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History of the Middle East. Mr. Chmiel. 15 th year at MHS B.A. Princeton University; M.A. Seton Hall University Helped create this course, co-authored the curriculum, chose the textbook Calling to teach the course Politics major, art history (art and culture), world religions. Goals.
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Mr. Chmiel • 15th year at MHS • B.A. Princeton University; M.A. Seton Hall University • Helped create this course, co-authored the curriculum, chose the textbook • Calling to teach the course • Politics major, art history (art and culture), world religions
Goals • Students becoming more knowledgeable about the region • Open-minded, critical thinkers – not blindly accepting one source; considering other perspectives • Thoughtfully developing opinions • Confusion regarding complex issues isn’t a bad thing. • Altering viewpoints as new evidence becomes available is what intellectuals do. • Informed and empowered citizens
Topics • Ancient Near Eastern cultures • Major religions of the region/interested in the region • Art and architecture • Medieval Middle East – Crusades • 20th century Middle East • Current events mixed in – Going out of the playbook
Instructional Methods • PowerPoint and direct instruction • Class and small-group discussion • Q & A and review (including review games) • Movies and documentaries • Reading articles (newspapers, magazines) from various sources (NYT, CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Haaretz) • Group and individual presentations based on research • Guest speakers
Exciting Things • Fairly new course – changing and adapting • Guest speakers from Middle East and North Africa • Excellent, thought-provoking films • Field trip – mosque and Jewish center • “Middle East Feast” celebration – food and music
Grading • Tests – 2-3 per marking period – 80-100 points each • Quizzes – 3-5 per marking period – 10 – 40 points each • Homework – once a week 5-10 points • Class work – 5-10 points per assignment • 50 point class participation grade • Projects ~ 100 points 1-2 for the course
Contact Information Mr Chmiel’s extra help day is Thursday His email is fchmiel@mtsd.us.
Concluding Remarks • Elective course – people have signed up to be here • High expectations but being reasonable • Fun course but meant to be taken seriously as well • Getting students interested and involved