Final Reflection

Looking back on the whole semester, I can say I've learned at lot more than I think I did.  For the majority of this class, I found the readings to be repetitive and because of this, not particularly helpful.  But the movies we watched in class, combined with our discussions, structured responses, and weekly reflections have really had a significant impact on me.  I've taken what I've learned about social movements into conversations in my World Politics class.  My knowledge on orientalism made me a into a strict critic while judging a college debate tournament.  I find myself not watching/listening/reading American news sources, but BBC or al Jazeera to avoid orientalist undertones. But most importantly, I have a new outlook on the MENA region.  No longer are MENA citizens the "others" as American media often perceives them to be, but normal people.   They may have different values hard for Americans to wrap their heads around, but it's human nature for humans to have different values.  Social movements in the region don't need to "save" the populace from the "backwards" ideologies present in their societies.  Instead, mobilization should work to establish democracies suited to the specific needs of any of the country's citizens.  Overall, this class has changed the way I think, and has established a foundation on which I can continue to learn about peace, conflict, culture, and social movements.