Research journalism initiative Educator responses
During the fall semester 2008, the academic communities in my two Political Justice classes were transformed by a new educational strategy, the use of a videoconference to meet with Palestinian college students living in the West Bank. Afterwards many students shared that this class with these students half way around the world was an “unforgettable” and life-changing experience. The 100-level Political Justice course provides an introduction to the relationships between law, justice and political power in a comparative context. The students explore strategies for witnessing injustices, especially those experienced by people who are excluded by legal protections. They also gain experience researching contemporary legal and political issues and skills to develop more informed understandings of governmental policies and their implications. This semester I worked with the Research Journalism Initiative to set up a videoconference with Palestinian students at An-Najah University in the West Bank. In preparation for the conferences, students explored a variety of sources produced by Palestinians, Israelis and Americans to learn about the political, legal and social conditions in Israel’s occupied territories. Then they worked in groups to develop questions for their Palestinian peers. Samantha Lowe and Robert Freeman, students who were proficient with media, volunteered to coordinate the technological aspects of the project. Samantha reflects, “The videoconference was one of the most influential experiences that I have ever had—I had never had the chance to speak to a person from Palestine and to hear their point of view was groundbreaking. I have been conditioned by our media to believe only one side of the story—Israel is good and Palestine is bad. Yet actually being able to speak to a person from Palestine was amazing. From their stories I was able to grasp how it felt for them to live in constant fear.” Many students now look at U.S. media more critically and realize that they needed to seek multiple sources to develop an accurate understanding of situations. Students acknowledge that “speaking with kids like us can teach us more than we had ever imagined.” One student observes, “I thought the classroom they were sitting in looked just like ours, which added to the overall experience. The videoconference was significant because it helped me place all the readings and briefings and work up to that point in a real context. The people we were talking about were not just facts and figures, but real college students like me whose lives were being turned upside down on a daily basis.” The video conference inspired some students to search for ways to seek justice. One student explains, “It was very striking to see people our own age ask us for help, because so much of their life is affected.” Another student concludes, “The experience was so authentic and eye-opening that I actually felt as thought I needed to do something to help.” - December, 2008
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