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.