Many students enter classes with a very Orientalist mental map of the region usually called the "Middle East." This is understandable considering the information and images of the region that pervade our media landscape. In an effort to teach student how to critically examine media sources themselves, the author utilizes a blog format…

Examines background related to the question of how to classify Papua New Guinea for study in regional geography courses. Concludes on the basis of physical and cultural similarities that Papua New Guinea should be included as the tenth country in Southeast Asia. (Author/DB)

Reviews articles and books which can be used as references and textbooks in high school and college courses dealing with Middle Eastern history and culture. (Author/DB)

This article describes an introductory geography course on the distribution and analysis of wealth at a global level, focusing on the attempts of poor nations to improve their condition and using ten novels as a major resource replacing traditional textbooks. A list of non-western novels is included. (JH)

Presents a lesson plan designed to teach about variations in infant mortality and life expectancy in the Arab world, to identify the concept of spatial correlation, and to learn the location of Arab countries. Includes oil exports as a variable. Discusses methods of data and map interpretation. (RW)

Analyzes the causes and conditions of the major sources of conflict concerning the three major international river basins in the Middle East: the Tigris-Euphrates, the Nile, and the Jordan-Yarmuk. Investigates possible solutions. Includes maps and population statistics of the major countries involved in the conflict. (MJP)