Holeton, Research Links for Chapter 6

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1. Compare and contrast how the relationships between technology and religion are portrayed by Richard Rodriguez in this chapter, Charlise Lyles ("CyberFaith: Promoting Multiculturalism Online") in Chapter 3, and Joshua Cooper Ramo ("Finding God on the Web") in Chapter 4. To extend your comparison, locate sources mentioned by those writers and conduct other research in the library and on the Internet.

2. Find out how electronic technologies have continued to affect the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or peace process since John Hockenberry's essay was published in the spring of 1995. You might focus on the uses of technology made by a particular group -- the PLO or intifada participants (Hockenberry's focus); the Israeli government, army, or settlers in former Arab territories; or international supporters of one side or the other. Alternatively, conduct research to test Hockenberry's claim that currently in the Middle East, Russia, India, or other places "wealth is slowly being channeled away from defense and military infrastructure and into the information infrastructure."

3. Dale Spender cautions that, despite recent global village rhetoric, the agenda and decision-making process for social policies in cyberspace are dominated by "white, professional, English/American-speaking males." Do you agree with her that the discussion of cyber-social issues ought to be widened beyond techie talk, pornography, property, and privacy? How so? Pick a global issue of concern to you, and investigate how that issue is portrayed in the media and on the Internet, how wide the range of discussion about it is, and who seems to be dominating the discussion or setting the agenda. Spender mentions Wired magazine, the source of several articles in this book, as one perpetrator of the elite, white, male, American bias that she criticizes. Consider focusing a research paper on how an influential publication such as Wired (back issues are available in many libraries or online ) portrays a certain issue or set of issues, or make a comparison between two or three different publications.

4. Conduct research to update progress of the Leland Initiative or other electronic infrastructure projects in Africa discussed by Rory J. O'Connor. On the Internet, you might start at the U.S. Agency for International Development Web site for the Leland Initiative and get some perspective on Third World development in general from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In the library, try to find out what critics have said about particular projects in newspapers, magazines, and journals. On campus, try to interview professors, graduate students, or international students with an interest in African development. You might focus your research on evaluating the success of a specific project or approach in a particular African nation. Is the funding sufficient or unrealistic? Also, consider what the different players have to gain and lose; for example, in the case of the Leland Initiative, what are its relative advantages and disadvantages for (a) the people of sub-Saharan Africa and (b) U.S. and transnational telecommunications companies?

5. You can find out more about Dehai and Eritrea from the organization's home page, which includes a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document, the Dehai Charter, a number of public information documents and links, and links to other Internet sources about Eritrea. (To join Dehai yourself, you must be recommended by a member and approved by the board if you're not an Eritrean citizen.) As a research topic, you might explore the current status of real-life Eritrea and its new constitution, the document so vigorously debated in the article by John Hockenberry.