Building a Shared Vision: Developing and Sustaining Media Education Partnerships in the Middle East

>				focused on Tunisia, its government, and its media
				organizations to assess how the Arab nation is
This article explores how media education partnerships				addressing the challenges of overcoming the digital
will help institutions in the MENA and the U.S. provide				divide, and of developing civic discourse and equitable
culturally-appropriate education to their students, and				communication flow in the nation (Lengel, 2004). In this
the positive impact of each partnerships’ faculty				sense, IPSI students have been best positioned to
and students being exposed to media, journalism and				report on the UN WSIS and related events in Tunisia
communication students and practitioners from other				this past year. IPSI faculty developed a program to
cultures and nations.				focus reporting curricula around the WSIS (IPSI, 2004).
Often the most fleeting contact with international				The online component of the university partnership has
visitors can have a far-reaching and unforeseen				also enhanced IPSI students’ efforts to share
impact. Drawing from the authors’ media				first hand observations about the preparation leading
teaching, research, and practice in the Middle East and				up to the UN WSIS, and to report directly during the
North Africa (MENA), the article addresses the inspiring				actual event to their counterpart students in the U.S.
and enriching cultural impact of media education				In addition to participating in this important media and
partnerships between the U.S. and the MENA. The				technology event, partnership students and faculty are
article outlines keys to creating and sustaining				also interacting with media, communication, and civil
successful media, journalism and communication				society organizations. Online and face-to-face work
university partnerships, reporting specifically on an				with civil society organizations, such as the Center for
international media education collaboration in progress				Arab Women Training and Research (CAWTAR) and
between l’Institut de Presse et des Sciences de				le Centre d'Etudes Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT),
l’Information (IPSI), University of Manouba, Tunis				provides important insights into the impact of media
and Bowling Green State University. The article also				and communication on civic discourse in the MENA.
explores how media education partnerships will help				Media organizations such as BBC North Africa; Tunis
institutions in the MENA and the U.S. provide				Afrique Press (TAP); Mosaique - a new private
culturally-appropriate education to their students, and				Tunisian radio station; newspapers including La Presse,
the positive impact of each partnerships’ faculty				Essahafa, Le Renouveau, El Horia, Le Temps,
and students being exposed to media, journalism and				Essabah, Echourouk, and Essarih; Magazines including
communication students and practitioners from other				Réalités, and L’Observateur; and private
cultures and nations. It gives evidence as to how				sector partners provide important professional
media education partnerships can not only develop				development opportunities for students’
professional standards in media, but also build capacity				professional development.
to strengthen democratic practices, build civil society,				A final strength for enhancing interaction with civil
increase critical thinking and awareness, minimize and				society results from the location of BGSU, one of just
manage conflicts, fight negative stereotypes that often				a few major research universities within close
emerge as a reaction to governmental and corporate				proximity to the largest and oldest Arab-American
media discourses.				communities in the United States. The Islamic Center of
An increased attention to the growth of civil society in				Greater Toledo, only 15 minutes from campus, is one
the Middle East and North Africa (see, for instance,				of the largest mosques in the U.S. and houses one of
Amin & Gher, 2000; Bellin, 1995; Borowiec, 1998;				the largest congregations. Interaction with the
Brand, 1998; Darwish, 2003) reveals that civic discourse				Arab-American community occurred while IPSI
functions best where there is free access to				students and faculty were in residence at BGSU for a
information and where unhindered discussions allow				three-week workshop and internship program, through
citizens to examine all sides of civic issues. Because				a welcome reception, a summit, and through interview
information and communication technology (ICT), media,				opportunities for journalistic reporting assignments.
and journalism are some of the most important sites				Perhaps the most compelling interaction was with
for civic debate, they are essential partners in any				editors and journalists of Arab American media
nation’s efforts towards enhancing civil society.				organizations, including the Arab American News, The
As nations in the Middle East and North Africa MENA				Arab Gazette and, most notably, The Journal &
continue to enhance civil society, it is imperative that				Link, who engaged an outstanding, critical debates with
their journalists and media and communication				the partnership students about the challenges of
professionals have the professional training and				creating and sustaining free and independent media in
dedication to maintain the highest codes of conduct				both the MENA and the U.S.
and practice that will make them integral components				5) Commitment to program development and
in the process of building civil society.				enhancement
At present, however, media critics have shown that				The mutual interests of BGSU and IPSI faculty and
the professional activity of journalists in MENA				administration in the areas of international media and
countries is still very vulnerable (Amin, 2002, p. 125). As				journalism; in the impact of ICT on journalistic practice;
an expected consequence, MENA education				in the digital divide in the MENA; and shared interests in
programs in the communication discipline, most notably				ethics and values, civil society and democracy through
in news media, journalism, telecommunications and				the media; and a common balance of media theory
media technologies, have tended to support powerful				and practical skill-building stressed at both institutions
institutions and individuals, rather than civic discourse				create a solid foundation for the partnership’s
and the voices of students as citizens (Amin, 2002;				program goals and serve to focus the broad goals of
Rugh, 2004; Lowstedt, 2004). For example,				the partnership. These mutual goals and interests lay
investigation on media systems in eighteen nations in				the groundwork for the fifth key to successful
the MENA (Rugh, 2004) revealed that radio and				university partnerships: a shared commitment to similar
television in all these countries, excepting Lebanon, are				program development and enhancement goals.
still subordinated to powerful institutions. There have				Commitment to such program milestones such as new
been several recent international summits				media, journalism, communication and ICT degree
acknowledging these concerns. For example, the 2004				focus areas at IPSI include a Bachelor of Science in
conference of the Institute of Professional Journalists in				Journalism in International Media, and Masters of
Beirut on "Media Ethics and Journalism in the Arab				Science in International Media and in Environmental
World: Theory, Practice and Challenges Ahead", had				Journalism. During the academic year 2003-2004, IPSI
as one of its main themes the pressures on Arab				has inaugurated the first Master’s degree in the
media and journalists from local governments and				entire MENA in specialty topics in the media. During the
other powerful players inside the Arab world. During				same year, specialty topic was sports reporting. The
the Arab International Media Forum held at Doha, in				BGSU-IPSI partnership teams topics idea can be
March 2005, workshop discussions underlined that the				sustained in future years with such topics as
Arab media’s independence have yet to be				"International Reporting on Technology Issues" and
established within countries where the media have				"International Reporting on Democracy". The
been strictly controlled. And, perhaps the most				partnership faculty teams are also working to enhance
important summit thus far this millennium, the United				the IPSI’s MSc (master’s of science) in
Nations World Summit on the Information Society (UN				new information and communication technologies (ICT)
WSIS), held in Tunis, November 2005, addressed the				to include new online curricula through the Frontera
immense challenges of the digital divide and other				program (see description of Frontera below). In addition,
concerns in the MENA.				the partnership is developed and implemented an
Investigating educational partnerships in the MENA				intensive U.S.-based workshop on "Women, Media, and
As evidenced by summits on Arab, MENA and related				Democracy", internships for Tunisian students with
global media, there is an emergent body of research				area media organizations, and on-site professional
on MENA media (see, for instance, Amin, 2002;				development consultations with regional and national
Cassara & Lengel, 2004; Darwish, 2003; George				media executives. Below, several aspects and
& Souvitz, 2003; Lowstedt, 2004) and of research				program milestones are discussed as evidence of
on the potential for media technologies generally and,				successful implementation of the program.
specifically, in efforts to democratize the region (see				Women, media and democracy
for instance, Alterman, 1998; Dunn, 2000; Hamada,				Enhancing the lives of women is one of the pillars of
2003; Isis International, 2003; Lengel, 2002a; Lengel,				the Middle East Partnership Initiative. As mentioned
2002b; Lengel, 2004; Lengel, Ben Hamza, Cassara,				above the most important program and curriculum
& El Bour, 2005). However, there is very little				development effort thus far in the partnership has
research focusing on the benefits and challenges of				been curriculum development in the area of women,
media education partnerships between nations in the				media, and democracy. A key milestone if the
MENA and those outside it. A broad-scale evaluation				IPSI-BGSU partnership has been the "Women, Media,
of the current situation of MENA media education is				and Democracy" workshop which brought a
needed to fully assess the financial, pedagogical and				competitively selected group of Arab students and
attitudinal constraints found across the region.				faculty to the BGSU campus for a three-week
Additionally, what is needed is an exploration of how				intensive workshop from July 17 — August 5,
cooperation and collaboration, partnerships between				2005. In this workshop 10 IPSI and 9 BGSU graduate
the MENA and other regions to develop educational				and undergraduate students from the US, Russia, and
partnerships which can enhance media education in				China were brought together to collaborative explore
the region, through shared online resources, shared				about women, media and democracy and the points
experience, mutual commitment to MENA media				at which those topics overlap and interact. These large
students’ academic and professional				topics and those areas where they do interact are
development, and positive interaction between those				critical to the health of civil society in countries around
within and outside the region.				the world. Thus a three-week workshop, no matter
This article addresses such research needs by				how intense, only offered the international group of
investigating the potential for partnerships in the MENA.				students the chance to scrape the surface of the
It presents key components for creating and sustaining				issues. Nevertheless, students from both institutions
successful university partnerships in media, journalism,				reported how much they learned and grew from the
and communication. It also explores how media				workshop. The curriculum involved each student
education partnerships can help universities within and				engaging in individual research and journal assignments,
outside the MENA to provide culturally-appropriate				group research and presentation assignments,
education and training to their media, journalism,				outside-of-class group and individual work, a series of
telecommunications, new media, and communication				guest lectures, visits to Arab-American media
students, develop innovative online and distance				organizations, and other extracurricular activities.
learning initiatives, cultivate a community of practice,				There were several scheduled online activities at
and foster a positive impact of each				regular intervals in throughout the workshop, each
partnerships’ faculty and students being				which used Blackboard, the BGSU online course
exposed to those media instructors, researchers,				delivery program.1 Each session’s online
students, and practitioners from other cultures and				dialogue topic was developed in relation to particular
nations. The article reports specifically on a media				readings, the presentations by guest lecturers, the
partnership in progress between l’Institut de				documentaries viewed, class discussions, and other
Presse et des Sciences de l’Information (IPSI) at				activities of the workshop. Students were expected to
the University of Manouba in Tunis, Tunisia and Bowling				not only take part in the online discussions, by reacting
Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, USA. It				to other people’s posts, but also by offering
focuses on the experiences of the faculty co-directing				discussion points of their own. Participating in the online
the partnership in media, journalism and international				discussions not only added to IPSI and BGSU
communication, particularly the process of developing				students’ learning about women, media and
and sustaining the partnership. The article reflects on				democracy, but it also made the workshop very
the future vision of media education in the MENA,				enjoyable. In addition, it was the hope of the workshop
particularly the challenges and the future of investment				organizers that they could learn from the students
in the media education by governments, educational				about these discussions that will help to develop
institutions, and civil society and media organizations				effective communication between students at great
within and outside the region. Finally, it analyzes how				distances, primarily between students on-site on their
media education partnerships can not only develop				respective Tunis- and Bowling Green- based
professional standards in media, but also build capacity				campuses during the academic year following with
to strengthen democratic practices, build civil society,				workshop.
increase critical thinking and awareness, minimize and				All participating students, but in particular the IPSI
manage conflicts, fight negative stereotypes that				students, stated that the online component of the
emerge as a result of the often inattentive, insensitive				"Women, Media and Democracy" workshop was one
and inaccurate nature of governmental and corporate				of the most enjoyable and valuable to them. Many felt
media discourses.				more comfortable communicating online, rather than
Partnerships and civil society building				during class discussions, which took place in English, the
Citizens, scholars, practitioners and civil society				third language for students from Tunisia and Russia,
organizations argue much needs to be done to				and the second language for the student from China.
democratize media, journalism and unrestricted access				They could think and write at their own pace, read
to information and communication technology in the				others’ postings, and thoughtfully respond. They
MENA (see Camau & Geisser, 2003; Cassara				were encouraged not to speak to their peers in the
& Lengel, 2004; Chouikha, 2002; Newsom &				computer lab, but communicate only through computer
Lengel, 2003; Tetreault, 2000). An important place to				mediated communication (CMC).
begin this transformation is to foster educational				Online components of media education partnerships
collaboration within and outside the MENA that				Although education policymakers in the MENA
recognizes the role that a free and independent media				acknowledge the fact that overall progress within their
plays in transition to building democracy and which				societies relies heavily on introducing new technology in
understands that journalists can serve as models of				training, very few practical steps have been taken in
participants in democratic processes.				reaching that objective, such as fostering the
As MENA nations engage in building civil society, it will				implementation of e-learning technology in educational
be critical that journalists in the region have not only the				establishments. The severe digital divide between
skills they need to do their work well, but also the				much of the MENA and Western, industrialized
insights necessary to negotiate the challenges posed				countries point to several factors. Social barriers, such
by democratization. These insights are enhanced by				as illiteracy and low educational access, and economic
international exchange. The ever-growing presence of				barriers fostered sometimes by regional political crises
information and communication technology (ICT) and				are two of them. Furthermore, there is a lack of an
the additional resources and challenges that ICT offers				appropriate legislation acknowledge distance education
journalists and citizens alike create even more				degrees, and also financial, pedagogical and attitudinal
opportunities for democratic dialogue and international				constraint to technological enterprise in education:
exchange (Eickelman & Anderson, 1999).				prohibitive Internet access prices, lack of Arabic
Because democratic dialogue is a hallmark of civil				content, fear that traditional educational system looses
societies, exchange and dialogue between two				ground in favor of an unconventional pedagogical
international partners is at the heart of the international				scheme that might have unexpected outcomes
collaborative program "Capacity Building for a				(Abouchedid, 2004).
Democratic Press: A Sustainable Partnership to				These challenges have been addressed through an
Develop Media and Journalism Curricula in Tunisia." The				online component of the media education partnership,
program, which was launched in 2004 with a two-year				called Frontiers of New Technology Education,
funding commitment from the Middle East Partnership				Research and Action (Frontera), a program that has
Initiative (MEPI),1 highlights a hands-on practicum				linked over 1,000 students from 14 different universities
approach in which l’Institut de Presse et des				worldwide since its inception in 1996, including BGSU,
Sciences de l'Information, University of Manouba, Tunis				IPSI, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United
students benefit from practical professional journalism				Arab Emirates, and the women’s campus of
skills through internships with U.S. and MENA media				King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.3
organizations and engage in interactive and practical				Accessed through the Blackboard online learning
training in media and journalistic production and practice.				environment housed at BGSU, Frontera allows
This media educational partnership is creating				students at both partnership institutions to connect
sustainable core curriculum additions at the Tunisian				online and focus a dialogue on topics including online
partnership university including new program				civic discourse, the Digital Divide, media and journalistic
specializations in Women, Media and Democracy, as				ethics, and international affairs reporting. Students who
well as in Journalism and Human Rights. It is important				have been teamed with others in the online
to note that IPSI is the only press institute or program				international exchange forum have reported that their
of study in Tunisia and, arguably, the only one in North				connection through Frontera has lasted long after their
Africa.				official’ time with the program has ended
The partnership combines in-person and online contact				(Lengel, 2002; Lengel & Murphy, 2000; Marin
between IPSI and BGSU faculty and the students with				& Lengel, forthcoming).
the cultural knowledge and both traditional university				Through Frontera, students are asked to both
learning environments on the two campuses, and online				interrogate the Internet and encounter it as a discursive
through Blackboard, the BGSU online course delivery				tool to explore critical issues in international and
program. The project serves both undergraduate and				intercultural communication. The project affords
graduate students at both partnership universities,				students the opportunity to learn across borders and
enhances faculty instruction and online and				cultural differences. Through computer mediated
face-to-face curriculum development, and creates				communication (CMC), students work "together" in
sustainable and wide-reaching partnerships between				"cyber classrooms", across national borders and
academic institutions, civil society and NGOs, the				cultural differences, to explore ethnicity, nation and
private sector, and policy makers.				citizenship, the potential for civic discourse with persons
Developing a community of practice: Keys to				from different cultures and nations. During the past
successful media education partnerships				decade students of diverse heritage, Mexican,
The most successful partnerships cooperate and				Norwegian, Nigerian, Brazilian, Indian, Spanish, Turkish,
collaborate as a community of practice. What brings				English, Arab, US, Welsh, Irish and Russian to name
members of a community of practice together is a				only some, have engaged in dialogue through Frontera.
shared vision and goals, and a passion for mutual				Grouped into small CMC teams and using Blackboard
dialogue (Preston & Lengel, 2004). Respect for				(in the case of the IPSI-BGSU partnership; other
human worth and dignity, individual voices, and wrestling				partnerships use their university email accounts),
with complex social issues are characteristics of				students have been informed that they are part of an
democratic environments (Kubow & Fossum,				international university partnership. They are also told
2003; Kubow & Kinney, 2000; Kubow, 1999).				that are to explore their differences; differences of
Communities of practice are emerging as important				created by the boundaries of nationalism, but also
bases for creating, sharing, and applying knowledge.				boundaries of race, class, ethnicity and one's own
These communities share ideas and innovations,				identity.
collaborating across traditional hierarchical structures				6) Commitment to sustainability
and geophysical boundaries. Part of the mission of the				Perhaps the most important key to a successful
partnership discussed in this article is to maintain a				partnership is the commitment to sustaining it. It is in
sustainable community of practice in the area of				regard to this key that online connection is so crucial.
media, journalism, communication and ICT. In this				The strong online component of the IPSI-BGSU
partnership a diverse and committed group of media,				partnership positions the Internet and CMC as
journalism, communication technology, comparative				mechanisms through which to explore this crossing of
international education and democratic education				boundaries because it made possible the
researchers, teachers, practitioners and students are				students’ ability to journey virtually to other
engaging in the examination and creation of				places, thus facilitating a virtual "community of practice"
democratic media and online civic discourse. Through				of student peers and faculty. Along with curriculum
face-to-face meetings, online learning, several				materials, this community of practice is one of the
workshops in both the US and Tunisia, and participation				most sustainable components of the overall
in and reporting on the UN World Summit on the				partnership.
Information Society, the community of practice				Along with the online community of practice, other
supports the concepts surrounding the development of				sustainable outcomes from the partnership project
a free and independent media and will internationalize				include, but are not limited to the following: 1) new
and professionalize media institutions in the U.S. and				Bachelors and Masters degree programs offered by
Tunisia, and, more broadly across the MENA.				IPSI in, among others, International Media and
The partnership transcends traditional university course				Environmental Journalism; 2) a curriculum book
work and practice to become an actual community,				targeted to IPSI faculty in international media; 3) online
sustainable beyond the 24-month schedule of				educational materials including a CD-ROM targeted to
grant-supported activities. Because of the commitment				MENA region graduate and undergraduate media and
of the participating institutions, the community will				journalism students, which will report on the program
sustain and grow through further curriculum				outcomes and will enhance students’ skills in
development, research and related activities involving				international affairs reporting, interviewing and other
additional partners throughout the MENA. This will				journalistic skills, as well as raise awareness about civil
occur mainly due to the transformative nature of the				society and media ethics; 4) the website titled
interaction. Personal, direct contact with citizens from				"Capacity building for a Democratic Press" which will
other culture and nations can break down stereotypical				include assessments of the program, examples of
imagery and ideas, which often emerge the result of				writing from the Arab and US students, and details of
government and mainstream, corporate media				the milestones of the overall program, and key
discourses. The direct interaction, intensive collaboration				readings and references. One projected outcome of
and co-learning, and respectful dialogue of partnerships				the program is that it will aid participants’
can create a level of compassionate interaction				examination of media, journalism, and online civic
between the partnership participants who create the				discourse.
community of practice.				The potential for sustainability of the partnership is one
1) Commitment of institutions involved in the media				of the primary factors in the assessment of the overall
partnership				partnership program. Given the particular nature of this
Communities of practice cannot be created or				program, there are also some useful external
sustained without commitment. Outlined hereafter are				performance measures. Over time the program will be
six keys to creating and sustaining successful online				able to collect samples of the media content
university education and training partnerships: 1)				developed by the program’s students. Some
Commitment of partnership institutions; 2) Commitment				workshop participants, upon their return to Tunisia after
and expertise of personnel; 3) Commitment to				their study and internships in the U.S., have already
providing access to ICT and other facilities and				published reports and articles on their experiences and
resources to students and faculty at both partner				the overall partnership program in the Tunisian media.
institutions; 4) Commitment to engaging with				More reporting of this type is anticipated in the future. In
professional media, journalism and civil society				addition, both the students’ work and any
organizations; 5) Commitment to program development				coverage the program elicits would have an impact on
and enhancement; and 6) Commitment to sustainability.				audiences in the MENA and abroad. Finally, the online
First and foremost, partnerships can only be created				community of practice of faculty and students at both
and sustained if there is commitment on the parts of				partnership universities will sustain not only because of
both participating institutions. In the case of the				the ease of online dialogue, but of the important
partnership described in this paper, several strong				relationships developed both face-to-face and online.
reasons attest to the importance of choice of				Directions for the future: Lessons learned to sustain
university in a collaborative partnership. First, the Institut				the partnership
de Presse et des Sciences de l’Information				The partnership co-directors have learned a vast
(IPSI) at the University of Manouba, Tunisia is the only				amount of methods and skills to enhance the current
media and journalism university institute in the nation				and future programs, particularly 1) the importance of
(MERST, 2002). Second, faculty and administration at				cultural and professional exchanges to enhance
IPSI are committed to the partnership at all levels. They				appreciation of diversity and various practices and
have welcomed both face-to-face (F2F) and online				learning styles, 2) the importance of co-teaching,
participation between students and faculty and				co-training, and co-learning with international partners; 3)
between students and students at both universities.				the importance of learning from students from all
Institutional commitment has also resulted in internal and				participant institutions and 4) the importance of cultural
external support for the program. While the Middle				and professional exchange to develop sustainable
East Partnership Initiative, a U.S. State Department				programs that continue long after the funded program
program, as provided a highly competitive grant of				concludes.
$100,000 US (See Appendix 2) A significant cost-share				As discussed earlier, what brings members of a
(220%, or $220,000) in support of the partnership				MENA-U.S. community of practice together is a shared
program has been provided primarily by BGSU, with				vision and goals, a passion for mutual dialogue, respect
additional support from civil society and private sector				for human worth and dignity, individual voices, and
partners. In adherence to the university’s				wrestling with complex social, cultural and political
commitment to international education and exchange,				issues (Kubow & Fossum, 2003; Kubow &
several BGSU units have articulated their support of				Kinney, 2000; Kubow, 1999; Preston & Lengel,
the program. The University Provost, the Executive				2004). The shared vision and goals will ground the
Vice President, and Deans of three different Colleges				efforts to sustain the partnership, which include 1)
have expressed their commitment.				curricular materials available on CD-ROM and print, 2) a
2) Commitment and expertise of personnel				program website with resources and examples of
Along with commitment at the institutional level, primarily				participant writing and publications, and 3) an ongoing
by directors and key leadership of each institution, a				online community. While existing materials are targeted
second key to successful partnerships is the				to faculty, the curricular materials will aid not only media
commitment and expertise of the faculty who will				faculty students and but also media practitioners.
develop, implement, and sustain the partnership				Drawing from the shared goals of the partnership,
program. The IPSI-BGSU partnership, for example,				development of the materials is a collaborative effort
emerged from the long-standing relationships originally				between all partnership institutions. Through its creation
developed by U.S. Partnership Co-Director when she				and assessment, the curricula will 1) provide a basic
was a Fulbright Researcher in women and media in				shared foundation in media skills and issues, 2) provide
Tunisia, 1993-1994.2 Ten years after her first in-country				conceptual understandings of media in the MENA and
work in Tunisia, issues surrounding media, democracy				the U.S. to build an ongoing communal relationship, and
and the information society remain a challenge for that				3) provide a potential foundation for other international
nation and elsewhere in the MENA. Thus, the rationale				media studies programs in the MENA, particularly in
for the partnership is that there is a great deal of				areas under the Palestinian Authority, which the
mutual benefit of international educational exchange, of				partnership institutions are currently helping to formulate.
opportunities to learn first-hand about diverse practices				Through cultural and professional exchanges, media
in media and journalism from both partner				training programs, curricular and training materials,
institutions’ faculty and students, and to work				intensive skills-building workshops, online collaboration,
together toward enhancing civil society in the MENA				and civil society and media organizational interaction, an
and abroad.				ongoing community of practice will grow, flourish, and
The partnership team members are widely published				continue. While the long-term impact the program is
and nationally and internationally recognized. The				difficult to quantify, some aspects of the impact can
partnership co-directors, coordinators and key				be suggested. Efforts will provide support and
administrators have each directed or co-directed				resources to MENA media faculty, students and
international educational programs in China, Croatia,				practitioners, especially in the area of curriculum
France, Great Britain, Austria, Sub-Saharan Africa, and				development. The connections faculty, students and
the MENA. Finally, partnership co-directors’				practitioners make through the videoconference and
expertise in women and the media, particularly in the				other interactions may also bear lasting fruit. Finally, the
MENA (see Azouz, 2005; Azouz, 1994; Lengel, 1998;				students themselves who benefit from these
Lengel, 2000; Lengel, 2002; Newsom & Lengel,				opportunities will carry away from the program solid
2003) was crucial to the success of the "Women,				professional skills, a broader understanding of their own
Media and Democracy" workshop, detailed below.				country and the challenges it faces, and the
3. Commitment to providing access to resources				knowledge that beyond MENA borders there are
A third key to successful partnerships is the				resources to draw on and people to stand with them
commitment to providing access to ICT and other				when they encounter professional challenges.
facilities and resources to students and faculty at both				At the heart of successful partnerships, media faculty,
partner institutions. IPSI students are exposed to the				students and practitioners will enhance skills they will
digital audiovisual equipment and the strong web				need to develop as responsible instructors, learners
development curriculum and tools available at the				and practitioners of journalism in a democratizing
Institute. Of particular importance to the partnership, ISPI				society. Successful partnerships are a forum in which
students have access to 150 computers with Internet				faculty can develop their media teaching and practices
access, which affords the opportunity to engage in the				to meet current developments in civil society, and in
distance education component of the program with the				which MENA students can carry on discussions to
U.S. Partner institution. BGSU faculty and students are				help explore professional choices facing them as they
benefitting by learning from the extensive international				participate in the democratization of their society.
teaching, research, and media and journalism				American students will benefit from their interaction
production experience of the IPSI faculty and				with MENA students, as they dialogue about the
administration. Also, there are several key strengths of				connections between media, journalism, and
the U.S. Partner for the MEPI exchange. The first				democracy and implications of the project for their
strength is the cutting-edge journalism, multimedia,				respective societies.
computing and production facilities housed in the BGSU				Perhaps more importantly than media skills
School of Communication Studies, which houses the				development, is the cultural exchange and interaction
Departments of Journalism, Interpersonal				afforded by international collaboration. Based on our
Communication and Telecommunications. Further, as				extensive experience in the MENA and relationships
an Internet 2 campus, Bowling Green State University				already developed with MENA university partners, we
has an advanced technological infrastructure that fully				have witnessed how media education partnerships
supports all of the online and telecommunications				can not only develop professional standards in media,
activities cited within the programs of this grant.				but also build capacity to strengthen democratic
BGSU’s IDEAL unit (Interactive Distance				practices, build civil society, increase critical thinking and
Education for All Learners) oversees the development				awareness, minimize and manage conflicts, fight
and implementation of distance (i.e., web-based) course				negative stereotypes. Near the end of their
work and communication on campus. Additionally, the				participation in the "Women, Media, and Democracy"
University is part of the larger OhioLink library system,				workshops and their mini-internships, many of the
which allows MENA faculty and students participating				Tunisian student participants announced that while they
in the partnership to access materials and holdings at				"hated" America and Americans before coming to the
all of the state universities and many of many of the				U.S., their viewed were completely transformed.
private colleges and universities in Ohio, and also				Similarly, BGSU university students from the U.S., China,
provides links to that other U.S. library systems. Finally,				and Russia stated that any negative views of they
additional technology services are being provided by				may have had about the MENA disappeared during
WBGU-TV PBS and the US Embassy in Tunis which				their direct interaction. Stereotypical imagery and ideas
are both providing digital videoconferencing services				about the MENA, often the result of government and
for the quarterly meetings between the two				mainstream, corporate media discourses, were stifled
universities.				after three weeks of direct interaction, intensive
4) Commitment to engaging with professional media,				collaboration and co-learning, and respectful dialogue.
journalism and civil society organizations				Hearing such reflection, we have hope that, through
Because Tunisia is hosted the United Nations World				the direct cultural exchange between U.S. and MENA
Summit on the Information Society, November 16				faculty, students, and media practitioners, partnerships
— 18, 2005, all eyes of the media,				can create a level of compassionate interaction
communication and technology world have been				between the U.S. and the MENA.

DistantEd

Building a Shared Vision: Developing and Sustaining Media Education Partnerships in the Middle East