|
Warning: fopen(/home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/cache/9c49104a56ae66026910bd2a7633cff8) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 128
Warning: fwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 129
Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 130
Warning: fopen(/home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/cache/08cb6b41c72b35d6e232f2733439b3d7) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 128
Warning: fwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 129
Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 130
Warning: fopen(/home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/cache/c3cd6a5d4c12cc9e2d126107b91ead9b) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 128
Warning: fwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 129
Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/noelense/public_html/kpd-online.info/exchange/ex_func.php on line 130
Solis Program-A
Dialogue between Cultures
"Serious, good people of good will can get a long way just by having
honest conversations."
Following Clinton's words of wisdom, a group of four AUC students took
the initiative to cross intercultural barriers and help prevent the
building of walls between the West and the Arab World. They participated
in Connect, a special education programof the Solis Foundation, gathering
university students from the United States and the Middle East to explore
the relationship between the two regions and to improve the intercultural
dialogue. The Adham Center was approached by Solis director Lucas Welch
to serve as the Cairo link in the Solis network and Adham Center director
Abdallah Schleifer in coordination with JMC department chair Dr. Hussein
Amin appointed JMC faculty member Ian Pollock (an expert on internet
interactivity) to serve as director of the AUC segment of Connect. Pollock
interviewed students interested in participating, made the final cut,
and supervised the entire operation.
By the time the
program was up and running half way through the Fall 2003 semester,
AUC was one of six universities participating in the 2003 Connect program.
Other participating universities were Harvard University, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Al Quds University, Clark University, and the American University
of Beirut.
Pollock arranged
the four participating students-Sehr Karim, Maha El Dahan, Amira Ahmed,
and Yasser El-Sheemy-into online units with students at the other participating
universities, for online and webcam weekly meetings. These units got
to share their opinions on personal and cultural topics such as the
situation in Iraq, the role of media, and the relationship between the
US and the Middle East. They also had the opportunity to see and listen
to each other using the latest videoconferencing and online tools.
The students engaged
in the three stages crucial for the success of the Connect program,
which can be summarized in three E's: Explore, Express and Engage.
During the Explore
stage students research data relevant to their discussions through their
access to the BBC Video Library and the US-Islamic World Forum material.
The second stage,
Express, is basically teaching and training students to work with video
editing software. Students, eventually, edit video segments with news
footage presenting their own ideas and discussions.
The final stage,
Engage, is about developing an action plan about the different ways
to impact the participants' campus and community, in addition to a media
product they create illustrating what they learned during the program.
The program was
highly organized as well as inspiring. Masters student Maha El Dahan
said that it was interesting to her since she wanted to learn more about
media functions while listening to different people and different perceptions.
Difficulties were encountered, however. Amira Ahmed, a Journalism senior,
said that in the first sessions she practiced self-censorship, though
she got over this later. She also mentioned technical problems like
online connection, time differences etc. The success of the Connect
program stimulated discussion at AUC on whether it should be repeated
in coming semesters or even become a credited course. Yasser El-Sheemy,
a Political Science senior, thinks that this is a good idea since it
is going to attract more people, especially since there is a course
already planned for next semester in which Dr. Latanzy will deal with
political science issues using an educational plan similar to Solis's.
Through Solis's
Connect program and other similar projects "we need to build the
habits of the mind and heart necessary to end the habits of demonizing
those who are different from us". (Clinton)
By
Maggie Riad
|
