As the semester is coming to a close, it’s strange to think
that I’m going to come back from winter break with a social movement filled
Thursday. I have really enjoyed the class and I think it has certainly deepened
my knowledge about the Middle East and social movements in general. The course
has helped to solidify my passion for studying the Middle East further and
eventually getting a job related to politics in the region. I’m really glad I
chose to take the course my first semester because it was more specialized and
a nice break from more general classes like World Politics and College Writing.
I probably won’t miss the sometimes never-ending readings, but at the same
time, I’m glad I was able to get through them and take bits and pieces out to
further my understanding of civil society and the Middle East. Of everything I
got out of the course, I think the most important is my understanding of
orientalism. Now that I better understand the region, I can try to stop myself
using an orientalist mindset when it comes to the region. When I first started in
the class, I didn’t realize how much orientalism is in the back of my mind and
how I accidentally use it when thinking about the Middle East. I know I’m still
not perfect and orientalism creeps into my subconscious thoughts, but hopefully
the knowledge I learned this semester will make me even more open-minded than
when I started.
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