Cross-Cultural Blog

Today, students are connecting three ways across three continents. From the American University in Cairo, Egypt to Orebro University in Sweden, all the way to Stanford University in California, students are video-conferencing in real time to discuss cultural blog entries and differences in living accommodations, education, and cultural values (doxa).

According to the Lesson Plan, students will first introduce themselves and then discuss their blog posts that show aspects of their culture.

After sharing their differences, they will be creating a brochure TOGETHER as a team --> and composing a visual argument to launch their imaginary new company.

Students, please take a moment to write a comment on this blog entry with your response to your experiences connecting today. Be sure to include your name and institution.

• What did you learn about rhetoric and cross-cultural communication today?
• How did you resolve any technical difficulties (we know you had some!) What was your solution?
• What was most memorable moment or element of the video-conference exchange? What surprised you the most?
• Explain your GROUP BROCHURE - how did you create it? What does it mean?
• What new insights do you have about diverse cultures or ways of working together that you can use for your future?

Thank you!

Posted by Alyssa O'Brien at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (45)

Hi AUC students!

I have a question for you guys. I'm researching the impact of the "green" (environmental) fashion trend across cultures, and I'm wondering if you could help me by telling me a bit about what you have experienced in Cairo. In America, being "green" is currently somewhat of a fashion trend: lots of people wear shirts that promote recycling or "going green," and many celebrities have begun to endorse environmentalism. This has led me to wonder, however, if the trend has to do more with fashion than actual environmental function.

What do you think? What is the "green" trend like in Cairo? Do you feel that it is important to appear environmentally-conscious? If so, does this pressure influence your choices as a consumer? And what is your perspective on the "green" trend in the U.S.?

I would love to read your comments. Thanks for your help!!

-Kelly

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Having the AUC located in the heart of the Middle East, “Egypt”, means that its students will be following an Arab style of clothing since Egypt is a purely Arab country. Despite such fact, AUCians are well acknowledged with ongoing worldwide fashion trends and that what makes the AUC one of the most distinguishable universities in Egypt; its amazing mixture of Arab and non-Arab fashion styles. Below are some of the popular fashion trends followed by the differently cultured students and which are as follows:

Here, we have the eye-catching Gladiator sandals. Why are they on the top-of the AUCian fashion list? Well, they have their unique styles which as you can see can reach the ankle line and therefore be hidden under the trousers as well as be wrapped around them. Not only are they found in various colours that range from astonishing pinks, explosive purples, electric blues, calming whites to classical blacks, but also, they are surprisingly comfortable since they are usually made from comfortable materials such as leather. In addition to the sandals, we have the head bands which are seen an important accessory to the diverse AUCian outfits. What makes them that famous is the “hippy” look they provide as seen in the photo above (right figure).

Speaking of accessories that are related to one’s profile face, are the Ray-Ban sunglasses. Whether they are in their classical shapes or modern ones, they definitely suit both sexes as seen in the above left picture. Nevertheless, when it comes to skinny trousers either cotton or jeans, they are worn by males, yes, males and not just females unlike what is usually perceived by many.

Leggings”, a word that indeed can’t escape an AUCian female closet. Why? Because it goes well with all seasons; summer, winter, spring and fall. They are called leggings since they actually customize the leg’s shape. Despite the fact that they might be of a thin textile, they are astonishingly warming during cold days. Although in the above pictures the leggings’ colour is black, you can find them in cheerful colours like red, purple and even yellow. Oh! Here we find again the Gladiator sandals spicing up the leggings and the skinny jeans as well.

We just can’t forget about the books and that’s where the cross bags come to take an essential part in our clothing. It all started simply as laptop bags and with their enormous spread over the AUC campus, they became a desirable trendy look. They can be plain casual like Vans or with classical designs such as Louis Vuittons. Speaking of classical style of clothing, the classical shoes come along as seen in the above pictures with Kareem wearing the brown and Youssef wearing the black.

Those were just few of the AUCian trends that largely depend on the ongoing global changes in the fashion industry. However, being an AUCian, means you just have to be yourself whether you follow these looks or not. In both cases, you are still going be an AUCian...

Mirna Awad and Amr El Abd

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 06:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (26) | TrackBacks (0)

The employment fair event has been taking place since the year 1986. The American university in Cairo was the first university that introduced the employment fair event in the Middle East. The caps office which is the Career Advising and Placement Services is responsible to organize this twice a year one day event. This Caps office spreads out information booklets that include the names of all the participating companies with their vacant job positions before the event’s initiation. The event’s aim is to acquaint graduate students with the possible career life they are tending to take. It also builds up relationships between those students and the corporate world. Furthermore, it’s about presenting our graduate students’ skills and qualifications to the participating companies which are recruiting for certain employees. Thus we can say it’s a mutual event where both parties are satisfied. From the companies’ side, they can find their employer’s needs in our students. While from the students’ side, they are offered unexpected great highly paid jobs, and this of course is also beneficial for the university as it reflects its image on its well qualified students.

Continue reading " Employment Fair Event in AUC BY: Farah Omar &Nourhan Wael" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 05:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (44) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the most interesting things about AUC is its clubs and organizations. It has a wide variety of clubs such as community service, entertainment and educating clubs. One of these clubs is called AYB, Alashanek Ya Balady. It is an Arabic word which means “for you my country”. It is a student-led community service club which mainly aims to achieve sustainable development at Ein Elsera which is a poor district in old Cairo where people have some problems like low income, computer illiteracy and language problems. This club has started at AUC since 2002, but now it has four chapters in other governmental Egyptian universities. AYB consists of two main bodies. The first one is OC, stands for organizing committees which mainly works on campus. They are divided into smaller committees which are responsible for AYB’s public relations in campus, raising fund and making documentaries about AYB. They also design flyers, posters, banners and booths. This picture shows AYB booth which was for “Be Positive” campaign which urges students to be positive and do their best to improve their country.

Continue reading "Community Service" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Aucians have been waiting for a long time for the opening of the sports center in the new campus in Katameya. They endured a lot in the old campus due to the limited facilities that were provided. For this reason they were waiting for the new sports center to fill up their expectations and cover their needs. In fact, the new sports center provides a lot of facilities to AUC society, both students and staff. There is an outdoor zone containing two basketball courts and two handball courts.

Continue reading "AUC Sports Complex" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (25) | TrackBacks (0)

Written by: Aya Salama and Silvana Philip

(http://egyptclub.whwebsolutions.com/wp-content/themes/Ancient%20Egypt/images/Header.jpg)

In the minds of many, Egypt has always been the land of the pyramids, Cleopatra, king Tut, "the mummy "and " the mummy returns". The mystical appeal of the ancient Egyptian civilization has lured many to try and know better about it and study it more closely. And where closer can one ever study it that in the land of the pharaohs itself! The American university in Egypt is one of a selected few (probably one of two) of American affiliated universities that offer an Egyptology major world wide. Among the different departments of AUC, Egyptology is considered one of the most unique and interesting departments. The department presents a wide variety of courses concerned with the dawn and development of the Egyptian civilization. Students study different topics such as construction, hieroglyphic language, medicine, religion and many other aspects of this great civilization. For its uniqueness, the department attracts Egyptian and foreign students alike who share the passion of studying ancient Egyptian culture and history.

Continue reading "Egyptology in AUC" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

Greetings from across the Atlantic! If any of you guys ever came to Cairo, you probably noticed that it’s a polluted city. Where else would you see a bus blowing more smoke than a big fire? In order to avoid polluting our city even more, the American University in Cairo developed an environmentally friendly campus. Other than classrooms, meeting halls and buildings our campus also has a lot of greenery. There are 1,216 date palms such as the ones shown in the photo and a lot of grass areas. Being surrounded by this kind of environment is a pleasant experience when you live in a crowded and polluted city such as Cairo.
Also, the AUC campus is a pedestrian area. This allows us to take a break from the very crowded streets all over the city even if we have to walk around all day in the sun. The only other way of getting around on campus is the golf carts which are not pollutant. But unfortunately they are reserved for faculty members.
The AUC also encourages recycling. More than 75 percent of the stone in the wall that circles the campus “was recycled from stone that would otherwise have been discarded as waste”. Other than that example, as you can see in the picture, our university also tries to sort garbage. This will later help recycle some of the things thrown away such as paper that will otherwise be a problem to the environment.
These are some aspects of our environmentally friendly campus. I hope I didn’t scare you away with the bus story. Cairo is still a great place to visit, after all it is the land of the great pharaohs. Talk to you soon!

YOUSSEF Youssef (This is actually my first and last name, I didn’t write my name twice)

Source: http://www.aucegypt.edu/newcairocampus/Pages/default.aspx

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

One can witness from the upper pictures how the streets in Cairo most of the time look like. People keep complaining how much time they spend in their cars in order to get anywhere because the streets are always a mess. “Official statistics estimate that 8000 people are killed and 32,000 hurt on Egyptian road accidents each year” (Egypt Car Accidents) . This is due to Egypt’s share in bad roads and people not following the rules. For example on the highways here in Egypt such as the “Mehwar” and the “Ring Road” you can find people crossing the streets while the cars are driving with a very high speed. Moreover the trucks and the buses that are old and insecure to drive are a cause of these accidents too. “According to one study the accident rate in Egypt is about 34 times higher than in the European countries and roughly three times higher than countries in the Middle East”(Egypt Car Accidents.) Our first semester in AUC at the new campus in new Cairo was in fall 2008. Almost everyday there was at least one student who had an accident on his or her way to college. Most of the time, it was either on the “ring road” or “road 90”. Road 90 is a 10km long road that connects the ring road with college. Cars always drive with a very high speed on it while there are u-turns, people crossing the street and a lot of cars and buses that drive the wrong way. These factors caused a lot of accidents and harmed a lot of people.

Continue reading "AUCians do care!" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

http://www.stanford.edu/about/speak.html

Greetings from the Farm! This is Asli, Jonathan, and Kelly, three “frosh” at Stanford University. Even though we’ve only been here a month, we’ve already been exposed to many of the wacky sides of Stanford. While it’s true that most freshmen here were admitted based on stellar SAT scores that reflect an ability to communicate well, formal English is a rare thing once you’re actually here. Whether you’re grabbing a coffee from the CoHo, hanging out with your RoHo or even hosting a ProFro, knowing your Stanford lingo is one of the first and most important skills to pick up.

The fact that Stanford students use so many abbreviations may make it sound like we’re always in a rush. However, the opposite is true: students here are typically pretty relaxed. Our lingo reflects Stanford’s laid-back and sometimes quirky mentality. Why say “Memorial Auditorium” when “MemAud” sounds so much cooler? We’re writing to you right now from our PWR class, which stands for “Program in Writing and Rhetoric.” We look forward to communicating with you and learning about your schools. Maybe you can come visit us at Stanford and try some EANAB’s (equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages)! But if you come during “Dead Week” (study week before finals), don’t be scared off by our primal scream (a midnight stress-relief tactic)! Talk to you soon!

P.S. For more Stanford slang, check out www.stanford.edu/about/speak.html

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Hey! How’s it going across your respective pond? We’re Molly, Helena, and Ketaki and we’re from Washington State, Montana, and Northern California. We’re all freshman at Stanford, and we really like it here. One of the main things about Stanford that’s so great is the freedom we have to explore our interests and try new things; no one is expected to have a major until two years after they’ve started here. This philosophy extends beyond the academic portion of the campus to sports and other extracurricular activities.
Stanford culture is different from anything we’ve ever experienced. Even though everyone here has achieved something incredible, most people are extremely humble and relaxed. It’s easy to make friends because people are open to new possibilities. Even other parts of California aren’t necessarily as laid back and accepting as Stanford. It’s such a surreal feeling to ride your bike past palm trees and fountains every day on the way to class. All of us are still getting used to the idea of actually being students here!
I hope you like your school as much as we enjoy Stanford. We’re really looking forward to video conferencing with you!
And, as they say in California: PEACE out, yo! If you're ever in the Bay, don't hesitate to hit us up for some fro-yo!
- Molly, Helena, Ketaki

Continue reading "Hella Chillin' by the Bay" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Greetings from Stanford! Our names are Aliya, Zanny, and Meredith and we are freshmen here at Stanford. Yesterday was a big day on campus. It rained for the first time this quarter, the first rain we experienced as freshmen. We did not know how to react. “I never thought it rained in California!” “Oh my god, my bike seat is soaked!” “Yay, puddles!” Students’ reactions were a mix of horror, disbelief, and excitement. Sure, most of us complained about the wet and cold weather, but—to be honest—we all enjoyed the change of pace. Most Stanford students ride their bikes to class, and you can imagine the effect of sleeting rain on the average bicyclist. Each of us responded differently to the weather. Zanny was feeling rebellious and decided to tough it out and bike to class. She was extremely disappointed with this decision; her hood wouldn’t stay up and she was drenched from head to toe. Meredith decided to go all out with the rain gear. She put on rain boots and a raincoat and carried an umbrella as she walked to class, to scared to bike. After witnessing a spectacular bike collision as she was unlocking her own bike, Aliya decided that the safest bet was the long trudge to classes, with or without an umbrella.
The rain affected more than just our travel plans. The gloomy weather required many cups of hot cocoa, cider, and tea; incessant rain forced all of us to change out of drenched clothes several time. We communed with our peers in dorm lounges, sharing our horror stories and complaints as well as our hopes for brighter days ahead.

Continue reading "California Sunshine?" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

int main()
{
printf("hello, world");
return 0;
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Here at Stanford, we are chill most of the time, or so it seems. We live under the warm Californian sun. It’s warm 90% of the time and clouds always look lonely. So it’s really hard not be relaxed when you’re not solving differential equations, and even sometimes when you are. But we somehow manage to find time to work and time to relax, which is essential to surviving as a student. We aren’t competitive but we are ambitious. We come to Stanford with high expectations of ourselves and don’t cut ourselves short by pushing each other down. It’s a collaborative environment because we know we need cooperation in order to be successful. But it’s not just about working and being successful in our own eyes. Our difficult workload is always balanced by the tendency to enjoy the sun and each other’s company.

Continue reading "California Culture" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

No, really, it is more than you'd imagine!

Hello! Our names are Lea, Raina, and Christopher, three freshmen at Stanford University. We’ve been having an amazing time here, getting to know our fellow classmates. We love the fact that everyone trumps the stereotype of simply being a good student.

While we’re all passionate about academics and intellectually curious, we also have whole other identities as artists, athletes, actors, activists, and aesthetes. It is always so exciting to learn about our classmates’ lives, loves, and accomplishments, both inside and outside of the classroom. Everyone is so impressive! For example, one student holds the Guinness World Record for juggling, while others own their own companies and non-profit organizations. Most impressively, everyone is very humble about their accomplishments, always willing to take a moment to share about their life experiences or to explain a homework concept to others.

We also know how to have a good time! Late night conversations, parties, fountain hopping (we run around at night and jump into various fountains on campus), art and comedy shows, and spirited sports games only begin to cover some of the quirky, fun-filled, fantastic experiences that we have had so far!

Continue reading "More Than You'd Imagine" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

We come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. For instance, of our group of three students, one is from a public school in Indiana, another grew up in Taiwan, and another has moved 14 times between four countries. Stanford is a very active campus and has many student-athletes. The sun is almost always shining and we are always outside. We consider ourselves more laid back than our east coast peers; less competitive and more friendly. Everyone here is treated with the same respect. Even between boys and girls, different races and ethnicities, and different levels in school. Everyone is so excited to be here and to meet other people here. We present ourselves as people rather than a list of accomplishments. We tend to become good friends with people before we find out the amazing things they have done. As a community, we are a little quirky. For instance, Stanford student love to go “fountain-hopping” where we all run around and jump into fountains. We also have an annual tradition of “full moon on the quad” where everyone gathers and kisses as many people as they can.

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Hi this is Andrew and David: two average Stanford Freshman with a need to explore!!

Steam tunneling has been a long existing tradition at Stanford. Beneath the campus that so many have called home there is an intricate catacomb of tunnels that wind under the engineering building and center of campus. One can find themselves coming up in one of 250 connected buildings including a chapel at the far end of the quad. Recently almost every known entrance to the steam tunnels has been locked shut keeping eager Stanford students away from their beloved tradition due to the possibilities of lawsuits or injuries. It isn’t uncommon, however, to see one of

these locks cut or a manhole cover open. I believe this is a metaphor of the Stanford community. There is a strong sense of tradition that many value more than the risks present in pursuit of such tradition. Stanford students are curious, eager to explore even the darkest of places and navigate their way through a catacomb of life. They are assertive, keeping a watchful eye over everything in their community, and not afraid to protest something they find unreasonable or even unjust.

Continue reading "Stanford “Steam Tunneling”" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo in Egypt, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Being bored at Stanford is impossible. Stanford has an intellectual community, but it is very friendly, welcoming, and open. Everybody at Stanford has a “baby” – they have something they are really passionate about and they put a lot of time and effort into pursuing it. Stanford prides itself on not taking itself too seriously. Instead of having a formal marching band, the band dresses up in crazy costumes for sports games and makes inappropriate formations and instead of marching, everyone runs crazily between formations. Stanford is not only an intellectual community but also emphasizes extracurricular activities and sports: the students are very well-rounded. Students take an interest in each other’s lives. The campus is often referred to as the “Stanford Bubble.” Almost everyone lives on campus and the campus itself is like a little city. Most people rarely venture into the nearby affluent suburb of Palo Alto. Having all the students on campus promotes a strong community feeling, also shown in the inclusion of the whole student body in events instead of having exclusive parties or meetings. There is a lot of emphasis put on exploration and fun in addition to academic achievement. Having a great experience is a huge part of Stanford life out of the classroom.

Continue reading "Bubbles and Babies: Excitement on the Stanford Campus" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Stanford has 8,000 acres of land and is the second biggest campus in the world…so it’s really BIG.

We think the dynamic between Stanford and its surrounding area is really interesting The town outside Stanford called Palo Alto is a fairly small town full of silicon valley techies. Although the biggest city, San Francisco, is an hour away, the campus is still incredibly active and friendly in its bubble.

Stanford students enjoy their tight knit campus community, but they also reach out often to neighboring communities with education or volunteering efforts. Student traditions include frolicking in the fountains as well as spelunking in the steam tunnels.

Continue reading "8,000 Acres Is Not Enough: Stanford Reaching Out" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Hey, we’re Paige and Atira, and we’re freshmen at Stanford University! Upon our arrivals at Stanford, the first taste of Stanford life we received was when we approached the doors to our dorm, carrying all our life belongings in two large suitcases. The initiation into the dorm consisted of a loud megaphone welcome from multiple people clad in coordinating t-shirts and mardi gras beads. After the loud wake-up call, they gave us t-shirts of our own, a room key, and a bag of information regarding New Student Orientation. This was our official joining into the Stanford community. A month later, dorm life continues to be the focal point of life on campus. The sense of belonging and collaboration translates into the dorm as well as academics. There’s a competitive atmosphere, but everyone is encouraged to work together towards a greater goal.

Continue reading "Dressing up in the Dorms: Living at Stanford University" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

Hello, we are five students from Stanford University collaborating with the American University in Cairo as part of a Cross Cultural Rhetoric (CCR) project. We are writing about the international obesity and malnutrition crises for our class on food science and politics.
Professor Paul Zimmet of the International Diabetes Institute warns that “obesity is no longer a problem limited to America…but has reached the scale of a global epidemic.” In a world with 300 million obese people, how is it possible that over twice that number are malnourished globally? This indicates that it is the allocation of food, rather than the abundance, that is problematic.

Continue reading "From Rolls to Ribs" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group Y at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog was written by a group of five freshmen taking an introductory course with a focus on the rhetoric of food science and politics in the Program of Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University.

As the world population increases exponentially and the economy fluctuates wildly, the global food shortage is fast becoming one of the most terrifying and seemingly insurmountable crises that humanity has ever faced.

Responses and solutions have been proposed on all sides. The international scientific community has begun to focus a great deal of energy on biotechnology to promote greater crop and livestock productivity; governments are looking to cooperate in the development of legislation that will protect both the agriculture industry and the consumers who depend on its products; non-profit organizations are attempting to interact with those directly affected by the food shortage to develop localized solutions in self-sustainability and agricultural and economic independence.

Continue reading "Responding to the Global Food Shortage" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group X at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Students: Hanna B, Stewart D, Karen L, Stephanie N

This Cross Cultural Rhetoric blog is a project between Stanford University students in Palo Alto, California, and students at the American University in Cairo to explore varying cultures’ perspectives on world issues.

Specifically, our group is focusing on how awareness of the globalization of food commodities can shed light on the global food crisis. In this entry, we examine how the globalization of the corn industry has specifically affected food availability around the world.

Source: http://climateprogress.org/2008/04/03/corn-hits-a-new-record-6-a-bushel/

Continue reading "Insert [CORNy] Title Here" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group X at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

In this blog, we will be examining the effects of climate change on agriculture and the role of GMOs in a societal, political, and scientific context as part of our Food Science and Politics class at Stanford University. We will be corresponding with students at the American University at Cairo through this Cross-Cultural Blog.

Continue reading "Engineering Our Environment" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group A at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

As a part of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University, we are coming together to open up a conversation surrounding the current use of food for fuel. This is a complex issue that cannot be simplified by generalization. Therefore we hope to open up a discussion rather than an argument.
Contributing authors: Jackie Klimes, Caitlin Morgan, Hannah Rich and Meghan O'Hara.

Michael Ramirez, Creator's Syndicate

Continue reading "Corn on the Cob or Corn in Your Car" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group B at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Moving to the Desert
By Rina Moussa, AUC.

In Egypt, it is getting more crowded every day. This is due to the overpopulation of the city. Moreover, the inhabited areas are those that were eligible for cultivation. It was not a smart decision made on behalf of our country, to locate the housings on this land and ignoring the desert, because now we spend more money than we can afford on importing food that we otherwise could have cultivated in our own country. We are having a serious economic problem, prior to the worldwide economic crisis, which is triggered by our environmental mishaps.
Only recently did the government realize this problem: misusing our agricultural land. Why wouldn’t we use the land that is not fit for agriculture anyway for housing and industry? Then leaving the agricultural land in good shape will be possible; and save our money and spend it on something more worthwhile.

Continue reading "Moving to the Desert" »

Posted by American University in Cairo at 06:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

A few years ago, in the mid 90’s Cairo’s boarders were not too far away from the River Nile, the obvious reason for this was because this is where the water resources could extend to. Cairo was large but overcrowded and after a while, the government needed to do something. Anywhere around Cairo that was not civilized by the tall buildings, homes, businesses, farm lands and water resources was just desert. The government decided to sell this land cheap to businessmen in order for them to invest in it, get water to reach out and urbanize it. One of these areas is now known as 6th of October city and is now a province.
It took several years for this area to urbanize, but has succeeded. 6th of October city has an industrial area and many of the businesses have pulled out to there. This has proceeded to building residential areas in order for people to also move out near to their work areas and live there as well. Since residential areas came to be, schools and educational institutes have also opened and branched out to this new part of Cairo. As a lot of us know, Cairo is a beautiful city and has its’ own charm but is highly polluted and has reached to an extent where it is too difficult to clean up. So far, 6th of October is being very cautious in avoiding such polluting.

Continue reading "Cairo working for a greener future" »

Posted by American University in Cairo at 03:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

" I talk here about the problem of deforestation, how it is caused and how it affects our lives."

Deforestation has become an increasing activity these days. Deforestation is when people start removing forests and cutting down trees. There are several uses and causes for doing so. But there are effects to that as well, and these affects are a threat to all of us humans and other living organisms as well. This is a major problem because it affects my life now and if it continues, it is going to affect the coming generation which could include my children and grandchildren. They could suffer from loss of such resource which could make them suffer.

Continue reading "Threats of Deforestation" »

Posted by American University in Cairo at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

In the last few years, urbanization in Egypt has increased significantly. This phenomenon is natural as Egypt is a developing country. People are migrating from rural areas all over Egypt to settle in major cities like Cairo and Alexandria. They tend to migrate because they see them as a place of hope, where everything is possible. This is very beneficial to Egypt. The fact that more people are migrating to cities, means that more labor and workforce are available for many businesses and industries. This entire process is expected to enhance Egypt’s economy dramatically.

Continue reading "Environment and Urbanization" »

Posted by American University in Cairo at 04:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

While thinking about environmental issues with specific reference to Egypt, I remembered a trip to Aswan and the striking difference between the Nile in Aswan and the Nile here in Cairo. While this is expected because of the difference in the lifestyles between an industrialized area and a desert area, the rate of difference is astonishing.

Continue reading "What happens in the middle" »

Posted by American University in Cairo at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

It was an unforgettable day, the day I saw dead animals along the canals of Cairo. My dad was driving the car when I shouted at him to stop so I can take a closer look. It was the first time I had ever seen such a horrible image in reality. There were dead horses and cows floating in the water. What was really shocking was that people passing by did not care. It seemed to me that they thought this was normal, an image that they see everyday. But this was a first to me. I was shocked and devastated that somebody would do that.

Continue reading "What Are We Drinking ?" »

Posted by American University in Cairo at 03:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

According to your Blog, you guys stated what you had felt about the waste and pollution that caused the death of Salmon fish, the huge mountain of garbage and the disturbed ocean. In response to their blog, I believe the blog’s message was an inescapable kind of message that needs to be read by all people who encourage and increase waste and pollution. Moreover, the images that you posted were not only some images that conveyed “something that depicted the problem of consumption and waste” (Amaya), but also showed your “ethical, spiritual, and moral beliefs” (Bill), which was very effectual in showing your message to the audience. Furthermore, I think that providing your thoughts about a certain image that tackled a specific pollution issue did show your seriousness for showing people the different forms of pollution and also verified your personal beliefs. Moreover, your detailed descriptions of the four different images made them even more touching by clarifying what has happened in them at that time, such as describing what has happened to the Salmon, the huge pile of garbage and the polluted ocean. Indeed, your images acted as a kind of emotional appeal to the readers. Consequently, I was very touched and sympathized with these images, which caused me to actually feel your blog’s message. Also, I think that you, as a group, were successful in posting a very decisive and essential blog, which was been posted especially to show “nature as the victim that must be protected, no longer the wild beast to be conquered, like once erroneously thought of” (Carpenter).

Posted by American University in Cairo at 01:00 PM | Permalink

Mohamed Allam
Fady Barsoom
Abdullah Atiya
Sarah El Massery

Living in a touristic country like Egypt, is considered a double edged sword. Tourism benefits our country economically since it is one of the main sources of our income; however, tourists receive special treatment in Egypt, especially from security and police. When I was in Hurghada (which is a very popular city on the Red Sea), I saw a police officer asking some Egyptians for their IDs, a routine occurrence. What was unusual was that for no specific reason the police officer just decided to take the person who showed his Egyptian ID into the police station. As soon as the guy heard that he was going to the police station he took out his German passport and handed it to the officer. Suddenly, the police officer changed his tone and started joking just to let go of the issue. The half-Egyptian-half-German man just looked to the officer with disgust and said “I showed you my Egyptian ID and you wanted to hurt me, but now you treat me so kindly just because I showed you this (German Passport)?”

We have to admit that the problem is not in the tourists, but in the Egyptian government which values tourists more than Egyptians because of the money they bring into the country. This indicates some drawbacks in the Egyptian system. The law is not enforced on tourists especially Arabs from the Gulf who do as they please and are left unjudged. We should be very welcoming to our visitors and tourists, tolerant with them and hospitable as we have always been, but at the end of the day we would want to see both tourists and Egyptians treated with the same level of respect.

Posted by AUC Rhetoric of Education Class at 05:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Sherif Yassin
Rana Abd El Aal
Dalia Abd El Aziz
Nora Hamdy

Egypt has always been a country where tourists from all over the world visit. Tourism has always been popular in Egypt because of its great history, geographical diversity and extraordinary nice weather. The tourism industry provides Egypt and its citizens with economic and social benefits. According to the Egyptian Tourism Minister
Zuheir Garana Tourism attracts 11 million tourists annually and will reach approximately $12 billion by 2011 that kind of revenue makes tourism vital for Egypt. Also, we Egyptians get to see the tourist's amazement at all of our monuments. This make us appreciate our country even more. We begin to think to ourselves "How come we haven’t seen many of our monuments up till this moment while all of the foreigners come from all over the world to see these things?'

Beyond any doubt, tourism improves the quality of life for Egyptian citizens and the whole world.

Posted by AUC Rhetoric of Education Class at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

Hi Stanford Bloggers,
we are Hannah, Fatma, Farid, and Mark, a group of students from the RHET 201 class in the American University in Cairo. We are all part of a research writing class and we are very excited to be blogging with you.

Tourism affects various aspects of an Egyptian’s life and culture; starting with a multilingual nature to a feeling of inferiority and dependence. Those effects are not all necessarily beneficial nor are they all harmful. Yet, their significance in shaping modern Egyptian culture is undeniable.
Tourism engraved various traits into our culture. Hospitality comes naturally to Egyptians; it is the trait most obvious to spot among Egyptians. Additionally, as residents of a country that hosts millions of global tourists every year it has become typical of Egyptians from various sectors of society to speak more than one language in order to communicate with the visitors. Another positive side-effect of tourism is the constant exposure to people from different cultures. This has taught us the importance of respect, tolerance and understanding.
Along with positive effects of tourism on Egyptians comes a sense of inferiority and need. Tourism constitutes over 40% of the nation’s economy, and has created a sense of inferiority to foreigners in the hearts of many Egyptians. The pressure to maintain and develop tourism potential coupled with a long history of colonization makes many Egyptians work hard to please tourists over themselves. Throughout Egyptian society the “West” is perceived of as superior and more commonly there is a notion of anything that is foreign as superior.
In short, Egypt’s dependence on tourism has definitely affected the various aspects of the Egyptian cultural identity. Although some of the effects are beneficial to Egyptian culture like the learning of multiple languages, there are also the feelings of inferiority to tourists.

Posted by AUC Rhetoric of Education Class at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

Ahmed Aboul Enein
Deena Abdelmonem
Noha El Farouk
Nemat Assaad

Hi, we're Ahmed, Noha, Nemat and Deena. We are Egyptian students at the American University and Cairo and we have taken an interest in the tourist activity that goes on in Egypt. We have looked into this matter by reading many articles and from our own observation that occurs in our daily lives.

Egyptians tend to have mixed feelings about the institutions running their country, but most can acknowledge that tourism is a major factor that helps shape the appeal Egypt has to the rest of the world. Tourists have become a prominent staple in Egypt’s many scopes, and Egyptians do the best they can to keep the tourism industry running.
People from all over the world come to visit Egypt for its timeless treasures and unique, lively culture. Being exposed to tourists your whole life makes you accustomed to it after a while though. However as youngsters, we couldn’t help but feel amazed by the people who marveled over the most basic aspects of our daily lives. Yes donkey carts may seem out of place in other countries but we as Egyptians cannot imagine walking down the street without seeing them. Other than astonishment, there was a general feeling of pride. All of these people paid a lot of money and flocked from different, far places all over the world in order to come and see our land and its wonderful sights.

We find it amusing that they come to our country and fascinate over how we go about our daily lives as Egyptians. However, as we grow older, this confusion mixed with pride slowly changes into acceptance. We also began to understand the importance of Egypt’s tourism industry and how crucial it is to our country’s economy and international acclaim. After seeing those tourists for almost every day of our lives we accept the fact that they too are part of our daily lives. We even stop noticing them as much, they are as part of Egypt as the pyramids themselves.

Posted by AUC Rhetoric of Education Class at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Nada Ayman Abdelmohsen
Hesham Khaled Atwa
Ahmed Youssef Bedda
Ramy Hatem Fakhr
Ahmed Mohamed El-Mikawi

The Egyptian government has been striving to preserve the country’s reputation of being a top tourist destination and has neglected to show tourists the unsterilized culture and society of the nation. We can either present tourists with a lame attempt at a pseudo-utopian society in which the people are completely satisfied, or we can candidly reveal the reality that is now Cairo, misery and all.

Although I would not want to depict my home country as an economically developing third world nation, the government’s deceptive illustration of our nation to the tourist industry is unethical. I want to show tourists the real Egypt. In order for them to share in the bittersweet sentiment that makes me love this country. They will need to experience the lightheartedness that populates the hearts of the average person no matter how dire their conditions are.This sense of humor has got to be our most amiable attribute as Egyptian people. Instead of having tourists see only one side of our culture, I would have them embrace our sociable personalities and see us who for truly are.

We should be flaunting our collective sociable personality and have foreigners know us for who we really are as a people.

Posted by AUC Rhetoric of Education Class at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

This is Yara and I have lived abroad for thirteen years, mostly in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. There I met people from all over the world at a very young age and so meeting people with different backgrounds and cultures became normal. Coming back to Egypt, seeing a tourist only reminds me of the years I spent abroad and the multi-ethnic friendships I had. - Yara

My name is Yasmine and I have also lived abroad for 13 years. The two countries where I lived (Botswana and Gambia) are very well known tourist destinations, so I have been accustomed to seeing tourists since the earliest stages of my childhood. I find that tourists just blend into my daily life. In Gambia, where I had been living most recently, we associated the “tourist season” with much celebration and leisure, given the amount of events that took place in the country during that time. This effect does not come into play in Egypt however, I feel very indifferent about tourism here because there are no “special” event that takes place when tourists come to Egypt.- Yasmine

Coming back to Egypt, I realized how much I had no idea about anything regarding my own culture. It was the tourists who taught me about Egypt’s history and its value. I think it is startling how tourists come to experience the “Egyptian” way of living. Frankly, I’m used to living around ‘tourists’ more than people of my own country. Therefore, I tend not to notice when tourists are around. Salma

As an Egyptian living here in Cairo all my life, constantly seeing tourists made me realize the significant difference between us. Their fascination with Egypt’s history and culture makes me appreciate and value my Egyptian identity and where I come from. Growing up, I did not think about it as a child; it was only recently that I have really considered it.- Farah

My life is different a little. I lived for like four years in Istanbul/Turkey then traveled to Rome/Italy staying there for another four years. As a result, agreeing with Yasmine, I have been habituated with tourists to the extent that I lived with them. Nevertheless, returning back to my home town finding out that it is visited by a huge number of tourists from all over the world did not in fact surprise a person who lived with and dealt with them- Seif

Posted by AUC Rhetoric of Education Class at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

by Dan Johnston, Kallie Friedman, Andrea Fuentes, Sarah Cheng, Tatiana Iskandar, and Stephanie Byrne

In the United States, the representations of Egypt in our modern society are based on symbols of ancient Egyptian history.

From film and song to architecture, depictions of mummies, pyramids and sphinxes are often present.
For example, most Americans have seen the widely popular film “The Mummy.” In this film, Egypt is portrayed as vast desert where mummies and pyramids are main components of the plot.

We also see representations of ancient Egypt in popular architecture. For example, the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, is constructed to resemble a classic pyramid.

Continue reading "America's Egypt" »

Posted by Julia Bleakney, Stanford University at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

Right now, students in the 11 am Global Leadership class are posting blogs on their analysis of six speeches by prominent Global Leaders. Each team has conducted an analysis - and learned how to apply the effective communication techniques of the leaders to the case studies they are pursuing for their research projects.

We look forward to comments and questions from Blog Readers across the world! We especially look forward to our collaboration with Professor Sanaa Makhlouf's class at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Please, read on, answer their questions, and ask some of your own!

Alyssa

Posted by Alyssa O'Brien at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

My name is Katie Gera and I’m writing this post as part of a class titled “The Web 2.0: The Rhetoric of Online Activism.” The subject of this blog post will be the way Republican presidential candidate John McCain attempts to establish his credibility on his official website.

The strategies that struck me the most were the “Joe the Plumber” advertisements and the photographs taken with military wives and families on the campaign trail. Using these visuals, McCain seems to be attempting to create two distinct images of himself: the “average Joe,” or ordinary citizen to whom Americans relate on the one hand, and the Navy war hero whom they can admire on the other. Throughout the website, there are numerous references to McCain’s career in the military, many of which focus on his time spent as a POW. These reinforcements of the candidate as a heroic and respectable military man create a sharp contrast against the McCain/Palin campaign’s most recent surge of “Joe Six-Pack” and “Joe the Plumber” themed advertisements. While I understand the need to represent a presidential candidate as a multifaceted individual, I think the newly adopted tactic of “average Joe” commercials indicates that the McCain campaign has become increasingly aware of their failure to perform well in the polls and is now trying desperately to frame John McCain in a new and positive light. In my view, seesawing with his image in this manner has actually decreased both the candidate’s and the campaign’s credibility.

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

McCain made a choice to choose a woman as his vice president, who may become one of the first female vice president in USA history. There are many reasons behind Mccain’s choice of Palin. McCains opposition had an interesting choice of candidates including an African American and a woman and in order to stand out he was in need of someone who could fill this gap in his campaign and Palin seemed to be the right choice. She would be bringing a relatively 'youthful' and energetic aspect to his office as she is 44 and he is over 70, this incorporation would add refreshment to the office. He is also trying to get the votes of American women who had voted for Hillary. By chossing Palin he wants to prove that he believes in women and their equal capabilities like men. He is not just targeting women through this emancipated view. He is also targeting men by including a female factor. She seems elegant, represent able and could be considered the perfect example of a women pursuing her career and maintaining a successful private life. His choice is believed to be based on many more factors that he believes will be of interest to the American population. Palin being a young, conservative, ordinary woman of five children with a huge success in her career seemed to be a right choice as it created a statement about the American culture. Her many economic and political accomplishments and being the governor of Alaska make her qualified for taking on such a position. But still the question remains... is Sarah Palin the right choice? There is a lot of controversy behind her. Part of the American population still does not totally accept the idea of choosing a female leader. With all this in mind, McCain took a decision to have her as his vice president without realize the controversy that could come from bind her. One example is her 16 year old daughter who is pregnant now, before being married; in this case an abortion wouldn’t be an option as it’s against republican views…could this cause a problem for the campaign. So the question is did McCain really make a good decision when he chose Sarah Palin to be his vice president?

Posted by American University in Cairo at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Different strategies are used by the different candidates in order to attract their audiences. John Mccane uses a strategy that could seem some what unethical to the Arab world and that is; “attacking the competition instead of focusing on ones own strengths.” In the front page of his website, Mccaine states that Obama’s past should be of concern to many American’s as it is unclear. He also tries to make it clear that Obama is actually running against the current president and not Mccaine himself, and that is by repeating Obama’s statement “ I’m not Goerge Bush.”

This defense mechanism by Mccain only shows weakness and that he’s afraid that what he is fighting for is not appealing to people enough. Accordingly, he finds whatever way to steal voters from obama, by trying to show that he is a bad person instead of showing what a good person Mccain really is.In his website Mccain invites people to share any embarassing video they have about Obama.

He is also attacking Obama’s plan for taxes and for obamas general economic plan. This is pretty much expected since the candidates are in a race for better future plans. But what is not acceptable is finding away to attract obama personally instead of professionally which is what Americans are looking for.

To sum up McCains actions shows only weakness and the unavailability of good ideas to support the American Public which will in the end grant him his votes.

Rana Abdel Rehim
Meena fawzy
Mohamed selim

Posted by American University in Cairo at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Obama’s website addresses the issue of poverty in America while McCain does not. Each candidate chooses to include or omit this issue since each is targeting a different audience. McCain’s campaign targets older, well-off people, namely upper-class citizens, while Obama targets “the common man,” specifically the lower-and-middle class. McCain does not wish to appeal to Obama’s target group and thus does not address the growing issue of poverty in America. Obama’s campaign dedicates a large part of his website to this issue, which effectively reaches his target audience.
Obama starts his speech by describing a famous encounter between Bobby Kennedy and an impoverished child of the Mississippi delta. This introduction touches the audience on a personal level as well as appealing to patriotic emotions. He states a known quotation by Bobby Kennedy, “How can a country like this allow it?” These words insinuate the audacity of poverty in a country as rich and affluent as the United States. Obama does not fail to repeat these words throughout his speech which emphasizes their emotional effect. Obama mentions facts such as the increase of poverty two fold since 1980 and follows them by repeating, “How can a country like this allow it?” mounting the outrage towards the government who has not taken poverty into account. He attacks McCain’s ideologies indirectly throughout the speech by offering quotes that were said by Dr. King, “Hope is not found in any single ideology – an insistence on doing the same thing with the same result year after year.” These words reinforce appeal to the American patriotism of the middle-class.
As students in a third world country it is interesting to us to consider poverty as a serious issue in the richest country of the world.

By: Silke Martin , Kanzy Kandil, Ihab Awwad

Posted by American University in Cairo at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Soliman Mohsen
Lance Ataalla
Bourhan Rateb

On November 4, the American citizens will face a life changing decision. They will be confronted with a choice that will involve not only the American nation but the entire planet. Therefore, us Arabs are anxious and concerned to whom the power will be granted.
Looking at McCain's website what captivated our attention was his slogan: "Country first". It seems to us that he is willing to protect his country by any means necessary as commander and chief of his nation, even if it takes drastic measures. No matter what his claims are about how much we wants peace, we cannot ignore the fact that he is a supporter of Bushes policies concerning the war in Iraq. Bearing in mind that he was a soldier who refused to leave the battlefield even after an injury that could have taken his life. A man who volunteered to stay an fight instead of going back home could at any time engage an irrational decision and provoke a war at any time.
On the other hand Obama's campaign appealed ton the middle eastern crowd, looking at his slogan:" In change we believe"; for the past eight years middle eastern were faced to a "bush regime". We are ready to face a new era, a time of change and hopefully he will give hope to all.

Posted by American University in Cairo at 06:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

We are handling Barack Obama’s website in general, with regards to color, choice of words, and even layout. The choice of colors and words on his website demonstrate openness to a new life and hope for a new and refined united states. The color blue calms the reader, and since it is part of the American flag, helps give citizens a sense of belonging, and his public-friendly language helps him be close to the public. Obama’s slogan emphasizes his faith in the American public, and his belief in positive change that could be brought about by anyone. Due to his hopeful vision for the future and his concern for both the major and the minor problems of the public, people have a tendency to look up to him and to feel connected with him. We believe his site is very organized, as he has tabs for every concern for the American public or with regards to his campaign, and this brings us to another point. In his “People” tab, he mentions each and every category in the US population – from ethnicities to professions to gender – which gives those people the sense of being important and an integral part of the community. Not only is he concerned about Americans inside the country, but also cares about the welfare of Americans abroad. However, when it comes to religious groups, he does not directly mention Muslims or other minorities, while mentioning Jewish Americans (which we believe is because of their influence on the economy) separately. In fact, he does not even mention the Middle East as a whole. From our Middle Eastern point of view, this makes us feel that we are not part of the discourse even though the United States is majorly involved in the Middle East.

Yomna Osman
Nahla Shalaby
Yomna Arbad

Posted by American University in Cairo at 06:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

On the home page of John McCain's website, there is couple of videos that argues that John McCain is ready to lead the nation and shows his experience in public affairs. That's why the American audience should vote for him, because he always puts his "Country First."

One of the videos starts with McCain informing his plan very clearly to the American audience. He states that his plan is to "Rebuild your savings, grow your investments, and energy independence". He is focusing mainly on developing the American economy and having an independent energy economy after all the crisis it went through the last 8 years of Bush administration especially that there was a huge amount of money spent on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which lately ended with the Wall Street Crisis. He is giving the audience faith that he will save their economy if they vote for him. He is promising to lower the taxes and create a renewable energy economy, which will create more job opportunities to the Americans.

McCain argues that Washington is spending billions everyday to the Middle East because they want to spread out the wealth. He does not sound to like the idea of spreading the wealth; instead he wants to use it to reform his own economy. He is also making it sound as if Washington is doing the Middle East a favor when in reality the main reason for the presence of the US in the Middle East is securing their oil interests in the region.

By: Abdallah Elsayed and Rana El-Tazy

Posted by American University in Cairo at 06:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

The American elections are an important issue for the whole world, because its results have a great impact on the world’s politics and economy. As we were watching obama and McCain’s website we were interested by a video called 90 percent; the video basically sends a message to the people that if the Americans elect McCain they will be changing George bush by another president who might be a different person but believes in the ideology of his successor. The video starts by saying that McCain voted with the president 90 percent of the time, tax breaks for big corporations and the wealthy, nothing for the middle class, spend $10billlion a month in Iraq( while the American economy suffers), and the video is concluded by john McCain admitting that he voted with the president 90 percent of the time. We believe that this was a clever move from obama because he is telling the American people that if they elect McCain they will be refusing the change that obama is offering for both the United States and the world. The world is not eager to have another George bush; we are all waiting for change. Obama on the other hand represent change and progress and he promises to reform America and turn it into a better one; he also wants people to believe in him and in themselves. Obama is an African American who will bring change to Washington and will be a great president who can make America a better place.

tarek abdel hamid, omar el garawany, ziad badr

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PluoMotgl2w

Posted by American University in Cairo at 05:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

We’re posting to evaluate each candidates websites.

Obama’s website directly directs you to his homepage while McCain’s website first starts with a video that gives us the reasons why we should elect him as voters and how he would improve the economy. Proceeding with another video of his experience and injury in the military, he is trying to prove to us that he is a patriotic and faithful man who can lead the country. He also emphasizes why the united states needs such a man like him having courage and especially faith which is well stressed on.
There is a clickable button that then leads to the homepage similar to Obama’s homepage. Similar tabs that are available are issues, blogs, media, news, etc. The other major similarity that we’d like to stress upon is the color both candidates chose as their background which is blue. When we looked up the blue color psychology we got some interesting results. Blue gives the viewers a sense of calmness, serenity, cleanliness and peacefulness. Moreover, blue is the favorite color of most people according to polls. The American flag also consists mostly of blue because it symbolizes vigilance, perseverance and justice. Assumingly both want to show that they are patriotic and loyal to the American people.
When comparing the ads we found out that McCain has more negative ads than Obama. In McCain’s homepage we found an ad that attacked Obama’s background. Usually when people feel that they’re week they start attacking. This is actually the case because Obama is winning in the polls so far.
We covered and analyzed at least the important aspects of the page layout.

Ahmed Mostafa, Christianne Chackal and Sandra Ahmed

Posted by American University in Cairo at 05:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Why should Obama be considered about women that much? That question has been raised in our minds several times. Finally, throughout the information we obtained while surfing Obama’s website “http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/womenissues”; we discovered that he is trying to attract those who were strongly supporting Hilary Clinton; so maybe this is why women’s issues figure a lot on his website.
Actually, Obama is addressing the issues that women experience in America, healthcare issues is one of the problems. American women don’t have the same health care insurances like men, so Obama guarantee them with having the same health care men get, with electronic medical records, and reporting systems to assure that his patients get perfect treatments with low costs. Moreover, he will increase the ovarian cancer awareness for women, because so many are infected with it and have no clue how to diagnose it. Because the HIV virus killed so many women, Obama introduced Microbicide development Act, to protect them from its transitions. In addition to the healthcare issue, Obama will prevent any domestic violent act against women and restricted some laws for that because 1,400 women in the United States die every day as a result of harassments, rapes, and stalks.
Last but not least, Obama closed the wage gap between men and women in US because women will be taught math, science as men; hence, men and women will be equally paid for their equal work. Furthermore, Obama will give women seven days paid off checks, if they did not come to their work for their children sicknesses. Not just that, but Obama will encourage women to open their own businesses which they were denied to open many years ago.

Posted by American University in Cairo at 05:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

The colors are taken from the American flag, but with more lightening effects which could reflect the meaning of better and brighter future as it is shown. Also, colors are going smoothly together, especially in the curves and the "O" shape. Obviously, the shape of “O” is very clear standing for Obama. The blue shape which is in the top of the logo, gives the feeling of the sunrise over a field as an example. The idea of the sun is deeply supported by the lights over the logo and the brighter degrees of the blue and red colors. The blue upper edge also could give the shape of a rainbow. Also, the circle shape easily gives the development process effect “the circle of change”.
What is really great in the shapes of the logo is the flexibility of its design. Every time you open any link from category people you will find a modified logo goes with the category. This indicates that Obama really trying to reach the whole American society with all sectors, professions and categories. As well, the red shapes which represent the American flag, is used perfectly in the names of every state.
It is clear that the logo is so connected to the democrats’ logo. Not only the colors but the also the curvy shapes. As historically known, the democratic party of the US is liberal, so they seek changing old traditions and work towards more liberality. Obama’s logo is more symbolic and artistic comparing with mcCain’s logo. Also, Obama’s logo seems to be more peaceful, but mcCains’ gets the feel of military view especially with the star inside his name.

If you want to check Obama's distinctive logos and the whole ideas visit this links:
http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/004262.html

Islam elbialy, Menattalah elbatran , Rana el shamy

Posted by American University in Cairo at 04:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

I am writing this blog post as part of my PWR 2 class, The Rhetoric of Online Activism. I will be commenting on John McCain website. (JohnMcCain.com)

John McCain knows he most likely will not be able to sway any Democrats in this election, but might be able to persuade some independents to vote for him. His site seems to engage the already loyal Republican voter while being a collage of his life and adding forays into Obama’s inexperience.

Upon entering the webpage, there are videos of John McCain taking to the audience about how horrible the last four years have been trying his hardest to separate himself from Bush but not the Republican Party. He then goes to show the events of the Vietnam War and how he was not in the “hippie” movement, but in a prison camp in Vietnam for years serving his country. He uses his experiences in Vietnam to show how he puts “Country First” and himself second.

When directed to the main page we see tabs for his issues and then “Photos of the Week” showing McCain and Sarah Palin in images that make them look powerful and distinguished. He then tries to appeal to the “Joe the Plumber” person with the phrase, “Don’t Tax Me for Working Hard”. On the “Issues” page, the site uses images of different things including a fighter jet a picture of a “traditional” American family outside a house. These photos appeal to many people as being “American” and promoting the “American Dream”. McCain displays himself as “Maverick” willing to put the country first and how he crosses party lines to help America, for example the immigration reform bill alongside Democrat Ted Kennedy.

JohnMcCain.com seems to try and appeal to the values of the Republican Party while debunking Obama from everything from his Senate voting record to his inexperience. McCain poses himself as the seasoned and experienced “Maverick” while making Barack Obama seem too inexperienced to be President, and stating how he does not stand up for the American People. I think his site does a great job engaging people who are already going to vote for him but could have done a better job influencing the undecided voter.

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

We are commenting on the Obama campaign website (www.barackobama.com) for our PWR 2 class, The Rhetoric of Online Activism.

Obama’s history as a community organizer has been the target of frequent mockery from the McCain campaign, with VP candidate Sarah Palin joking that “being a small town mayor is like being a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities.” Despite the overwhelming cheers from the Republican Convention crowd, Obama has used his experience as a grassroots organizer to further the interests of to his campaign. Using his website as his primary tool, he has established a strong base of local volunteers eager to canvass, fundraise, and hold community events to support his campaign.

As soon as visitors access his website, they are immediately confronted by a barage of images imploring them to take direct action in support of the Obama campaign. The opening page of the website asks visitors to “Join the Movement” by supplying their email address and zip code, allowing the Obama campaign to contact them (often multiple times a day), informing supporters on the daily news of the campaign, offering ways to get involved,and, of course, asking for money.

If visitors choose to skip the signup and go directly to the main page, they are immediately greeted by links and graphics telling them how they can get involved in the campaign. Perhaps the most interesting of these is a tab titled “Neighbor to Neighbor, which if clicked on links to a page where visitors are told how they can make an impact for Obama by volunteering in battleground states.

The site says,“Talking directly to voters is the most important way you can help win this election for Barack Obama.” Importantly, the emphasis is on what “you,” a campaign outsider, can do to influence the election. It stresses the importance of everyday Americans in effecting change and empowers ordinary citizens to take some ownership of the campaign. This is where Obama’s background as a community organizer clearly manifests itself in a positive way for the campaign. The strength of the Obama campaign’s volunteer network shows that his years spent as a grassroots organizer was time well-spent.

Mark Garret
Susanna Sheehan

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 04:28 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Hello, we are three students enrolled in an oral communication class considering the role of the Internet in political activism. Our names are Samantha McGirr, Ayis Megiris, and Thomas Fu. Thomas is a registered Democrat, Samantha is an independent voter, and Ayis is independent but cannot vote due to his international status. We recently performed a rhetorical analysis of the McCain-Palin website.

With its straightforward, commonsense rhetoric and layout, the McCain site is designed to appeal to an audience of white, male, undecided voters. Upon entering the site, viewers are greeted by a videotaped McCain arguing that “The last eight years haven’t worked very well, have they?” an observation probably intended to distance himself from President Bush and thus align himself more closely with moderate views. To the right of the video are several buttons labeled with action verbs such as “Learn More” and “Recruit.” Such participatory words give viewers a sense of empowerment, making them feel more invested in the campaign.

Continue reading "From John to Joe: McCain's Appeal to Middle-Class America" »

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

We are analyzing the use of color on the Obama campaign websites for our writing and rhetoric course, which focuses on the rhetoric of online activism.

The first-time visitor to Barack Obama’s campaign website is immediately confronted with an abundance of blue. The color varies from a deep, royal blue to the light sky-blue of Obama’s campaign logo. What does this color mean? What argument is Obama making?

On the one hand, the use of bright blue as a highlighting color might be an attempt to literally “shed light” on Obama and his campaign; the vibrant yet dignified hue fits perfectly with Obama’s message of hope and change and his calm, collected, and confident public image. Blue is also a reassuring, calming color, perhaps used to enhance his appeal to undecided voters worried about his relative lack of experience. But in comparison with John McCain’s website, which utilizes a solid, monochromatic dark blue, Obama’s site may appear too cheery or superfluous- while McCain is dependable, stolid, and experienced, Obama is a pop-culture celebrity who cares more about exciting imagery than political content.

Both candidates, however, undeniably use blue as a reference to the American flag, and avoid red, with its associations with socialism, communism, blood, and anger (one of us is a Chinese citizen, and is accustomed to websites decorated in shades of red, an indicator of a completely different political system). When red is used, it is almost universally in a negative sense. In a short slide show on Obama’s website attacking McCain’s tax plan, the words “Bush” and “McCain”- obviously negative for a Democratic candidate- are a vibrant red, which conjures up images of “red ink” (a common term for debt), blood, suffering, and (above all) the Republican party, whose supporters are commonly referred to as “red-staters.” Although red and blue are equal on the American flag, they are clearly not equal in the complex political psychology of color that has become ever more important as the internet has come to dominate political discourse.

-Shuolong Yang, Kaitlin Halady, Kevin Baumgartner-

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

So here’s our blog post analyzing Barack Obama's campaign website for our Rhetoric of Online Activism class, written by a group of three students with three different political viewpoints: Libertarian Estevan Flores, moderate Andrew Marantan and liberal (but fiscally conservative) Danny Zuckerman. Despite this variation, because we are all fiscally conservative, we were interested in analyzing how Obama presented his fiscal policy; we found Obama’s “Tax Cut Calculator” feature of his website is designed to serve a political purpose by presenting results differently depending on which candidate the cuts favor.

Continue reading "Obama's Tax Cut Calculator: The Art of Omission" »

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Hi, this is Ian, David, and Lexi and we're working on this blog as part of our web-activism class at Stanford University. We're all Obama supporters and this may factor into the way we critically analyze the McCain website.

It seems clear that the website's intended audience is primarily the standard conservative voter. On the front page, for example, there are several links leading the reader to donate and volunteer for the McCain-Palin campaign. Most of the advertisements on the website either attack or make fun of Obama and Biden. McCain also focuses on appealing to typical Republican positions of small government in his warnings that Obama will "spread the wealth around," insinuating that Obama is a "socialist" or backs ideals of a large and uncontrolled government. McCain argues that Obama will raise taxes on the hard working "Joe the Plumbers" of the world - his new go-to icon and talking point.

Continue reading "Analysis of McCain's Website" »

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

The following blog post is a rhetorical analysis of the campaign website for John McCain from the viewpoints of three Stanford students who each identify himself as more Democratic in political persuasion.

Specifically, the focus of this analysis pertains to the apparent generation of a mythical narrative about ‘John McCain’. On the website this campaign tactic manifests itself literally on every page. The photos, the videos, and the written content itself, all seem to have arisen from a romanticized auto-biography. Far more of the content on every page addresses and explicates the history of McCain’s “service” both in the army and the Senate.
On the ‘About McCain’ page one can find the following

Continue reading "Self-Deception: John McCain... the Man, the Myth, the... Novel?" »

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

We are writing this post in our writing and rhetoric class that looks at the intersection of the Internet and politics. Our group members are Max Del Real, Kelsey Walker and Claire Kouba. While Max is a registered Republican and Claire and Kelsey are registered Democrats, we are all Obama supporters. In this post we are analyzing the McCain/Palin campaign website.

Upon arriving at the site, the first thing we noticed was the option to pick a viewing preference depending on your political standing: “Supporter,” “Undecided,” or “Unregistered.” With this function, the site appears to be catering to multiple points of view – but there is a conspicuous lack of an option for a voter who is opposed to McCain. This reveals the target audience for the site: current supporters and potential votes. It is not meant to change anyone’s opinion; rather it is preaching to the choir (and to those considering joining the “team”).

This “target audience” is confirmed by the fact that all of the anti-Obama arguments are supported by little (if any) substantial evidence. Instead, these arguments are condensed into clever-sounding claims that sound good to those who are already McCain supporters. An example of this would be the “Decision Center,” where the site makes such assertions as “Obama says he would meet unconditionally with the world’s worst dictators, from Ahmadinejad to Castro to Kim Jong Il.” The lack of specific details leaves the reader of such a statement either blindly accepting the flaws of Obama’s foreign policy, or uncertain as to how the website came to this conclusion and why it is such a bad thing.

This sort of appeal to McCain’s base gets his intended audience riled up emotionally and more passionate about his campaign. Using this positive emotional appeal is thus highly effective with those who already agree with him, but does little to encourage actual debate about the candidates and their policies.

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Hey fellow commrades! This is Karen Nesbitt, Emily Clopp, Christina O’Neal from the States. We are writing from our PWR 2: The Rhetoric of Online Activism… to you! Our main argument focuses around the rhetorical aspects of the official Barak Obama website, www.barakobama.com. In making assesments, biases are fairly common, so we want to awknowledge that we take a more liberal/Democratic stance on issues and are sophomores at Stanford University. We found the general loyout of the website to be straightforward and uniform, but in with a unique asthetic style. The aspects that we found most effective on his site were the initial image of his family shown when entering the site, the cleanliness and flow of the information, and the directs links to aid in being a proactive supporter.

Continue reading "Obama: Yes We Can" »

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog entry is part of a Fall 2008 blogging exchange between American University in Cairo and Stanford University's Online Activism class. To read all the entries, follow this thread; be sure read the earliest entries first.

Our class on Online Activism was looking at the websites of Senator Obama and Senator McCain to study what rhetorical strategies they use online. Our group (Olivia, Ricardo and Amanda) decided to examine how the inclusion, or exclusion, of various campaign issues on Sen. Obama’s website shows ways that the Issues section of his website is directed at undecided voters.

Continue reading "To Include or Not to Include: Issues pages on Senator Obama's website" »

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm Melissa Leavitt, the instructor for the "Rhetoric of Online Activism" class at Stanford. The focus of our class has been to explore the impact of new media and participatory media on politics and culture. In the coming weeks, the "Online Activism" class at Stanford and a class on argument from the American University of Cairo will be posting entries discussing and analyzing the McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden web sites. Our goal is to analyze the rhetorical strategies and political arguments of these sites, and also to explore how cultural context impacts the effectiveness of these arguments. After the election, we'll return to these posts, and comment on them in light of the election results. We welcome comments on these posts to keep our conversation going!

Posted by Stanford: Online Activism at 10:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)