An increasing number of Saudi universities implement English for specific purposes (ESP) programs for students who will specialize in different fields such as, medicine, science, engineering and business. Universities rarely conduct studies of the actual needs of students to design or develop the ESP courses. Administrators and/or senior professors usually design ESP courses according to what they feel the students need and do not take into consideration perspectives of students, teachers and other stakeholders like potential employers.
Reading Paulo Freire’s famous book, “Pedagogy of the oppressed” (in Arabic), at a young age made a big change in my understanding of literacy. I believe that literacy is empowering to all women, especially the oppressed women in the Arab world. To seek women’s empowerment and make my voice heard, I joined social media, specifically Facebook. In this paper I will first describe my life journey on Facebook and then reflect on my digital literacy practices using Facebook. The paper consists of six sections: research questions, conceptual framework, Facebook affordances, methodology, my technobiography and reflections on my Facebook practices.
The media play a crucial role in manufacturing Islamophobia. Nathan Lean (2012) names such process as the “Islamophobia industry” that manufactures the fear of Muslims in the U.S. and Europe, especially by the Right movement groups, the pro-Israeli right and other influential politicians and journalists. Lean (2012) points out, “The Islamophobia industry is a growing enterprise, one that is knowledgeable about the devastating effects of fear on society and willing to produce and exploit it” (p.218).