Friday, January 18, 2013
First impressions of class
After two weeks in this Living in Jerusalem I am really excited about the things we are going to be learning. I like the smaller groups we have gotten into, it makes it much easier to share you opinions and learn what others think or feel on certain things. I think the groups are split into some very different and very interesting categories and we will get to learn about all kinds of aspects of the city through group presentations. One thing I do not particularly like is our own personal blog posts. I do not mind reading responses but I don't like that they are public for the whole class and on the internet. I also do not feel particularly comfortable commenting on other peoples blog posts about their opinions.
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Jennifer, I completely agree in regards to the small groups. I had Professor Horowitz last year, and the small groups definitely help facilitate discussion. It allows us to open up and cover different aspects of the same set of readings.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a way to make your blog private if you don't want individuals (outside of our class) to view it. I would contact Shareef if you have questions on how to do that. I believe the commenting on others' blogs will get easier as the class goes along. It's definitely outside all of our comfort zones, but it will only get easier in time.
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and am skeptical myself to have my own personal blog be public. I hope that it is not coming up in people's google searches. However, I think it is a great way people can debate with each other. I think it is harder to express your opinion in a setting where you are directly facing someone and easier to take the time to write and really think about your own opinion.
The small groups are, so far, my favorite aspect of the class. It will be very interesting to see the turns that the groups projects take. My concern is that I have a lot of interest in a number of different projects, but will soon have to narrow it down.
I do think that the current readings we have are a bit difficult to keep up with and get through, and am excited to read more about what is currently going on and to learn more about the most recent past of Jerusalem, since the beginning of the State of Israel.