Hello Everyone,

My name is Bobby Walls-Thumma and I am a high school social studies teacher in northern Vermont. I am very excited about this course and the content we will discuss as I have studied MENA issues for some time, both academically, and professionally, as a former member of the federal government. I use an area studies approach to my classes, and hope to blend some of the material form this course into my curriculum. Last spring I had the privilege to travel to Jerusalem, Turkey, Palestine, and Egypt, and used the wonderful discussions that I had with the people there to breathe new life into some of the content and issues that we discuss in class. I am very much looking forward to working and learning with everyone.