance has become a way to make political statements, create awareness?
Theatre- I would like to discuss the plays "Seven Other Children" and “Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza". I am also planning on talking about the filming of the movie Jesus Christ Superstar.
Painting-I would like to talk about Mohammed Ali, and "guerrilla" artist Banksy. They are both graffiti muralists.

Tamari Readings

I found the readings to be very interesting because rather than focusing on the conflicts that were taking place at the time they focused on how events were shaped as a result of the conflicts. I found the article about music especially interesting because of my passion for the arts. They are many aspects that I enjoyed abut eth readings because they were so different. However, I have many questions. I would like to know why Tamari used different styles of writing and why he made some of his choices on diction. It really bothered me that he referred to religions as cults. I feel that the word cult has such a negative connotation and I wonder why he used that term.

Final Project

For my final project I am going to focus on how the arts have been shaped by conflict and also how they have developed through the conflict. I am going to do research on music, dance, painting, and other various types of art. I have set up an interview with an American dancer who is also focusing on a similar topic. If anyone knows of anything that could possibly be of use let me know.