Ethnologist

As the ethnologist, you will collect information about the Israeli and Palestinian cultures. You will gather information from various sources such as ethnographies, historical papers, published documents and maps. You may read or listen to excerpts from interviews with the people from the region to gain a better understanding of both sides. Your job is to bring a balanced "story" to the committee that will help them understand the full picture. The committee will then come to consensus concerning a resolution in steps to peace in Israel/Palestine within a specific time frame. Use the Ethnologist Summary Sheet to help organize your learning.

1) Please use the following questions to help you understand the Israeli and Palestine cultures. Put yourself in the shoes of those who live in these regions to help you facilitate solutions. You may think of other questions as you go that will lead you closer to a realistic and doable Peace Plan. The summary sheet will be your guide as you complete the tasks, develop objectives, and devise a Peace Plan with your team.

• What are the cultures in the region?

• How different are they?

• How similar are they?

• Are there any subcultures within the region?
  What are the positive and negative perspectives about the conflict in the regions?

• What are each side's beliefs about the other?

• What do fellow Arab cultures/countries believe about the situation? Does that influence the Palestinian view?

• Are there Arab Christians? Does that influence the Israeli view?

• What cultures/governments support the Israeli perspective? Why?

• What kind of educational system is in place for the Palestinians and the Israelis? Does this influence their perspective?

• What other agents (ways of getting information) might influence each side?

• Why do you think past attempts at peace have failed?

2. After answering the above questions and any questions you came up with on your own, develop a list of specific objectives from the ethnologist perspective that will promote peace between Israeli and Palestine. Keep in mind that other members of your team will also be developing their own lists of objectives, and together, you will develop a plan for peace. Be ready to identify where your objectives are both similar and dissimilar.

Human Resources:

Your School Librarian:

Discuss your task with your librarian. Have him/her help you in finding paper resources in the library (newspaper articles, etc.).

Interview an Expert:

Interview a Middle East professor at a college or university near you. Get his/her historical perspective.

Offline Resources:

Films, books, essays, and speeches are all available.

Online Resources:

Evaluate the web sites you visit for applicability, bias, and usability with Kathy Schrock's Evaluation Tool. Below you will find some sites to visit as you research and collaborate with your team and with other Ethnologists. Feel free to find your own reliable resources. Remember to use the web site Evaluation Tool to help you determine dependability.

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/qpal

http://www.palestine-un.org

http://www.sfcq.org/cgnews/middle-east.cfm

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/is.html

http://www.israel.org

http://www.israelemb.org

http://www.stanford.edu/group/SHR/5-1/text/lstein.html

http://www.imj.org.il/eng/judaica/