Learning about West Asian civilization is akin to unearthing the root causes and unraveling the complexities of the issues that pervade that part of the world today. It is the same as getting up close and personal with the seemingly most controversial and sought after people in the realm of international relations at present. But more importantly, studying the prehistory and history of this region sheds light to the origins of both man and his great achievements.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE REPORT .
.
In general, the report has two major contributions as far as my being a student and my being a follower of Christianity are concerned. On the one hand, it has increased my academic understanding of West Asia -its history and its civilization's great achievements. It has always been in my interests to study West Asia not only because it's difficult for me to identify with its peoples in some ways -perhaps because of their religion and distant culture- and because it is probably the most contentious region in Asia at present (with the exception of North Korea), but more so because I know it the least as compared to the other parts of our continent. I, in fact, considered majoring on this region but the program was not developed according to our professors. Back to the topic, the report has definitely widen my vocabulary in so far as notions of West Asian nature are concerned; it has revived my memory on some topics like that of the Code of Hamurabbi, the Hanging Garden, the Fertile Crescent, the Achaemenid empire, Cyrus the Great, etc; that aside from Islam, Zoroastrianism also came from this part of the world; and that empires built underwent the cycle of development and decline. .
On the other hand, aside from learning a great deal about Islam (thanks to the tape), the report, through the facts it presented, has strengthened my beliefs as a Christian in the same manner that it has enlightened me on concepts that are related to Christianity.