The Occupation of the American Mind

This class will focus on a discussion of the film The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s PR War in the United States. Polling shows global opposition to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land, while public sympathy and support for Israel within the US continues to hold strong. The Occupation of the American Mind breaks down the effective public relations effort that Israel and pro-Israel advocacy groups have used for decades in the US. Narrated by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and featuring leading observers of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the film offers a perspective on how the Israeli government, the US government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives and interests, to shape American media coverage of the conflict. Participants will receive access to the film via email prior to the class and will be asked to watch the film with a discerning eye before the class meets. During the class, Dr. Jhally will discuss the film’s salient issues and themes and will lead a discussion of questions that this important piece of work might raise for participants. Both the viewing of the film prior to the class gathering and Dr. Jhally’s teaching and leading of the discussion that the film inspires will open your mind and change your thinking. Come prepared to learn, to be informed and to be challenged.

Trainers:

Dr. Sut Jhally, Professor Emeritus, Department of Communications at UMass-Amherst, and the founder and Executive Director of the Media Education Foundation. Dr. Jhally’s work revolves around the ways in which media and culture impact our understanding of issues connected to race, gender, politics, international relations and hyper-commercialism. Dr. Jhally is the author and editor of a number of books and has been involved in the production of over 70 films and videos.