This class was extremely informative to me as we were taught, in a very technical way, how political regimes, media and public opinion works in different countries in the Middle East. For example, we were taught the exact definitions of important political terms, such as authoritarianism, democracy, political participation, as well as their approaches. Following up on this, we learned exactly what type of political structure and government each country in the Middle East has, as well as their rules, political history, how much freedom they have, etc. Thus, learning about each country's electoral processes and party systems was extremely helpful, as well as how such systems differ from country to country. Comparing and contrasting, while comparing such political and electoral processes, also showed me how it affects their civil rights, freedom of expression, public opinion and media, which we also learned about in class. The most interesting part for me about this class was definitely the difference of our own opinions, according to where we’ve grown up and what type of political regime we have been exposed to. For example, some students who grew up in Qatar and were used to Qatari media believed that freedom of speech exists here, whereas some students that grew up abroad did not agree. This class, in this way, was definitely very interesting as the class was always buzzing with different opinions and debates, and students did not hold back with what they had to say. I learned so much from not just the course and the professor, but also the students.