Journal #1 - Thoughts on the First Week

The Blogging initially made me a little nervous, because I'm not very into social media. I haven't updated my facebook status since June. June. So yes, I was a little hesitant.

While I had my reservations at first, I think that communicating through Blogging might be a good way to break the ice. It also may help us discuss opposing viewpoints. This is a subject with deep meaning for some people, and nerves are bound to be hit and passions are bound to come up. Being online, it is easier to state your true opinions, plus we have the benefit of enforced (kind of) politeness because we're not anonymous. We see each other in class twice a week whether we want to or not, so I'm not particularly worried about things staying civil. And also, not having the conversation in person gives us time to formulate our side of the discussion in a thoughtful articulate manner (I personally am able to get my point across much more clearly in writing). People can propose things on the main blog if they want to discuss something the next class, and people can get their thoughts together or research more information. Hopefully it will stimulate conversation without allowing things to get out of hand.

I would also like to take a moment to state how I feel about Jerusalem. I honestly don't have any connection to Jerusalem. I was raised Catholic, but other than Jerusalem being a place  that would be cool to visit. I really don't have any deep personal feelings for it. It's home for some people. Both spiritually and (as far as their families go) physically. So at some points, I think I'm going to feel like an intruder on conversations. I also don't have a whole lot of knowledge on the topic. I could more than hold my own against the average American, sure, but beyond that I feel pretty ignorant compared to many in the class.

I think that this class will be extremely enlightening and I hope that everyone will be able to see other perspectives, even if it doesn't change their opinion.