Date: 12/20/2023
New AUC Students, The American University in Cairo
Dear New Students
This letter contains my journey in CORE209602 – Top Core Curr in Glob Studies (2023 Fall)
At the end of the journey, it wasn’t easy. I want to tell you that it was filled with many things, such as assignments, activities, outdoor activities, and extra activities. At the beginning of the semester, I thought that this would be boring because I was repeating the same course, and I thought that this would have the same activities, but the professor surprised me.
I would like to start with one of the good ideas about the activities we have done: painting plots. It’s not only an activity, but it also breaks the routine of classes. This activity led me to take care of something that was not mine. and going to the plot made me far away from some overthinking because while going to the plot, I was taking this walk to just shut off all noises in my head. In addition, I gained a lot of skills during this course, and the most important two were the ability to work under any condition and to submit the work on time. Also, the thing that taught me and gave me an idea of myself was the VIA survey. This survey embarking on this path of self-exploration has been enlightening, aiding in my understanding of my unique qualities. The powers I have are “perspective, prudence, honesty, kindness, and forgiveness.” These traits define my identity and shape my interactions with others and my surroundings. The insights provided by the test were revealing, bringing to light parts of my personality that I might not have fully acknowledged before. This led me to highlight a power I want to know and try to use it in the right way, and this is what really happened during the class discussion and Soliya’s sessions. For example, knowing the skill of perspective led me in my education in Soliya’s sessions and in my life to think of things and people from different perspectives. I am endowed with the extraordinary capacity to view and comprehend people and circumstances from a variety of perspectives, and this is what I have done to make my colleagues in the break-out rooms feel comfortable and erase any shyness. Additionally, we had very good conversations; we broke the rules and talked about our lives and conditions; I showed them my local brand; and they supported me; we are friends now. Moreover, in my life, this skill has helped me with my friends. My knack for considering multiple perspectives helps me in the conversations between my friends with differing views, leading to comprehensive solutions for their issues that accommodate various needs and advice. For instance, a lot of times my friends have problems with their besties or families, so the first thing that they do is call me, and we set out to see how we can solve the issue. They believe in me and believe in what I recommend. Furthermore, this task also taught me about honesty skills. So, for sure, I’m going to use this skill in my career life because the evidence of the success of each person is his honesty in himself, his life, and his work. My dependence on the truth not only nurtures trustworthy and truthful connections with others but also boosts my own credibility. Individuals who consistently prioritize truth and integrity are highly regarded and get what they are trying to achieve.
In addition, Soliya’s experience, through my engagement in Soliya, I’ve acquired the skill of active listening, which involves genuinely comprehending and not merely hearing what is being communicated. This experience also prompted me to embrace diverse viewpoints, recognizing distinctions arising from cultures or geographical regions. I firmly believe that actively listening and embracing diverse perspectives will greatly contribute to my professional success. This approach will reduce personal biases and foster a greater openness toward others, facilitating mutual understanding and acceptance within various interactions. Additionally, I acquired valuable skills in navigating diverse personalities and situations, mastering the art of steering conversations, and capturing attention by leveraging my own qualifications. This experience taught me the art of understanding individuals without intruding into their personal lives, shattering my preconceived notions and biases tied to nationality or other factors. For example, in my group, there was a very active and hyper person, so I understood that he was funny and liked to be attractive. Also, I got a new perspective on the fact that age does not matter in education because, in our class, there was a woman who was older than us and looked over 30 years old. I loved the way she tried to participate; she was such an active person, and she was the one who talked and interacted with all of us. Also, amidst the varied topics, there were instances of significantly differing viewpoints. Nevertheless, we maintained mutual respect, ensuring everyone had an opportunity to share their perspective. A particularly intense conversation emerged during our discussion on skin color, given the diverse skinned backgrounds within our group. Despite the heated dialogue regarding whether politics and culture should be influenced by a specific perspective, we approached the conversation as a learning experience rather than a debate. This led to one of the most profound discussions I’ve ever participated in, with each of us learning extensively from one another.
This course has been instrumental in boosting my self-assurance, enabling me to articulate my thoughts confidently in class, and fostering the belief that my opinions are valuable contributions to discussions and debates. These newfound abilities hold significant relevance not only in academia but also in social and professional spheres. As an IMC major, being articulate and self-assured is pivotal for progression in this field.
The last thing, and the thing that I enjoyed the most, is the digital narrative game. Creating a game is challenging; of course, this needs to do many things, such as getting the idea, scenarios, and ways of making it. I made the game alone, but my inspiration was my youngest cousin. There is no doubt that this idea has been in my head since I was young, but he has put a spot on it. So, he gave me some scenarios, and I did the others. Furthermore, our success stemmed from a distinct and precisely outlined game structure, inclusive of defined goals and perspectives, within an environment characterized by team support and unity.
Learning from reading articles: I came across several compelling readings and videos that deeply resonated with me, and I’m eager for others to experience and learn from them as I did. One of the impactful pieces was Lina Mounzer’s “War in Translation: Giving Voice to the Women of Syria.” These resources shed light on issues previously unknown to me, such as trauma-informed pedagogy. I was astonished to find myself identifying with the speaker’s experiences, which expanded my understanding of seemingly straightforward matters that are actually challenging and significant to many, as exemplified in Mounzer’s article illustrating the demanding nature of translation work and the complexities of conveying emotions across languages.
If I were to show someone my learning in this course, I would use these three things that I created
1:https://davidhany3.wordpress.com/2023/11/05/reflecting-on-the-via-survey/
2:https://davidhany3.wordpress.com/2023/11/27/phase-4/
3:https://davidhany3.wordpress.com/2023/12/10/digital-literacies-pathway/
I should use these three specifically because of my own reasons. For example, I chose the first one because I want the opposite to be aware of my skills and know how to interact with me. The second one, I chose it because this is a new thing I have learned in this course, and this is a wonderful thing because before this course I didn’t know how to create games on Google Slides. Finally, I chose the last one because I spent a lot of effort on it, and it gives an idea of some of my identities. Additionally, it has information about AI and AI tools and which tool is more accurate than others.
If I could change 2-3 things about the course to improve it, I would change these things
The first thing I would like to change is the Soliya experience. I saw it as so boring and did not find it interesting. Yes, you meet new people from different cultures, but I found it had no impact. For instance, I can do this thing at the university, where we have a lot of students from different regions, cultures, and perspectives. So, if I have the right to change anything, I’m going to change this part. The second thing I would like to change is the Tuesday activity. I know that I didn’t go to school, but I had an activity similar to this one. I found this to be extra work and effort to attend something related to the university on your day off. In the last two weeks of this activity, I found that I have been going to my meeting with the special needs because of the reflection, not because I love what I do. because if I miss the day, this will lead to not doing the reflection and losing my grade. So I hated the way they changed my perspective on something.
In one sentence: What kind of person should take this course?
the person who wants to spend a good time and wants to do and learn new things and tools.
Thank you for your concentration.
Sincerely.
New Students
AI Used
QuillBot and Free Grammarly for just the grammar in the whole assignment because I’m adding them on Google docs
https://quillbot.com/?utm_medium=paid_search&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=paraphrase_developing_brand&campaign_type=search
David's Satis 
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