FOLLOW UP THREAD INCOMING -- Just so you know, I'm not *always* evil in my pedagogical approach to "The Middle East."

I passionately want my students to understand why "we" have the views we do, and from where those views originate.

SO: BUCKLE UP. We did something else today.

I am lucky enough to be on a campus that has insane resources - like a giant planetarium that basically functions as...MY PERSONAL IMAX THEATER.

So today, we took a trip.

We started out in...Paris. At the Arc de Triopmhe. Why? Part I was retracing Napoleon's Campaign in the Levant (1798 - 1801).

Specifically, we talked about how a craze for Orientalist imagery went hand-in-hand with military conquest from the beginning of "modern" contact.

We retraced Napoleon's steps, flying into Yaffa, the Giza pyramid complex, etc., checking out propaganda imagery of Napoleon produced WAAAAAAAY after his death, and talked about how artists were embedded with French soldiers FROM THE JUMP, folks.

MENA: militarily mediated.

And then we went to the Louvre - and visited the collections that expanded in tandem (because of, and for the purposes of) with imperialist conquest across MENA.

At the Louvre, we focused on two pieces of imaginary, exotic, fantasized "harems" - ostensibly located in that vague mysterious Middle East place maybe Algeria.

I told them: "if a foreign army invades, I'm unlikely to invite their embedded photographer INTO MY SHOWER."

SO.

AND NOW IS MY FAVORITE PART OF TODAY'S CLASS.

We left the Louvre, and decided to visit Algeria FOR REAL - not through the imaginations of pervie old dudes who hadn't exactly been invited to a local family dinner when they showed up with A FOREIGN OCCUPYING ARMY.

IMAX = badass

I took the students to Algiers, Algeria (ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES ON EARTH) where we toured the casbah, and the rest of the city (including the Martyrs' Memorial) at the IMAX - using a combination of Google earth, my own home videos, my photos, and 3d animation.

INCOMING!!!

We touched down on my rooftop - this is the view from my house, looking out over the bay (one day sunny, next day: FREAK SNOWSTORM).

Ta7ya Djazair!

We talked about architectural expressions of cultural values (like privacy and inward-oriented urban planning) through home video tours of the Algiers casbah, and then checked out the legacy of French imperial urban planning - like the Great Post Office (on the right).

Click on the image to the right - and look down at the bottom. That's me, so you have a sense of size (impossible to fit the entire dome into a photograph - given, you know...it's a freaking planetarium).

I scaled the podium to give a sense of scale.

After the casbah and the post office (this was done with 360, panorama photos as well as home videos and drone footage), we went to one of my favorite places on the face of the earth: the Martyrs' Memorial, looking out over the bay.

This next part is by faaaaaaaaar the coolest.

Algiers, Algeria - the Martyrs' Memorial. You're looking at a photo I took head-on, then the cityscape - as well as two images of me basically doing yoga on top of the IMAX theater podium with geolocation data of the memorial for reference, before we zoomed in...

WAY WAY WAY IN.

But we took

Whoops - cut off.

Anyway - we took a drone to the Martyrs' Memorial, but we started out celebrating Algerian Independence with a fireworks show that included the flag's projection on the side of the Grand Post Office I showed you earlier.

On the way, we checked out the casbah and the bay from anoth

er angle - the air. We also got to see the cathedral Our Lady of Africa on the drone tour.

FINALLY! We made it to the Martyrs' Memorial in time to catch night fall. And then we hung out.

Thanks, drone technology & my campus IMAX

To *r

BAM.

Here's the full video, in case you'd like to see it - imagine sitting in an IMAX theater watching this. It was *part* of our class today.

BUT BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

Here are other views of Algiers, Algeria - and the Martyrs' Memorial through the IMAX immersion program I made up for today's class (and, again, there's me after I climbed up on the podium - to give you a sense of scale and location).

So the purpose of today's class was for students to -- viscerally -- experience how "we" learn to see "The.Middle.East," where those militarily mediated lenses originated, how they're enshrined in high culture - and HOW TO SMASH THEM BY CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND EXPERIENCE.

I hope.

ANYWAY.

MY ULTIMATE POINT BEING - my classes are also a hell of a lot of fun.

It's really hard to visualize all this; I know that - but everything in this thread took place (with a hell of a lot more, even) in 360, panorama, in an IMAX theater - for the duration of my 1 hour, 15 min. class.

It's much fun - and SO DAMN EFFECTIVE.

(Also: so much work)

If I cannot physically drag my students to Algeria with me, I'll decolonize their minds with any and every technology at my disposal.

I'm lucky enough to have a planetarium to work with - but you can get the same general sense with a powerpoint.

No excuses, people. DO. IT.

FINAL THOUGHT: Someone needs to give me a tenure-track job already.

That's all.

UPDATE - this thread generated lots of interest, which makes me SO HAPPY.

When I get excited, I go overboard on occasion soooooooooooooooooo here’s the thing, Twitter MENA people.

I’m working on a special project for you guys, related to this.

I started groundwork on this today - but basically I’m going to go back with a tech crew, and shoot a film of the entire thing for you.

We’ll edit it as clean, clear, and as accurate as possible in terms of the experience.

Then I’ll add an audio track, all the narration, etc.

Anyway. What I’m saying is: I’m going to make this a 1 hour, 15 minute ish documentary style immersive film.

I’ll let you know when it’s done. If you want to use it, feel free.

Decolonize all our students’ minds.

Everywhere.

Am I insane for this? Probably. I’m a VAP & this kind of show probably took 80 hours to put together.

But wallahi - I believe in what we’re all trying to do here.

So if you think it’s useful, this will be my present from to you - for caring with me about making a difference.

Final note for faculty - on my campus, most faculty know this facility exists (sort of), but no one uses it. WE ALL SHOULD.

You might have a similar facility on your own campus - and you don’t even know. So, quick tip incoming.

1) Find out where the Astronomy department is at your university (especially YOU, my fellow Humanities people).

2) Go make connections with them - and most importantly, find out what facilities they use to teach in.

3) TAKEOVER.

(Assuming there is are no astronomy courses, and worst case scenario - zero facilities, practically speaking: STILL NO EXCUSE. You can do all of this in a PPT and get a similar effect.)

Faculty, YouTube is your friend. Search for “drone footage of X.” Search for “3D animation + X” Search for “360 video of X.” Download. Embed. Want panoramas? Go here: https://www.360cities.net/ 

Trust me - it’s out there. Get creative.

Lastly - thanks for all the feedback.

On such an abysmal market, it means a lot to this terrified, precarious, contingent VAP that people see value in what I’m trying to do.

Your excitement reminds me why I refuse to give academia up - til I’m forced to do so.

Thank you.