What’s the Takeaway Message?
Get away from stereotypes: deprogram, dismediation
Diversity of the region and of its peoples
Specificity of issues/perspectives
Complexity
Empower active learning: Let students find and create content too—Islamic fashion, commercialism in the Middle East, music and popular culture, youth culture, images that reinforce and counter stereotypes, media literacy and coverage in US, Middle Eastern and international media
Best PracticesCompare! Analogize to what kids already know
After 9/11, Qurans flew off the shelves as people tried to figure out why it happened….could we understand the conflict in Northern Ireland by reading the New Testament? Martin Luther’s 95 Theses?The “veil”—changes the public female body by covering it
How does American society influence women
to change the public female body? Jerry Hall
Get them to “walk a mile”
Best Practices: Map It!Compare maps of the Middle East
Compare proportion/population maps of “Muslim world”
Google Earth
Big Maps (spices activity)
Map ItChange scale (Google Earth)
Change point of view
Use multimedia in maps: images, music, video, food
Best Practices: Humanize
Find real people/anecdotes: “authentic” doesn’t mean “representative”
Voices from the region‐‐Stories from your packet (make sure the voices are varied)
Literature, film, internet, blogs
Popular culture and music
Humor (Muslims are funny?!?!?!)
Counter‐StereotypesNancy Ajram Coke ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35O3udLS83Y
Parody Coke ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGvXpJjqLWc&feature=related
“Pop Culture”
Media LiteracyProject LookSharp
Media Constructions of the Middle East
Center for Media Literacy
Activities on teachmideast.org site
Comparative Themes/Approaches
Environmental IssuesWater use and conflicts
GAP project, Tigris and Euphrates issues
Jordan River Valley
Desalination
Climate ChangeEnergy issues
Curricular AnglesCross curricular reinforcement is key
Humanities: history, ELA, music, artScience (spices, history of science, hydraulics/mechanics/Rube Goldberg)Math (Islamic geometric design, algebra)Economics (where oil prices come from)PE (debke and other folk dance)Service projectsTechnology (google earth, blogs, movie production)
Projects in any curricular area in conjunction with classes in the Middle East
First Contact: Classroom to Classroom
Many organizations provide links between classrooms
iEARN.orgProjects and topics across the curriculum
Listing of other organizations and resources in library
Controversial IssuesFear to teach:
Israel and PalestineIslam or Muslims in generalIraq (or other US entanglements)Women and gender in Islam
Controversial IssuesStrategies
Prep students, parents, administrators
Review materials
Multiple points of view!!
passionate beliefs can be civilly discussed
Clear communication about expectations
Analysis of sources, biases, world views, arguments
balance either within a source or among multiple sources
STRESS diversity of opinion on both sides
A few more resourcesOn Turkey:
Steve Kinzer’s Crescent and Star: Turkey between Two WorldsThe beach reads: Novels by Barbara NadelCrossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (Netflix)
James Gelvin: The Modern Middle East: A History
Esposito and Moghahed: Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (Gallup poll)