Jackson School of International Studies

The Knowledge Network of World Events and News (KNOW)

Opening with an interactive map and list of issue areas, KNOW allows users to choose an area of interest and then presents them with links to world news sources that offer differing perspectives.

Screenshot of the KNOW front page:

If a user mouses over the “World Religions” title…

World Religions

…the interactive map and news stories will change together to give the user a sense of the relationships between information:

KNOW addresses three interrelated issues facing citizens in the internet age.

1) A simultaneous decline in reputable international news sources and the proliferation of non-authoritative sources such as blogs.

Source: Pew Research Center for People & the Press, 2009

2) The pedagogical goal of creating critical consumers of information in the age of the internet.

Source: Pew Research Center for People & the Press, 2009

3) A desire to bring the many communities of the Jackson School into closer collaboration.

KNOW’s objective is create a trustworthy information source by incorporating the dynamism of user-generated content with the dependability of expert mediation, giving users a resource that offers multiple views on issues and events.

To create a trustworthy information source:

KNOW will contextualize news with historical and societal background information.

KNOW will engage students in the process of building site content, teaching them critical analysis and writing skills.

KNOW will bring users into close engagement with news events occurring across localities.

KNOW’s work will expand the reach of the Jackson School to even better serve an audience of educators, students, alumni, outreach centers, libraries, news consumers and producers, heritage communities, and other interested groups.

Students in the UW’s Jackson School will annotate and upload the news on the KNOW website as a part of their course work.

“The author only focuses on the economic negatives of the change and ignores possible cultural positives.”

~ Timothy Salazar-Rubio, SIS 201

Article: Increased U.S. Military Presence in Columbia Could Pose Problems to NeighborsSource: New York TimesAuthor: Simon RomeroDate: 22 July 2009Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/world/americas/23columbia.html?_r=1The United States just finished negotiations with Columbia’s Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez to augment the size of three bases in Columbia. This comes just weeks after Ecuador refused to renew the lease for a U.S. Air Force base. This reaffirms Columbia as a strong U.S. political ally, but at the same time poses new tensions with leftist regimes in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Nicaragua—led by Venezuela’s Chavez. This article appears to favor the U.S. decision to expand military operations in Columbia. This is evidenced through the representations of foreign relations as bipolar between the U.S. and President Chavez.Annotation by: Charles Kauffman, SIS 201

Article: Chavez Criticizes US-Columbia PlanSource: Al-JazeeraAuthor: AnonymousDate: 21 July 2009Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/07/2009721201557748106.htmlPresident Hugo Chavez is alarmed at the recent announcement for an increase in U.S. military bases, calling the move an attempt by the U.S. to get a stronger foothold in Latin America. The US and Columbian governments are addressing the increase as within the 1,400 limit allowed by the U.S. Congress, and necessary for Columbian security in light of the continuing conflicts between the government and the rebel group FARC. The U.S. has categorized FARC as a terrorist organization and views the increase as necessary, but Chavez sees the bolstering of security as an attempt to surround Venezuela with military forces. This article does a great job of balancing opposing views, using Chavez as a voice for the “socialist” and skeptical Latin American countries, yet outlines valid reasons for increasing Columbian security. However, the majority of the article is weighted towards Chavez’s remarks. Annotation by: Linn Gracey, SIS 201

For example:

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Students will submit their annotated news summaries online. Faculty and TAs will review, grade, and upload the summaries onto the KNOW site…

Instructors will view student annotations on a screen that allows them to either publish student contributions, return them for revision, or fail the student on the assignment.

…and the outcome will look like this:

In addition to the news area, KNOW includes six other content areas: scholarly articles, student analyses, alumni “reporting,” resource materials (such as maps), an undergraduate research journal, and the creation of online communities through discussion forums.

Much of this information will come from collaboration between the KNOW staff, the libraries, and the various research centers and departments on campus.

KNOW staff will also solicit information from faculty, staff, alumni, undergraduates, and heritage communities.

“Sharif and I attended the funeral of President Arafat in Ramallah…”

For more information contact:

Professor Sara CurranDirector, Center for Global StudiesChair, International Studies Program

scurran@u.washington.edu