Classroom Commentary: States, Markets, and Societies

Classroom Commentary: States, Markets, and Societies

By Ella Yates

From the last day of class when we ate Palestinian food!

This fall quarter I had the privilege of taking Dr. Shiera Malik’s section of Honors 201: States, Markets, and Societies. Going into the course, I wasn’t sure what we would discuss or if I would even enjoy this course, but now I can gladly say that this was one of my favorite courses I have taken at DePaul. Dr. Malik’s selection of books and themes led us to discuss the modern settler state and examine our own ways of thinking and learning. Through this class I was introduced to the writings of great political thinkers like Elizabeth Povinelli and Samia Khatun. Dr. Malik also presented her own writing which combined the ideas of Povinelli and Khatun with her life experience. Before reading Dr. Malik’s work and assigned readings, I hadn’t been exposed to personal retellings combined with political concepts in an academic way. This style of writing ultimately influenced my final project. 

About halfway through the quarter, our work examining political ideas with the modern settler state became abundantly relevant as the world watched the unfolding Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Suddenly, these topics of genocide, power, and colonialism escaped off the pages of our assigned readings and crept into everyday conversations. Malik encouraged our conversations and we spent our class discussions trying to make sense of these current events. Since every class period was spent discussing our readings, our class naturally shifted to discussions about this conflict which not only aided our learning of the situation, but also of our class readings. 

The last day of class, Dr. Malik brought Palestinian baked goods to share with the class. As we ate the delicious food, we also talked and reflected on the quarter and the state of the world. This class and Dr. Malik have aided me in how I view academic reading as well as providing ways to discuss difficult topics. As much as I hated the idea of the class ending, I am glad for the knowledge and perspectives I have gained through Dr. Malik’s discussions and knowledge.