Now That the Class Has Come to an End...

Well, the class is officially coming to an end. Is it just me, or does it seem like this semester went by really fast? Quite honestly, I have to say that this has probably been one of the most interesting courses that I have taken thus far. I have taken a few other online courses, but this course was definitely more involved than the others, which I think was a good thing. By having so many different elements to the class, I think we were more invested in the course material.

In my opinion, the class discussions were always interesting and it was great to be able to check out everyone else's blogs to see what they thought about the films, readings, or even outside material that could be connected to the class in some way. The films themselves were very insightful. I was not the type of person that was all that interested in foreign films before (I sometimes get lost in the film trying to follow the subtitles), but I will admit that I have a new appreciation for foreign films after this semester, because all of the films that we saw were fascinating in some way. There were some stories that I liked better than others, but even in the films that didn't jump out at me in terms of storytelling, there were usually other elements such as cinematography, lighting, etc. that were really intriguing to watch.

I think that one of the biggest things that I will be taking away from this course is a better understanding of Central Asian culture. As I have mentioned before, I did not know much of anything about Central Asia a few months ago. I could name some of the countries, but that was about it. Apples are from Kazakhstan and the variety of films over the course of the semester have really opened my eyes to a region of the world that I was basically clueless about, so in that way, the course has been particularly helpful.

Well... I hope everyone has a great summer and for anyone graduating next week, congratulations and good luck!