Testimonials by Students and other Participants for the Turkey Seminar

My impression of the seminar was WOW I can’t believe what I hear and see.

Sheri Elmore

I was a little worried about it before because of how long it is but I must say you kept my attention through the entire presentation. I felt it was the best presentation by a teacher I have experienced thus far in my college career and this fall was the start of my third year.

Stormie Phillips

Dr. K has a wonderful way of teaching students in a fun yet respectful atmosphere. ....I would definitely recommend any student who is taking government to take the two classes with Dr. K. It is not all about the books and studying hard in them, its about what you can learn on the side that will stick with you forever. It is a whole new learning experience when you go to the seminars.

Victoria Jenkins, 2009

When I walked into the boardroom that morning, my only concern was getting the credit for the project.  It was hard for me to imagine that I would ever be interested in the topic or presentation.  What could I possibly learn from the experience that would impact my outlook beyond this semester?  To my surprise, I was entertained, involved, and interested and I gained so much more than just a bunch of facts that day.

I especially enjoyed the trivia questions in the form of a game show.  This interactive game kept the audience involved and the various prizes for both winners and losers made everyone laugh.  There was a special atmosphere about the whole experience that completely took away the fear of giving a wrong answer.

Veronica Hoffart, 2009

     I really enjoyed the Turkey Seminar!   Dr. K., you did a wonderful job explaining the culture, customs, and wonderful scenery of  Turkey.  I’m glad you included Obama’s speech in Turkey and the fact that Turkey is a friend and alley of the U.S.A. in your seminar.  I feel that this helps ensure the fact that we are not at war with each other.                                                                                                    

Cynthia Grant, 2009 

All in all, this seminar was completely worth going to. Just like you said it was going to be. I really enjoyed how I was able to learn at least a little bit about another culture and giving me the drive to explore more. I really look forward to going to the Middle East seminar in a few weeks.

Edgar Burton, 2009

I would have to say the best part of the seminar was watching the five minute video clip of Dr. K getting called onto the stage with the belly dancer and belly dancing on stage. That was my absolute favorite part of the whole entire seminar.

Ronnie Freeman, 2009

Going into the seminar I was very afraid of it being boring and wasting my day away, but within the first hour I was hooked and excited to be there.  I even sent my mother a text message during the break to tell her she was missing out.   The seminar was very well planned out time wise and information wise.   The information presented, along with visual aids, got points across and I feel made a very successful seminar.   I have a love for history and cultures but I have never had a teacher that presented anything like I saw in the seminar.   It was so refreshing to have a good presentation versus text book excerpts and copy/pasted website information.  

Laura Duncen, 2009

The Texas professor of the year also earned credit from me personally for being so professional and bringing insights to students here in Texas. His way of presenting the topics were not only humorous but educative.

Deborah Ochieng’, 2009

I take my hat off to you Dr. K, you have made this down home country girl that has never had a desire to visit another country, want to become and international traveler.

Judy Green 2009

This seminar, first and foremost, taught me to go into new experiences with an open mind.  I was a bit apprehensive about attending the seminar and was honestly not looking forward to an all day discussion of a foreign country that I had no interest in or information about.  However, I was actually excited to return from the lunch break and continue with the material.  If anyone else would have been presenting, I most likely would not have discovered how intriguing learning can be.  Dr. K.’s delivery was beyond informative, and his humor helped keep attention during what would otherwise be a very documentary-type day.  I appreciated his engaging the audience, which really helps with retention of the information, as he mentioned in his discussion of learning theories.

Chad Alexander, 2009

The manner in which the information was presented was both engaging and at the same time informative. Throughout the seminar there was an interaction between Dr.K and the audience. I believe this helped with the delivery of the information and the retention of that material by the participants. I was pleased to learn in an environment such as this and I left the seminar feeling it was worth the time spent. I will gladly attend the next seminar on the Middle East. The content and manner in which it was presented made for a pleasant and rewarding learning experience. The questions I had in my mind at the start were put to rest by the professional yet down to earth delivery of a well planned presentation.

Randall Anderson, 2009

Let me tell Dr. K, you were far from boring. There was humor, authenticity, realness, and humbleness in you in that room.

Kristi Mims, 2009

Immediately when I walked into the board room, I realized that this was going to be anything but an average boring lecture. There were  so many displays to enjoy- posters, hand crafted plates, clothing, head wraps, and too many artifacts to name. The trojan horse had to be my favorite. Everything was so neatly arranged, colorful, and very appealing to the eye.  And the style of the lecture was unlike any other I have seen. Dr.K. gave an excellent lecture, mixed in some humor, and added some game show trivia with nice little prizes. The clip of the belly dancer was hilarious. The pictures of the previous years Turkey trips were awesome.I loved the scenery there. It really was unlike what I had expected. All of these things combined together really made for a fun and interesting day.

Stacie O. 2008

This seminar also inspired me that as a Christian I should try harder to learn facts about the Bible. It is important for me to know the history behind my belief. As a Christian, I think it is also very imperative that I do not “blow off” a chance to learn. It is essential to be diverse, so that I may help lead others to Christ. This seminar reminded me of that, and for that I thank you. I think that visiting Turkey would give me a better understanding of the Bible, as well as all the places I’ve only read about, but have never been able to see.

Sarah J. 2008

First, I want to say that I thought this “Turkey Seminar” presentation by Dr. K. was exceptionally brilliant, both in content and style. What I liked most about the seminar was the wit and humor that permeated the entire experience, which beautifully complemented the vast amount of educational information given therein.

            Secondly, the games and prizes added an atmosphere of ease and relaxation so that the audience was able to actually ‘chew’ and digest the information in a timely manner.

            Thirdly, I thought that the PowerPoint presentation was very professional and added the visual entertainment necessary to keep the attention of the audience in such a lengthy and informative seminar. All in all, my compliments to the chef!

Allan W. 2008

I really enjoyed the entire seminar and think that your teaching style is fun and refreshingly NOT boring! I wouldn’t change anything in the seminar. Even though it was really long, the time went by quickly and the lecturing never got old, tiring, or repetitive. The seminar has made me want to learn more about Turkey and research all the things that have happened or are currently happening that have an effect (directly or indirectly) on our country. Thanks for teaching us about this amazing place! The seminar was fantastic!

Bethany F. 2007

There were many things that I liked about the seminar. I like how you tried to keep it entertaining by adding humor, games, and breaks. The decorations in the back also gave us something to look at. You prepared your slides in a colorful eye appealing manor instead of just words. You are very knowledgeable and are good at teaching your information to the crowd. The movie of the dancer and yourself was also fun to watch and you were a good sport about it. I also liked the real dancers and the singer. It was different but I liked seeing them. Also adding the pictures to the slides gave us a real idea of what you were talking about to an extent.

Leslie S. 2007

To be honest the only thing that I knew about Turkey was that it had the same name as a food we eat on a national holiday and that it was near Iraq. Now I know that it has a lot cities within the country that are talked about in the bible and the country still has the Christianity belief as well as others which are Judaism and Islam.

Tyra J. 2007

Dr. K, I can not put all that I learned in a one page report nor can I express some of the feelings that I felt while you talked about Turkey. Your passion for this country made me want to learn more about Turkey. You opened my eyes to a whole world that I never even knew existed. ...
I believe that this seminar should be a requirement in your classes, what if you opened the eyes of more students like me. We are the future and if we are not tolerant then nothing will ever change! What turned out to just be extra points for me, became a life lesson of tolerance and not judging a book by its cover.
Jennifer D. 2007

Dr. K. kept the Seminar guest very entertained with the game and the prizes, and I felt like we were just as much a part of the presentation as the information was.
Katie J. 2007

      I am planning on going to your next seminar, and if I learn as much out of it as I did this one, I feel like I will be a more informed and well rounded out person in looking at the other societies. Again Dr. K, I wish to thank you from my heart, for a day of informative and well prepared material depicting the other part of the world that most will never have a chance to see or visit.

Jimmy D. 2006

Dr. K it’s easy to see the love and passion you have for the subject of Turkey. I’m not sure that I should say this but, if you had been speaking on toothpicks with that much enthusiasm I’m sure I would have enjoyed it as well. You’re charismatic and highly entertaining with your presentation as well as educational.

Crystal O. 2006

I also feel that while this seminar was beneficial to our learning and completing a project for class, it was also a way to get to better know you.  Before now most of us have only met or seen you a few times, maybe in Jenkins Hall or on campus.  But this seminar helped us to better bond with you and actually be taught by Dr.K.

Jonathan De La P. 2006

I really appreciate you Dr. K. I appreciate that you take the time out of your busy schedule to educate us about not just Turkey, but all of the Middle East. You are taking away our ignorance and thus our misunderstanding of things we know nothing about or even would care. You really put us (students) first.

Zelda G. 2006

Thank you for your time, effort, and dedication in teaching us about the Middle East. Otherwise we go on in our complacent little worlds, lazy, and ignorant.

Sherry F. 2006

The Turkey seminar held this past weekend was definitely not what I expected.  As any typical college student, I was not thrilled about giving up part of a Saturday to attend a seminar which I planned on going to with the sole intent of making the grade and being bored out of my mind.  I was definitely wrong.  Dr. K you made this seminar extremely interesting and I left actually realizing that Turkey is important to us and not just another country half way across the world.

As far as the organization of the seminar, I thought it was very well organized. It provided an abundance of knowledge concerning the topic at hand, but at the same time, it was fun and exciting. It is definitely obvious that you take a real interest in what you do, which is often times hard to come by. When a professor shows excitement towards the subject he/she is lecturing over, it is almost inevitable for their students to have the same attitude about the subject. I have attended two of your seminars and both times I left thinking, “Wow! That was really informative and fun!” Your love for studying other countries of the world is absolutely contagious. I liked how you used Who Wants to be a Millionaire to incorporate audience participation, and the prizes were a nice treat as well. The many artifacts and souvenirs that you brought to share with us were so interesting.

 Patricia H 2006

At the end of the lecture I couldn’t wait to go home and share with my family everything I had learned. My Mom was surprised to find out that Turkey is the ““cradle of Christianity,” and my Dad laughed whole-heartedly at my re-telling of Dr. K’s funny stories (and the belly-dancing clip). My little brother has difficulties with spelling, so I showed him how the Turkish alphabet is phonetic (just like he spells), and now he wants to travel to Turkey when I go! I can’t wait until I can save the money to go to Turkey and experience everything first hand. Overall, I found the Turkey lecture to be insightful, funny and entertaining. I am so glad that the seminar is listed as one of our projects for Government 2306 this semester, because I actually get a grade for having a great time! Wait until someone asks me again, “What do you know about Turkey?” they might not be able to shut me up for a long while!

Mark B. 2006

Vanessa M. 2006

Yolanda B 2006

Penn S. 2004

Dr. K’s style is in presentation is one I have never seen before. The way that Dr. K uses of power point kept my visual attention alert and vigilant. Each of
Dr. K’s slides were very well organized and colorful. The colorful graphics have been known to stimulate the mind and that is exactly what took place at the seminar. The visual imaging that is provided aided greatly in the comprehension of the message Dr. K was conveying to the audience. This is just part of the impression that Dr. Khosrowshahi gives.

Anthony K. 2004

To tell you the truth I think I the first seminar really interesting, I have never been to a seminar where I learned that much, I enjoyed it, we laughed, we had fun, we won some coupons and books and we talked about an interesting subject, I don’t really know how can you improve your presentation because it is already complete. The dancers and your little (and funny) video showed us a lot about how important is dancing over there and we realize that everything is not like America. Thank you a lot for doing this great job and I hope I will have another seminar like when I will take government 2306.

Guillaume T. 2004

My day with Dr. K. was fantastic after dreading this for a week, but I was not just pleasantly surprised but totally impressed with his knowledge and fantastic seminar abilities.  I had a good time and learned a lot as well.  Quite frankly I came home and called one of my belly dance friends just to sit and read her my notes, she said she would not miss the next one and so did my father.  I genuinely cannot wait until the next seminar and this time I will be on the front row not hiding in the third.  Thanks Dr. K. for a great Saturday!

Rebecca O. 2004

I am taking your class because I need it for my degree.  I went to your seminar to earn points, but it surprised me by how much I learned and how much I didn’t know.  Thanks for really teaching me something and making me want to learn more.

Melissa S. 2004

Thank you for this glimpse of life in Turkey.  Your seminar was very thought provoking as well as informative.  I learned many things about this beautiful country, and this information has provided me with some thought provoking questions.  These questions will probably not be answered, but at least I have a basis for knowing that the world could be a more harmonious place if people would learn some of the lessons that Turkey appears to have mastered.

Kathy D. 2004

The seminar was great and extremely educational. I am very interested in any state, city or country as long as it is not Longview, TX, where I am from. There is so much more out there to explore and the seminar gave me a little taste of that. I was honestly expecting to come and have to listen to a bunch of boring facts about people who lived in the desert and did nothing exciting. I was amazed to prove myself wrong. The seminar was everything but that. The power point presentations were very helpful in understanding the way Turkey looks like as well as how the people dress and act. It was very interesting to see pictures of people that live across the world and are from a different culture and belief system than I. The pictures of all the major sites, like the rock foundations and beautiful buildings, were very breath taking and only made me wish I were going on the trip. I never knew Turkey had so many famous sites.

I greatly enjoyed the seminar and am looking forward to the next one on the Middle East. I will be there ready to learn and soak in all the facts and fascinating stories.
Jackie S. 2004

I enjoyed learning about Turkey’s biblical and historical significance, too.  In reading through the Bible, I never realized that some of these places still exist today, and that they exist in Turkey.  What’s sad to me, though, is that, in spite of its rich Christian history, it is a predominantly Muslim nation.  There is so much evidence there that the Bible is true, yet somehow the people are still deceived.  On the up-side, what a wonderful place for a Christian to visit – over forty thousand historical sites and a mission field to boot!

Christina A. 2004

My day with Dr. K. was fantastic after dreading this for a week, but I was not just pleasantly surprised but totally impressed with his knowledge and fantastic seminar abilities.  I had a good time and learned a lot as well.  Quite frankly I came home and called one of my belly dance friends just to sit and read her my notes, she said she would not miss the next one and so did my father.  I genuinely cannot wait until the next seminar and this time I will be on the front row not hiding in the third.  Thanks Dr. K. for a great Saturday!

Rebecca O. 2004

Going into the seminar, I was really ignorant about Turkey, maybe on a good day I could have named the capital city.  As an avid reader of historical romances, I of course have heard of the Ottoman Empire, I just had not put these places and events in Turkey.  Realizing the important events in the Bible that took place in Turkey, and that Paul was born there.  I really enjoyed learning these things about Turkey.

Nancy H. 2004

After attending the Saturday seminar, my knowledge about Turkey is much greater.  I now know more about the history, religion, geography, and agriculture of the country.  I have learned that Turkey is not just another place on the map.  It is a place of beauty and rich culture.  There are so many sites and places one can visit while in Turkey.  It is a place of modernity, yet still holds many traditions.   My views of Turkey are completely different now and I would love to visit the country and experience the beauty for myself.

            Erin T. 2004

I had never really heard anything over Turkey.  In some occasions I learned that it was related to Iraq and Afghanistan.  I thought that I would see the cities and towns terrorized.  I also expected to see men with guns walking the streets and women hiding behind scarves.  I am hoping that the video clip we saw is not that far outdated.  The overall picture that I had was that those countries had the same problems that are constantly shown on television.  During the seminar I learned that it was very opposite from what I had pictured in my mind.

        Elizabeth G. 2004

            This seminar on Turkey, in a nutshell, totally altered my perception of it and its people. I had labeled it with all of the stereotypes I have grown accustomed to through news programs and terrorism, and am now extremely pleased to be set straight on my prior definition of Turkey, and through this, I hope to encourage myself to make more educated judgments when it comes to defining the Middle East.
Jason P. 2004

When I woke up Saturday morning, I did not want to get out of bed to get ready for a seminar that was going to last all day long. I was very glad that I did. I have never been so interested in learning about a country. The was the seminar was presented and all the different artifacts made for a great day. I don’t know if this seminar is offered every semester or just in the Spring, but all students should attend because not only do you get credit for it, you learn about another culture and what they stand for.
Sara F. 2004

  In going to this seminar, I not only expanded my knowledge of world geography and history, but realized that there is more out there than just my little world that consists of the United States of America.  It is important for us to learn about other countries and people so that we will not remain ignorant but become informed.  Knowing that we are all citizens of this world and all have things in common, will enable us to be a more passionate and caring people.

John F. 2004