Media Construction of the Middle East
A Digital Media Literacy Curriculum
High School through College
This kit covers stereotyping of Arab people, the Arab/Israeli conflict, the war in Iraq and militant Muslim movements. Students will learn core information and vocabulary about the historical and contemporary Middle East issues that challenge stereotypical, simplistic and uninformed thinking, and political and ethical issues involving the role of media in constructing knowledge, evaluating historical truths, and objectivity and subjectivity in journalism.
All materials are classroom-ready, including: teacher guides, student handouts, overviews, and assessments.
- To order a hard copy, click here.
- To download all print materials (440 pages), click here.
click title to view/close Unit 1: Introducing the Middle East
Lesson 1: Picturing the Middle East
Teacher's Guide: Students respond to images and identify what they already know about the Middle East, including any inaccurate information and stereotypes. The teacher defines terms like "stereotypes" and "generalizations" and give background on the geography of the Middle East. 
Slideshow of photographs from the Middle East and other parts of the world and various maps of the Middle East- Student Worksheet
Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 1, PPT: Picturing the Middle East
- Picturing the Middle East
Resource: Smithsonian: Review of A Kid's Guide to Arab American History
Lesson 2: The Magic of Stereotypes
- Teacher's Guide: Students identify stereotypes about Arabs and learn the difference between stereotypes and generalizations.
Video clip of the introduction to the Disney movie Aladdin- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 2, Vid Clip: The magic of stereotypes
- The magic of stereotypes
Resource: Library of Congress: Exhibit on the music and animation in Aladdin
Lesson 3: Exploring Terms
- Teacher's Guide: Students take a self-assessment about Middle East culture and geography. The teacher reviews the answers with a slideshow.
- A slideshow about the Middle East, including ethnic, linguistic and national identities (Turk, Persian, Arab, Kurd, Armenian, Israeli, Berber) and religious identities (Muslim, Jew, Christian) to accompany a student self-assessment
- Student Worksheet (self assessment).
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 3, Exploring terms
- Exploring terms
Resource: Library of Congress: Teacher lesson plans related to Muslims
Videos available for larger projection via our Youtube Channel.
click title to view/close Unit 2: Israel/Palestine: Histories in Conflict
Lesson 1: Same Land – Different Histories
- Teacher's Guide Students examine conflicting historical perspectives and claims about the Arab/Israeli conflict by identifying and discussing bias in history texts.
- Unit 2 Student Reading (optional)
- Student Handout. Excerpts from Israeli and Palestinian school textbooks that present conflicting histories of Israel/Palestine up to 1947; an excerpt from U.S. encyclopedia entry
- Student Worksheet. Excerpts from Israeli and Palestinian school textbooks that present conflicting histories of Israel/Palestine up to 1947; an excerpt from U.S. encyclopedia entry
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 1, Text: Same Land
- Same Land
Resource: Library of Congress: Text of legislation related to Saudi Arabaian textbook revisions
Lesson 2: May 15, 1948 – Independence or Catastrophe
- Teacher's Guide Students review facts about the independence of Israel; analyze Palestinian and Israeli histories of 1948; and explore authorship, bias and objectivity in history.
- Unit 2 Student Reading (optional)
- Student Worksheet. Excerpts from two articles with conflicting perspectives.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 2, Text: May 15, 1948
- 15-May-48
Resource: U.S. Department of State: Report on The Palestinians: Background and U.S. Relations
Lesson 3: 1967– Deepening the Divide
- Teacher's Guide Students review the history of the 1967 war and its implications for the Arab/Israeli conflict. They learn to think critically about web research by exploring issues of authorship, credibility, bias, propaganda and objectivity.
- Unit 2 Student Reading (optional)
- Student Reading. Excerpts from the Web sites of the Education Department of Jewish Agency.
- Student Worksheet
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 3, Text: 1967 - Deepening the divide
- 1967 - Deepening the divide
Resource: Central Intelligence Agency: Article on CIA Analysis of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War
Lesson 4: Whose Fear and Whose Security?
- Teacher's Guide Students explore the Intifada from both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives and analyze credibility, bias and truth in documentary film.
- Unit 2 Student Reading (optional)
- Student Worksheets
- Video Clips from the documentaries Days of Rage and A Search for Solid Ground.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Vid Clip: Whose fear?
- Whose Fear?
Resource: National Institute of Health: Collection of studeis on mental health and ther intifada
Lesson 5: Singing the Struggle
- Teacher's Guide Students learn about the diversity of political perspectives in Israel and Palestine by identifying political and cultural perspectives in songs.
- Unit 2 Student Reading (optional)
- Unit 2 Student Worksheets
- Video Clips Clips from "Boxed In" by Palestinian pop group Sabreen; "Falestine" by Arab songwriter Mohamed Abdel Wahab; "Shir La Shalom" ("Song for Peace") by Jacob Rotblit, performed by an Israeli military band; "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" ("Jerusalem of Gold") by Israeli folk singer Naomi Shemer.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 5, Music: Singing the struggle
- Singing the struggle
Resource: U.S. Department of State: Article about Palestinian singinig contest for youth in West Ban
Lesson 6: The Politics of Maps
- Teacher's Guide Students review historical and contemporary issues related to the political and cultural geography of Israel and Palestine. They identify and discuss the bias of maps through their choice of content, language, and symbols, and the drawing of borders.
- Slideshow 11 maps of Israel/Palestine from different sources and different time periods
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 6, Map: The politics of maps
- The politics of maps
Resource: Library of Congress: Map of villages and settlements in Palestine, 1949
Videos available for larger projection via our Youtube Channel.
click title to view/close Unit 3: War in Iraq: Whose Voice, Whose Story?
Lesson 1: Background History - Conflicting Timelines
- Teacher's Guide Students scan the sweep of Iraqi history and explore fact and opinion, objectivity and subjectivity, bias and point of view in historical timelines.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Student Handouts
- Student Worksheets
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 1, Text: Background history
- Background history
Resource: Library of Congress: Maps including timeline of 20th century Iraqi history
Lesson 2: TV Totalitarianism
- Teacher's Guide Students learn about Saddam Hussein and the history of his dictatorship. They explore the role of media in a totalitarian government and decode messages in a music video.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Unit 3 Student Handout
- Music video featuring Saddam Hussein that used to air at the beginning of the Iraqi nightly news.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 2, Vid Clip: TV totalitarianism
- TV totalitarianism
Resource: U.S. Department of State: Transcript of briefing on White House publication "Apparatus of Lies: Saddam's Disinformation and Propaganda 1990-2003 "
Lesson 3: Media Coverage of the Gulf War
- Teacher's Guide Students review the history of the Gulf War of 1991, and by identifying the bias in a documentary video, they learn about the US government's role in influencing media coverage of the war.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Student Worksheet
- Video Clip from Lines the Sand documentary.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 3, Vid Clip: Media coverage of the Gulf war
- Media coverage of the Gulf war
Resource: Library of Congress: Political cartoon about government control of the press during Gulf War
[scroll down to next to last cartoon, "How cozy..."]
Lesson 4: The War in Editorial Cartoons
- Teacher's Guide Students learn about the background history of the War in Iraq and the anti-war movement. They decode political cartoons from around the world and identify critiques of media coverage of the War in Iraq.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Unit 3 Student Handout
- Unit 3 Student Worksheet
- Slideshow: 24 cartoons grouped into six categories: dissent, world leaders, why war?, statues toppling, U.S. foreign relations, and media.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 4, Cartoon: The War in editorial cartoons
- The War in editorial cartoons
Resource: Library of Congress: Exhibit of political cartoons related to Iraq war
Lesson 5: Covering the War
- Teacher's Guide Students learn about the history of the War in Iraq from "Shock and Awe" to "Democracy in Iraq" through the analysis of international and domestic newspaper front pages.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Slideshow:Newspaper front pages from around the world, paired by date, with contrasting constructions of key events in the war.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 5, Newspaper: Covering the war
- Covering the war
Resource: Library of Congress: Archived pages from Al-Ahram Press, Egyptian English-language newspaper
Lesson 6: “Celebration” or “Protest”
- Teacher's Guide Students learn about the holy Shia Mosque of Ali in Najaf and about editorial choices made in TV news broadcasts by comparing the construction of two conflicting reports on the same event.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Video clip Excerpts from two television news broadcasts on April 4, 2003 - one from Deutsche Welle TV, a German station broadcast in the U.S. via Newsworld International and one from the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 6, Vid Clip: Celebration or protest
-Celebration or protest
Resource: Department of Defense: Press release on Iraq officials assuming security control in Najaf
Lesson 7: The Jessica Lynch Rescue - News, Propaganda or Entertainment?
- Teacher's Guide Students learn to ask key media literacy questions and to examine the credibility of different types of TV programming, including news, news criticism and drama.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Video clips from American Forces Radio & Television news, ABC Primetime with Diane Sawyer, the BBC documentary War Spin, and the NBC docudrama Saving Jessica Lynch.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Jessica Lynch rescue
- The politics of maps
Resource: Library of Congress: Text of legislation commending Jessica Lynch
Lesson 8: War Crimes at Abu Ghraib - Showing Photos?
- Teacher's Guide: Students take a self-assessment about Middle East culture and geography. The teacher reviews the answers with a slideshow.
- Unit 3 Student Reading (optional)
- Student Worksheet
- A slideshow about the Middle East, including ethnic, linguistic and national identities (Turk, Persian, Arab, Kurd, Armenian, Israeli, Berber) and religious identities (Muslim, Jew, Christian) to accompany a student self-assessment.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 8, Photos: War crimes at Abu Ghraib
- War crimes at Abu Ghraib
Resource: Library of Congress: Text of Senate resolution condemning the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison
Videos available for larger projection via our Youtube Channel.
click title to view/close Unit 4: Militant Muslims and the U.S.
Lesson 1: Islam in Brief
- Teacher's Guide Students review background information on Islam while discussing perspective, point of view, authorship, credibility, bias and objectivity in encyclopedia entries.
- Student Reading
- Student Worksheet
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 1, Text: Islam in brief
- Islam in brief
Resource: Library of Congress: Webcast of presentation, "Islam Through Western Eyes"
Lesson 2: Stereotyping Arabs and Muslims
- Teacher's Guide Students analyze stereotypical and counter-stereotypcial messages about Muslims in popular culture.
- Clips from the movie True Lies and from the TV shows West Wing, 24, and the Daily Show.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 2, Vid Clip: Stereotyping Arabs and Muslims
- Stereotyping Arabs and Muslims
Resource: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: Article on Arab, South Asian, Muslim, and Sikh Communities in the United States
Lesson 3: A Revolution in Iran
- Teacher's Guide Students review key events and people in the history of the Iranian revolution through the analysis of magazine covers, images and headlines.
- Student Reading
- Slideshow: Time magazine covers and interior spreads from 1934 through 2003.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 3, Magazines: A revolution in Iran
- A revolution in Iran
Resource: U.S Department of State: Article on Ayatollah Khomeini's opposition to the Shah
Lesson 4: Freedom Fighters or Terrorists
- Teacher's Guide Students review key events and people in the history of the Iranian revolution through the analysis of magazine covers, images and headlines.
- Student Worksheet
- Video Clips from two documentaries - CBS's 1987 Battle for Afghanistan and Artisan's Operation Enduring Freedom: America Fights Back.
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 4, Vid Clip: Freedom fighters or terrorists?
- Freedom fighters or terrorists?
Resource: Library of Congress:Text of legislation honoring mujahideen as freedom fighters
-
Lesson 5: Analyzing the Roots of Terrorism
- Teacher's Guide:Students learn different views on the reasons for growth of the militant Muslim movement through the analysis of articles from newspapers and magazines.
- Student Readings
- Student Worksheet
- Supplemental Resources
X
Lesson 5, Text: Analyzing the roots of terrorism
- Analyzing the roots of terrorism
Resource: Library of Congress: September 11, 2001, Documentary Project
Videos available for larger projection via ourYoutube Channel.
