For 13 University students, Beirut, Lebanon, is more than the war-ravaged, bullet-scarred city that is depicted in news reports.

The students, who made up the Global Agenda honors section of the “Communication/Political Science and International Relations” course spring semester, gained a broader understanding thanks to a joint weekly class meeting with students at American University in Beirut (AUB) via live videoconference. The class concluded before Israeli-Hezbollah violence flared up in July.

During the 75-minute class, the UD students and their 14 counterparts in Beirut watched one another on live video on projection screens and spoke through microphones at their desks. Each of the UD students teamed up with a student in Beirut, with one team of three, to work on projects covering different aspects of cross-cultural perceptions. The projects concluded with joint class presentations.

Ralph Begleiter, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Communication and distinguished journalist in residence, says the idea of a videoconference was inspired by his inability to offer a study-abroad program in the Middle East due to parents’ safety concerns.

“Since the 9/11 attacks, I believe it’s even more important than ever that American students make some connections to that region,” Begleiter says. “Although it’s become a cliché to call our students the ‘leaders of tomorrow,’ it’s certainly true, and we need leaders—in business, politics, culture—who are understanding of cultural perspectives which sometimes clash with ours.”

Rami Khouri, editor-at-large for the Beirut-based Daily Star, who teaches a “Media and Politics” course at AUB, says he gave a lecture at UD two years ago and began discussing the possibility of the joint class with Begleiter.

“I had always thought that Arabs and Americans were not doing enough joint research, analysis or ongoing discussion on big issues of mutual concern, especially since 9/11,” Khouri says. “I believe that getting people together to explore issues is probably the most useful thing that we can do these days.”

Caitlin Simpson, AS ’07, a political science and English major at UD with concentrations in global studies and journalism, says the course taught her to keep an open mind and erased many of her misconceptions of international issues.

“I really never thought too deeply about the people living in the Middle East, outside of the conflict in Iraq, and this experience really opened my eyes to the daily life in Lebanon,” Simpson says. “I never expected the students to be so similar to myself, and it’s been a very rewarding realization. Without this face-to-face forum, I do not think the discussion would be as open, and stereotypes would still exist.”

Basma Tabaja, a political studies major at AUB, says the joint class helped her understand more about other cultures and how students in the United States form their perceptions.

“I have learned that sometimes you can agree with someone hundreds of miles away more than you would with the person sitting next to you, even if you have the same background,” Tabaja says, adding that the videoconference classes promoted “healthy dialogue and the sharing of ideas across cultures that is very much needed in this time and day.”