Video: Sociology class uses Skype to hear Israeli, Palestinians' views

November 12, 2012

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Laurie Mulvey wanted to give her sociology students a firm understanding of what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was about, but wanted the story to be told free of input from news media and government public relations efforts. So, she decided to operate outside of the box.

She got several Israeli and Palestinian citizens to agree to have open and honest discussions -- separately -- with her class. They would be "no holds barred" conversations. Skype, the interactive media platform, has allowed her small class to have face-to-face meetings with people from around the world, shrinking the distance between them while increasing the amount of understanding.

To watch the video of Mulvey and several of her students explaining the benefits of their cross-continental interactions, visit /video/144709/2013/02/08/video-no-title.

Sociology instructor Laurie Mulvey's class uses Skype to hear firsthand from Israelis and Palestinians about their views.

IMAGE: Penn State

Video

Sociology lecturer uses social media to converse with Israeli-Palestinian citizens

Laurie Mulvey teaches a sociology class with a twist. She wanted to give her students a firm understanding of what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was about, but wanted the story to be told free of input from news media and government public relations efforts. She decided to operate outside of the box. She got several Israeli and Palestinian citizens to agree to have open and honest discussions -- separately -- with her class. They would be "no holds barred" conversations. Skype, the interactive media platform, allows her small class to have face-to-face meetings with people from around the world, shrinking the distance between them while increasing the amount of understanding.