Two Weeks Down, Three To Go...

I only have three weeks left of my summer class. That's crazy. We're going extremely fast (plus we meet four days a week, three hours each time (well, the professor normally lets us out early because he does not want to lecture for three hours straight, but still!)).

I took my first exam in the class last week. Did pretty well on it. Considering the exam was the antithesis of what the professor said it would be. Next Monday is test two and a pop quiz is coming up this week.

I am really enjoying reading the New York Times everyday. In first semester I only had to read Monday through Friday, but now I have to read the weekend too. Then in class we discuss what is going on in the world that day for 30 to 40 minutes. We find the actors in each situation and how it affects politics.

We just started a new book too! The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Interesting... even though the argument is very general and the facts that Huntington uses to back his argument are a bit sloppy. BUT it does attack Westernization and addresses challenges that the world faced and continues to face in the Post-Cold War.

The book we read last week, Why Nations Go To War by John Stoessinger was my favorite so far. I like Stoessinger's argument that international conflict is created by the individuals in power (egs. Stalin and Hitler = WWII, Ho Chi Minh and five different American Presidents = Vietnam War, etc.). If you can find it at the library (because the paperback costs a fortune, just borrow it from the library), you should read it. It goes into who the individuals were in power and their personalities. Quite interesting! There's a good chapter on the Arab-Israeli conflict and "Afterthoughts: Fifty Years Later" an additional conclusion to the conflict in Korea.

Well, Huntington awaits!

Peace,
Lizzy