Sorry if I have mixed together some of the weeks, I am not sure if my last blog was supposed to be part of this one. Anyway, I found the class very helpful in understanding current issues in the Middle East, most of the novels were suitable works that addressed different issues. I really wish there could have been more class discussions and that they had been more in depth, but I guess that just depends on class size. My favorite novel was The Bastard Of Istanbul because it discussed the Armenian genocide while tying in the creation of the Turkish national identity, which I think helped us to understand the significance of Ataturk’s reforms. I enjoyed reading Smith’s book on the Arab Israeli crisis, but think it would have been better discussing it in sections in class because he covered so much history I am afraid I got lost in some of the details. The documentaries were helpful tools, but I have become increasingly suspicious of them as it seems every professor finds inaccuracies in them, I might lose my faith in the History Channel.
I think the organization of the course allowed us to understand the historical events that led to the current situation in the Middle East, now embarrassed that I didn’t learn more about the Ottoman Empire which was so important and expansive.
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