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GUIDELINES FOR WEBSERVATION
RATIONALE:
You are part of the "Google" generation, like it or not. As a student you are more likely to look to the internet for information rather than check out a library book. You have been taught how to do book reviews, but few courses give ideas on how to critically assess the information you receive on the internet. The web is not a library even though it can be a fabulous resource if you navigate it cautiously. The purpose of this webservation is to critically analyze several websites on issues covered by this course. The point is not to provide you "information" but to stimulate you to think critically about the way information on the Middle East or Islam is presented on websites.
BACKGROUND:
Follow the specific instructions for all three
parts of this assignment, as noted below. As you write your critique, keep
in mind the following criteria:
- • What can you learn about the person or group
that put the site together? Are you able to tell if it is a reputable person
or mainstream organization? Are the identities of the writers or creators
indicated and do they solicit feedback? Try to contact an email address for
feedback and indicate what happens.
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- • Who is the site directed to? Is it trying
to convert you to an idea? Do you think it has a commercial interest (trying
to get money from you)?
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- • From your perspective, do you find any bias,
misleading or erroneous information on the site? Do you find information that
contradicts or confirms what you have learned in class? If so, what is the
response of the site webmasters if you are able to send your comments or criticism?
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- • What do you find the most useful aspect
of the site? How user-friendly is it? How persuasive is it?
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- • Find something specific on the site that
relates to the course material or discussion. Discuss what you find and relate
it directly to examples from the course readings, films or class discussion.
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- LENGTH: ca. 1250 words (5 pages).
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- Due Date: May 7 [Note: You may hand in a copy before this date for comments without a grade.]
GRADING: 12 points
- a. level of effort
- (1) adequate (2) impressive
- b. relates material to class readings, films
and lectures
- (2) adequate (4) impressive
- c. critical assessment of site content
- (1) adequate (2) impressive
- d. critical assessment of site format
- (1) adequate (2) impressive
- e. clarity and coherent explanation of points
made
- (1) adequate (2) impressive
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- INSTRUCTIONS: Choose any 2 of the 3 options below.
- 1. A Rashayyda Speaks Back: After you read Bill Young's book about the Rashaayda of Sudan, pretend you are a Rashaayda exchange student here at Hofstra and have been asked to evaluate the style and rhetoric of the following four sites. Based on what you now know about Rashayyda life and Islam, explain how you as a Rashaayda would view the information being presented on your Muslim society in Sudan. Give specific examples where you disagree with the "spin" of the information on at least two of the sites and say why. Find at least one example from a site where you as a Rashaayda would agree with what is being said about your life in Sudan and explain why. It is important to use specfic information from the book to explain your response. Try to figure out who put the site out and the attitude of the site about Islam.
- • Joshua Project http://www.joshuaproject.net/peopctry.php?rop3=108307&rog3=SU
• Kalibu Academy - Malawi http://www.revlu.com/Michael.html
• WEDDINGS OF THE RASHAAYDA PEOPLE OF SUDAN http://www.zawaj.com/weddingways/rashaayda.html
• Beja People Photographs http://bejapics.tumblr.com
- 2. Israeli/Palestinian Conflict: Explain how at least 4 sites in the group listed below influence your views ont he Israeli/Palestinian conflict, either positively or negatively. You are welcome to say what you personally think about the issue, but you must show how each site influences your view. Try to find out who put the sites out (e.g., by going back to the home page of the website). It is important to show how what you have learned in this course influences the way you look at the sites. Note that the sites chosen offer opposite viewpoints, so consider how each tries to persuade you. [You will not be graded on your opinion, but on your ability to show why you think the way you do, based on what you are learning in the course. Relate your points directly to the course material.
- • The face of evil - Wafa the hospital bomber http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000359.htm
• Zionism http://www.allaboutpalestine.com/zionists.html
• Sana Abdel Hadi Qdeih http://www.qassam.ps/martyr-180-Sana_Abdel_Hadi_Qdeih.html
• Saving Lives: Israel's anti-terrorist fence http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2003/11/Saving+Lives-+Israel-s+anti-terrorist+fence+-+Answ.html
• Hamas' Children TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeii225G-HM&NR=1
• Explosive Reactions http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=explosive_reactions
3. The Real vs. the Imagined Orient: The term "Orientalism" refers to both the academic study of cultures and languages of the "Orient" (Middle East in our context) and also to imaginative and/or prejudicial views of the region. Examine at least 4 of the following sites and react to any exotic or erotic images or to what conflicts with the course material. It is important to use examples from the course material (readings and films) to explain how you interpret what is being said and how it is being said on the websites.
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Jean-Leon Gerome Paintings http://www.orientalist-art.org.uk/gerome.html
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Jasad http://www.jasadmag.com/en/excerptsp3.asp
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The Son of The Sheik (1926) Rudolph Valentino http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OAlbfZRCvY
• Popeye Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves - 2 of 2 (1937) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XpP0oBs3jo&feature=related
• How much does it cost a woman to be beautiful in Amman? http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2009/04/12/how-much-does-it-cost-a-woman-to-be-beautiful-in-amman/
• Innocents Abroad, chapter 44 http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/mtwain/bl-mtwain-innocents-44.htm
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