Why I chose Arab American Literature
I decided to take the Arab American literature class for several reasons. First and foremost, I am pursuing a triple major with few overlaps across my majors. This class fulfills a double requirement for my Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies and Global Fellows program; it will help me get the necessary classes to graduate on time. Besides academic requirements, this class stood out to me due to its cultural significance. I was born in Afghanistan but grew up as a refugee in Pakistan, where I faced significant discrimination from members of my own community. As a newly arrived refugee, I was often perceived as uncivilized. By this, I mean that those in my community who had already settled in Pakistan were more established and saw newly arrived refugees as illiterate and backward. Because of this, I distanced myself from my Indigenous culture and assimilated into Pakistani society, until I realized that the only way to move forward was to stay true to my values and build my place in ...