Personal Statement

Setareh M. Gerashi
February 22, 2010.
Qatar Academy
Mr. D. Estrada
Grade 10D
Word Count: 3962

2
 Table of
Contents
Introduction 3-4

Description of the Process 5-9

Analysis of the Inspiration 9-12

Conclusion 12-13

Bibliography 14-15

Appendices 16-32
Appendix 1: Brainstorm for Grade 10 Personal Project (part 1) 16
Appendix 2: Brainstorm (part 2) 17
Appendix 3: Iran: Outlaw, Outcast, Or a Normal Country? 18
Appendix 4: Topics on Iran’s history 19
Appendix 5: Planning the process 20-23
Appendix 6: Rick Steve’s Documentary on Iran 24
Appendix 7: A selection of images I have taken of Iran 25
Appendix 8: Location and maps of Northern Iran 26
Appendix 9: Screenshot of WIX homepage 27
Appendix 10: Layout of Zleek 28
Appendix 11: Questionnaires 29-30
Appendix 12: Interview with Hassan Saadati 31-32

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Introduction

My goal (appendix 1-2) is educate and introduce the foreigners about the rich
ancient history and present of Iran today by creating a website. As an Iranian living
outside of Iran, I have realized that many foreigners have a limited understanding of Iran.
This led me to the obvious follow up: Why might it be that foreigners know so little about
Iran? It occurred to me then, when I realized the links between economic, political and
social issues that have affected the reputation of Iran, as a country, to the outside world
(appendix 3). I, myself, don’t know much about my culture and my country in depth.

Rather than learning about Persian philosophy, literature and history, I have just
ended up going from one family gathering to the next when on vacation in Iran.
However, this summer, I traveled to cities I’ve never been before. I visited different
historical sites as well as tourist attractions. I had prepared to learn more about my
country, for a change. After all, how could I call myself a proud Iranian when my
knowledge was limited about Iran? This is the reason behind creating an informative
website. I wanted to personally learn more about the rich history and culture of Iran so I
can appreciate my country of origin and be proud.

In my published website, I will have selections of Iranian history (appendix 4).

The website will not be a detailed historical one, but rather an introduction to Iranian
culture and past. I believe this is a purposeful goal as it is the first step of encouraging
foreigners to have a look at it and open their eyes towards Iran. Enlightening them. Iran is
not a preferred tourist destination regarding all the news spread and media. Due to
political issues, Iran is seen as an unsafe location where people have limited freedom
referring to the strict Islamic law. I have a vision of promoting Iran as a beautiful
interesting country, informing people about more about the culture and history, rather
than just the political view.

Human Ingenuity, the understanding, creation, and consequences of man

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invention, aspires the creativity and innovation of student minds, enhancing daily lives.1
The website, relates to this AOI as I am being creative and using my past and recent
knowledge to create an informative website about Iran. Using my creativity and
originality is vital, as I will be making sure to create a final product (a website) that will
appear appealing to consumers to have a look at and comprehend. Knowing what catches
people’s interests and such, my goal is to make an informative website about Iran today
and the past, hopefully raising awareness and enlightening people about the other side of
Iran. Basically, I have chosen this AOI because I am sending a message through the
website I am creating to the viewers. As I am trying to inform people about Iran, this
relates to ‘communicator’ from the learner profiles. This is because I am trying to
communicate to them by telling them about Iran’s history through not only words, but
visuals and images too. This is a form of communication; getting my point through the
audience.

This website allows people from all over the world to have access to the images
that I have taken from places in Iran. I will evaluate the successfulness of my project by
surveying the people who have seen my product. I am planning to view my product to
some staff members of the school, the librarian, students and parents too. I plan to
achieve my goal by going through the following stages: gather all my resources, research
on how to make websites, recreate my research, create the website, and last but not least
publish my website to the world. (for a more precise plan, refer to appendix 5) Planning
my time ahead is effective as before finalizing the final version of the website, I can
receive feedbacks and reviews for improvements.

1
"Human Ingenuity." International Baccalaureate (IB). Web. 20 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.ibo.org/myp/curriculum/interaction/humaningenuity/index.cfm>.

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Description of the process

Before having chosen what I was going to do for my personal project, I watched a
documentary that Rick Steves2 did on Iran (appendix 6). If someone asked me about my
nationality, I would reply Iranian. But was I a proud one? No. I felt like I knew nothing
about my country’s victorious and rich past. Iran is also one of the most beautiful regions
in the world. It was sad seeing how people around the world prefer to go to vacation in
European countries, exotic countries in western Asia, visit the wild life in Africa or travel
to America, but never Iran. It is very unusual to have foreigners plan to go to Iran for
vacation. It’s honestly a pity how by simply having an Islamic republic theocracy
government can really affect the way people view Iran. When announcing that I am
Iranian, I am often faced with questions such as, do you like Ahmadinejad? Aren't you
afraid that anything is going to happen to you when you go to Iran? Are you forced to
fully cover your whole body? It sickens me. It’s always because to the media.

At first, I was going to take images of all over Iran, at least to 5 cities found in the
north, east, west and south, but given the time period that I spent in Iran this summer, it
was impossible to get all that done in 3 weeks time. So I got images of a few cities in the
North. When I had returned back from Iran, I first decided to create a book on the history
of Iran. Along that, I will include images of scenery around the Northern parts of Iran that
I had fortunately taken in advance during the summer. I had taken almost 1500 images,
which I narrowed down to the best 130 images (appendix 7).

The process of taking photos was one of my favourite for two reasons. First of all
I loved using all the latest technology trying to capture professional photos. Secondly, I
got to explore places around the Northern area of Iran, from Tehran and onwards, that I
have never been to before. I was honestly amazed to look at the different side of Iran,
outside the large bustling city. I saw the greener side, where the weather was absolutely

2
"Rick Steves' Iran Documentary." Google Videos. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2884232348733568709#>.

6
pleasant and the view was stunning. On the mountaintops where we took our route, there
had been a fog, and being summer, the weather was freezing. The temperature had even
reached to 15 degrees. For me, there had been a big transformation from the centre of
Tehran, to the northern area, towards Chalous (appendix 8). It was an exciting new
experience. This project even got myself to see and visit places in Iran that changed my
views.

Then for pursuing my goal, I changed my product to a website. I had decided to

eliminate the idea of creating the book and going through the endless process of visiting
publications, and simply create an elegant website available to a wider audience. The
advantages of websites is that firstly it will make the process much easier and faster, it
costs financially less to provide the same amount of information that would’ve been in a
book, and it is much easier to get in reach of the website than books.

In the second month, I divided the 22 chosen topics for doing 4 topics per week.
(appendix 5). This allowed me to get done with all my research in 5 weeks time, which
would give me enough time to have most of the research for the midterm personal project
exhibition taking place on December 15th. I won’t create a website that would look like an
essay form; otherwise the audience won’t bother viewing it. This is a product, and I must
try to ‘sell’ it by making it catching to the reader, not uninteresting and boring. My goal
is to educate and introduce foreigners about the victorious historic past about Iran, and to
pursue that goal, the website created must appeal to the audience.

In the third month, once the process of gathering the information was organized, I
began to search free hosting websites that I could sign up for. First I found a web hosting
website called Webs. I signed up for one. It looked similar to Blogger, as it listed the
different dates you published posts. It was not very idealistic. The layout did not seem to
satisfy the eye. In my opinion, the appearance and layout of the page is very important. I
base a website from the layout, just like how someone would judge a book from its cover.
No matter how good the content inside is, it will be very boring and dull to look at. I
began to search more in depth for other free web hosting services. I began to specifically

7
search, and from the analyzing different websites that have been made for different
countries, I came across interactive websites. After a while of research, I found the
perfect site. It was called “Wix” (appendix 9). It included a free flash website builder
which was perfect for creating my site! The reason behind why I wanted to create such a
eye catchy website is that reading about histories of countries is not the most entertaining
thing to do, so I should try to work on other aspects, such as appearance to catch they
viewers eye.
The appearance aspect related to human ingenuity since as a part of my job, I
must come up with innovative and intriguing methods of presenting information
relevantly and attract viewers. The techniques I used by analyzing website layouts, was
very effective as I have appreciated the various tools provided, and developed and
transformed that into the website created in order to achieve my goal.

To search different techniques of reinterpreting information, I researched a wide

range of books, electronic articles and online resources. One difficult part of the project
was reading through the history of Iran. This was mainly because in just one era, there
have been so many people and names involved that it confused me. I began tracking the
names of the people, which era they were in, the dates of their birth and death, the
relationship to the next person in line of the throne and so on. Organizing the details
helped me understand the context so much easier, thus when coming to write it, I
wouldn’t be faced with confusions.

The fun part throughout the whole process was in the third month, when creating
the website in December. The website being flash enabled, opened a whole lot of options
and opportunities as I could use the latest technology that allowed interactive and
animated options to be done. This links to human ingenuity, as I discover new methods of
presenting my information to the audience. I could go beyond just putting in text and a
single image. I could change the backgrounds, add interactive text boxes that allowed
scrolling, add images, have transitions from one page to the other and so much more. It
was like exploring and discovering new things as well as trying to get my project done,
so it was an exciting experience. At this point, I had 2/3 rd of my historical research done

8
and reproduced history.

Next, I began searching for another website that would allow me to create an
album of images. I had in mind about creating a video using iMovie (available on Apple
Machines) to create a slideshow of all my images. This would only take about 2 hours of
work, but I was most afraid of the size of the file that the video was going to end up
being. If it ends up being too large, then this would cause a lot of difficulty trying to get it
uploaded on my website. I search for other image data inventories which people could
sign up and upload images, like DeviantArt3 for example. But once again, it did not seem
to suit my requirements, as it was simply just a list/column of images that you had to
keep going through by clicking the next button. Without a doubt, the viewer will stop
going through them as soon as they get to the 20th image. This would definitely be a
waste.

This was when I decided to try searching harder to see if I could find any other
websites that would allow me to display an album of images in a creative way. I search
for free online interactive photo uploading albums. After about 15minutes of searching
and viewing different websites that offered such a tool, I found Zleek4, an online tool that
allows you to create interactive albums. It was very impressive, and it had different ways
of displaying the images (appendix 10).

For the day of the mid term expedition, questionnaires were handed out to viewers
and completed for receiving feedbacks (appendix 11). After viewing my website to
people including friends and family, I followed the next process which was to interview
and conduct surveys to various teachers, parents and students in order to obtain their
opinions and commentaries about the product. (appendix 11) During the mid-term
personal project presentation, I showed everyone what my project consisted of, the goal,
the product and its reference to the society globally. I conducted 12 questionnaires. I also

3
DeviantART: where ART meets application! Web. 21 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.deviantart.com/>.
4
"Rick Steves' Iran Documentary." Google Videos. Web. 13 Feb. 2010.
<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2884232348733568709#>.

9
interviewed an Editor in Chief, Hassan Saadati, of a news magazine in Australia. I got his
perspective on the situation as an Iranian living in a Western society for the majority of
his life.

Analysis of Inspiration

The magnificent Mahatma Gandhi once said, “No culture can live, if it attempts to
be exclusive.”5 With that being stated, I never really realized how excluded Iran was in
reality to the rest of the world. It did not strike me until it had almost been summer and
my family and I had planned to visit Iran. I thought, why not educate not only myself this
summer, but others too? As the world is becoming flatter by the day, cultures are
diffusing. It is the vast variety of differences that keeps life interesting as we progress
into learning about the diverse and unique cultures in different regions of the world. It has
been there and then, the inspiration hit me whilst booking our flights to Tehran at the
Qatar Airways ticket shop. I decided to create a product that will educate foreigners (or
even Iranians) about the rich history of Iran, and to add an interesting touch to that, I will
include a section of images I had decided to take over the summer.

Unfortunately, due to the past conflicts, Iran is portrayed differently on media.

Differently, referring back to being over exaggerated. A wise American poet and feminist
particularly inspired me, Adrienne Rich said, “False history gets made all day, any day,
and the truth of the new is never on the news.”6 The press always portrays the news in
such a way that intentionally misleads the audience into thinking what the media ‘wants’
them to think. And how they want people looking at the situation is usually far from the
truth. I go to Iran every summer, so I get to see for myself what is going on in the capital
city of Tehran. I keep reassuring that what happens on the new is exaggerated to people.
This is when I came to the decision that I would like to create some kind of informative
5
"Culture quotes." Find the famous quotes you need, ThinkExist.com Quotations.
Web. 13 Jan. 2010. <http://thinkexist.com/quotations/culture/>.
6
"History Quotes | History Quotations | History Sayings |." Wisdom Quotes. Web. 21
Feb. 2010. <http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_history.html>.

10
product about Iran.

Iran has a very long and prosperous history. I could not sit down and search over
3000 years of history in one night. I had to organize my time (appendix 5). So I
researched the topics of the Iranian history and jotted down all the significant events that
have happened starting from the 4th millennium BC until present days. This was the first
step to my project. Effective research was key. I had to be very careful about which
websites I used information from to check whether the resource was valid or not. I could
not risk going on websites such as Wikipedia to research on as that website uses a web
2.0 program which enables users from all over the world to come and edit the website.
However, one effective technique I used was throughout the information on Wikipedia,
there had been in-text referencing with listed bibliographies at the bottom of the page.
That was one way of using respectable sources. However, I did not only use the internet,
but other resources such as books and articles too.

I did not want get involved in media and politics, as everyone has their different
political views and opinions, so I stuck with stating the known, the vast and beautiful
history of Iran. Responsibility, pity and guilt are what drove me and influenced my
decisions. It’s unfortunate that people globally cannot see for themselves what Iran is all
about. They do not expand their knowledge beyond the little TV screen, which is what
bothers me, as I know humans are more capable of believing what they are told; yet they
choose to believe what they see. Only a small percentage of them go to explore Iran
themselves. – And this is why, I had come to the conclusion of taking action and creating
a website.

Till a few months back, I still pondered over if Iran was not an Islamic Republic
would people go? After discussing the issue and about my project to people, I learned
many wish to visit Iran, but have not yet had the chance. Many westerners have even read
books and memoirs written by Iranian immigrants who have left Iran during the Iranian
Revolution7 in 1979. To them, Iran is a mysterious. People even gave me suggestions on

7
Iranian Revolution: When Islamic laws were enforced in the government in 1979.

11
some good books that that Iranians have written.

I did not have any relevant historical images to put with my text, which was a
disadvantage. There had been images on the internet and books, but the difficulty was
that due to copyright infringements, I could not use them. As future reference, a better
solution would be to contact websites in advance to ask for permission. This would have
made my website more effective as visuals aid the text as well as someone reading the
text.
I could have focused on the learning experience of how I enhanced my knowledge
about the past of Iran by choosing Approaches to Learning. This AOI is about using your
initiative and commitment to take a step further as you begin to take responsibility to
learn about things by yourself. I did not have a teacher or instructor to aid me, but rather
books and resources to guide me. But I didn’t choose that AOI. I didn’t want to base my
project on ATL because my goal was aimed at foreigners who had a limited
understanding about Iran, not solely myself. The other AOI this related to was human
ingenuity which meant the project was not focused so much on the research stage. The
construction of the website was my focus and it really let me appreciate the skills humans
have to create and invent. I thought choosing human ingenuity was most suitable, as I
wanted to focus on creating a product which would educate others, have an influence on
them, change views, and mainly open their eyes towards the other side of what the media
portrays about Iran. I wanted to explore ways which humans, through inventions, change
the minds of people and have an impact on the society and beyond.

I hope through my efforts, more people will realize that there is more to Iran than
just what is heard. From the survey I conducted (appendix 11) , it showed that people did
straight away become interes ted in wanting to find out more. They were eager to look at
the images I had taken of Northern Iran as they had never seen Iran. As a result from the
feedback and opinions, I am proud of doing my part on enhancing others about Iran. I
may have not educated many, but my project was the start and beginning of it. Being able
to publish the website is an advantage as not only was I able to educate those who are in
my school, but those who as distant and people globally. As a result of the surveys, I had

12
the satisfaction of finally having a product that was mission oriented and promised a
successful delivery of intended service ensuring effective accomplishment of the goal. I
have given them an education, I have given them knowledge, but most importantly, I
have changed their views and opened their eyes beyond what the media portrays about
Iran.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I am fairly proud of the work I have produced. This project has not
only impacted the views of my audience on Iran, but it has had a great impact on myself
as well. I enhanced my own knowledge on the history of my heritage and country,
developing a greater self-respect on my motherland. Through all the feedbacks that I have
managed to receive (appendix 11), it has been proven that I have educated my readers
quite well. They have been quite amazed by the images that they have seen of Iran. Many
even commented that they had never thought of Iran having been this beautiful (appendix
11). The majority of people in Qatar have been to many places around the world and are
very open to different cultures, and hopefully my project can be the start of introducing
back the once well-known ancient civilization, Iran.

Despite the outcome of the project, there are a few things that I wish I had done
differently. I could’ve have shown the other side of Iran by focusing on the recent
culture; the lives of Iranians nowadays. Sure, the foreigners might want to have an idea
about the history of Iran, but not all will be interested in reading everything I have
compiled together. Including the history of Iranian cuisine for example, can be a good
idea. Many even add a few of the most well known recipes that are a specialty of the
Iranian culture. Or even about the most well celebrated events of the year, such as the
Now-rooz (the “Persian New Year”).

If I had a chance to re-do this project, I would create a more effective time-line
that would give me enough time to do all the research for each unit as I failed to stick to

13
one. This was mainly for one reason, every timeline I had produced had a very strict
schedule, and when I missed the deadline of one of the steps, I did not make up for it, and
gradually I would end up finding myself not keeping up to the dates. If I were more
organized, I would have saved myself all the last minute hassles. Also, when being faced
with obstacles, especially IT issues, since I am creating a website, I would easily combat
them when providing myself enough time.

In this project, I have successfully accomplished my goal. Through the creation, I

have demonstrated how innovation through the 21st century skills is compiled together to
create outcomes that enhance the minds of foreigners through the net. I have promoted a
greater sense of human ingenuity through educating others about the rich past of Iran
through a modern and easy-to-access manner. I learned about the secrets of creation and
ingenuity for my targeted audience and in what manners to communicate my message
across. I am extremely pleased with the skills that I have learned and produced, and hope
this will lead to future projects that has already inspired me to plan doing in years to
come.

Word Count: 3962

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<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/613719/Umayyad-dynasty>.

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• Appendix 1 – Brainstorm (page 1)

18
Appendix 2 – Brainstorm (page 2)

19
Appendix 3 – How Foreigners view of Iran, mostly because of
media and political issues/conflicts.

"Iran: outlaw, outcast, or normal ... -." Google Books. Web. 13 Jan. 2010.
<http://books.google.com/books?
id=x1a6c2J49j4C&printsec=frontcover&cd=1&source=gbs_ViewAPI#v=onepage&q=&f
=false>.

Product Description
Product Description
The Western media, in particular, has cast Iran variously as an outlaw country or an
outcast but seldom as a normal country, as least since the demise of the Shah or Iran. The
United States doesn't cotton to countries falling out of its sphere of influence, particularly
if they happen to possess substantial oil reserves, as Iran does, and contain important
listening posts on Russia. Add to that a fundamentalist Muslim regime, and the result is
an outlaw or outcast label. Yet, could Iran perhaps represent the wave of the future for
Muslim countries? Does the label itself tell more about the labellers than about Iran? This
book presents papers which present facets of Iran's political activities which might not
normally reach Western readers.
"Iran: Outlaw, Outcast or Normal Country?: Amazon.co.uk: Albert V. Benliot: Books." Amazon.co.uk:
Low Prices in Electronics, Books, Sports Equipment & more. Web. 13 Feb. 2010.

20
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iran-Outlaw-Outcast-Normal-Country/dp/1560729546>.

21
Appendix 4 – Topics for researching

Topics on Researching about Iran’s History

1. Pre-Islamic history (other religions)

2. Achaemenid Empire (650 BC–248 BC)
3. The Hellenic conquest
4. Parthian Empire (248 BC – 224 AD)
5. Sassanid Empire (224 – 651 AD)
6. Islamic Conquest
7. Umayyad Caliphate
8. Abbasid Caliphate and Iranian semi-independent governments
9. Islamic golden age, Shu'ubiyya movement and Persianization process
10. Turco-Persian dynasties
11. Sunnism and Shiism in pre-Safavid Iran
12. Early modern era
13. Safavid Empire (1502-1736)
14. Nader Shah and his successors
15. Qajar dynasty (1796-1925)
16. Pahlavi era (1925-1979)
17. World War II
18. Mohammad-Reza Shah
19. Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic
20. Khomeini era
21. Khamenei era

22
Appendix 5 – Timeline (organizing work accordingly)
In the first month, I will:

• Gather all the best photos from the 1500 image collection I have

taken myself of Iran.

• Research briefly about the past history of Iran and jot down

which ones I would like to include in my book.

• Look at different informative books made about cities of Iran and

the history and analyze good and bad points and their

effectiveness to aid me with my product. Record findings and

conclusions.

• Analyze websites made for countries with images and texts

about them. See their layout and analyze good and bad points.

Record findings and conclusions.

In the second month, I will:

• Research and download photo-editing programs to

enhance the first half of my selected photos.

• I will start research on the history of Iran. Resources:

internet, books.

• Be half done with the history of Iran research, begin

putting information together and reproducing a brief summary of

Iran’s history in my own words.

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 • Make a Flickr account and put images on the site for public

view, as well as getting some feedbacks from people.

• Research the different Internet domains there are available

for making a website.

• Keep a record of ALL the used websites for future reference

for my research.

In the third month, I will:

• Give all my selected photos to Senior Estrada (my advisor)

and have my selections narrowed down to the best photos.

• Finalize all the written pieces of history I had reproduced

using many helpful resources around me. (All in my own words or

else direct referencing should be made; such as saying :

information courtesy to –provide bibliography)

• I will look at the different types of layouts and organization

designs relative websites have used to present images, links,

texts, and all that web related aspects.

• Get started in lying out and organizing where the text and

images go on my website.

• Make a website, put up all images + brief history of Iran for

public use.

24
In the four month, I will:

• Finish the final website and any final touches.

• Write up as much of the personal project as I can as most

of the creation of the product work is done. I will have to show

and promote my website to different members of staff and the

library for the reviews and their rating of the final product.

• I will provide the link of the website to different members

of the school as well as students, staff, teachers, and parents.

Kindly ask for a feedback and their answers to my questionnaire.

• Talk to some of the viewers of my website on their point of

view of Iran after reading and seeing the images of Iran

(disregarding the media).

In the fifth month, I will:

• Finish up all the rest of the personal statement with all the

given feedbacks and data collected. Now with the data I will

collect in the interview and the responses to the questionnaires, I

will write up how effectively my website was and if it has helped

me promote and enlighten people about Iran.

25
26
Appendix 6 – Rick Steve’s Documentary on Iran
"Rick Steves' Iran Documentary." Google Videos. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2884232348733568709#>.

27
Appendix 7 – Images taken by myself during Summer 2009, (June-
August)

28
Appendix 8 – Northern Tehran; Towards Chalous. [ Google Maps
Used ]

29
Appendix 9 – Wix.com

Create a Free Website , Free Flash Website Builder at Wix.com. Web. 13 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.wix.com/>.

30
Appendix 10 – Screenshots of the pages I have laid my images out on Zleek. [Zleek.com]

31
Appendix 11

Here is the list of Questionnaire that people have filled out for me during the mid-term
personal project exhibition.

Questionnaire
1) What do you think about the idea of the project?

2) How do you think I this website can be improved

3) Comment on the font/images/information provided on the

website?

4) Anything particularly good about the website?

5) Any limitations? Difficulties viewing anything? Issues found?

6) Additional comments?

People who have done the questionnaire:

• Mrs. K. Mitchell (Teacher)
• Mrs. R. Singhal (Teacher)
• Ms. Anie (Teacher)
• Barbara Dimelow (Parent)
• Mrs. Hundsdoerfer (Teacher)
• Keghan Kouzoudjian (University undergraduate - VCU)
• Karen Kouzoudjian (QA Student)

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 Questionnaire –Responses
a) Mrs. Raka Singhal – Qatar Academy Teacher in the Math Department
b) Mrs. Ray Mitchell – Qatar Academy Teacher in the English Department

1) What do you think about the idea of the project?

a) Very informative – Iran has a lot of negativity around it, its nice to see some
positives too.
b) I really like the concept of educating a wider audience about Iran’s rich culture
and heritage.

2) How do you think I this website can be improved

a) Its looks great – navigation is easy.

b) Adding perhaps a section on the food of Iran.

3) What do you think about the font/images/information provided

on the website?

a) Very colourful, vivid.

b) Great photos, links.

4) Anything particularly good about the website?

a) Photographs provided are very beautiful and picturesque.

b) The way it is easy to navigate; interesting layout.

5) Any limitations? Difficulties viewing anything? Issues found?

a) None that I know of

b) References for resources

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6) Additional comments?

a) I am looking forward to the finished product.

b) Fantastic job!

34
 Appendix 12

Interview with Hassan Saadati; an Iranian that has lived in Australia for majority of his
life.

Occupation: Editor in chief of a news magazine

Date: February 2nd, 2010.

Age: 65

Country of Residence: Iran; Tehran (1945 – 1954), Australia; Sydney (1954 – present)

Time: 6:15 pm

[This interview has been translated from Farsi to English.]

How is Iran being viewed in the Western world?

Iran is being looked upon very differently in the current days. It is all based on the
controversy that the media is causing nowadays. Especially in the west, the news makes
every small detail that occurs in the Islamic Republic of Iran a very big deal.

How does the news, as you mentioned, affect people who are not Iranians?

The news can have a great impact. The way it presents itself can have a great affect on
the people. News agencies in the west think very hard and slyly in prior to broadcasting a
piece of information as they want to present the news in a way that gets the viewers to
look at the situation from the perspective the westerners want them to. This means, that
the perspective that the news is being present is not necessarily the most accurate point of
view. A lot of the information is well exaggerated too.

What effect does this have on the Iranians living in Iran and around the world?

Well because the media is portraying the information in a different way, this is a
disadvantage for the Iranians. The West look at Iranians in a negative way, and it is not
entirely their fault, but to a large extent it is the media’s fault. A lot of the information
provided is bias, and is misinterpreted majority of the time.

What can be done about this?

Not a lot can be done really because the West will never change, thus the people living in
the West will continue getting the wrong presented information. What we can do is make
them aware that this is what West media is doing and how their aim is to spoil Iran’s
image. All these relate to the political and social aspects that exist between the countries
in this 21st century.

What do you think about the website that I have made?

35
Well I think it is an excellent idea but you are making people more aware of the situation.
Although Iran might seem quite unstable country that may not have a high status in the
21st century due to political breakdowns, rises and crises, Iran will always have the
prosperous and victorious past which will always remain in the history. It is not a bad
idea to remind people that Iran does extend further than the political aspect, which is
conveyed on your TV sets. It does indeed have a historical past that exceeds 3000 years.
The civilizations that started and flourished within this region had a very influential affect
to regions expanding from Spain, to all the way to China, and all the territories in
between including the Islamic provinces. If more Iranians like you come up with different
ways and create such creative products, such as your website, then more people living
round us and beyond will gradually realize and get our message. It might not be such a
great change, but every small change is significant, as everything starts small.

36