While there are several websites dedicated to Iran and Iranian culture the sites noted here are recommended for the quality of their material, usability and their thoroughness to the topics they feature. We are also featuring other sites that "hold" a significant amount of material dedicated to Iran. The descriptive statements are in the words of each of the sites. We've added a comment at the end of each to share our thoughts on the site. We encourage our community to add to this list and to post comments.
http://www.linktv.org/bridgetoiran
Link TV’s BRIDGE TO IRAN series is a response to the cultural and political tensions that have developed between Iran and the U.S. since the Iranian revolution. Americans have long seen Iran as a mysterious boogeyman, its citizenry virulently anti-American and its government dangerously belligerent. Scenes of American flag burnings, shouts of “Death to America!” and images of forbidding ayatollahs have graced American televisions since the 1979 Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis. In the past, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has encouraged American fears with bellicose sound bites by calling the U.S. the “Great Satan,” and by resuming a uranium enrichment program that prompted the United Nations and the European Union to impose sanctions out of concern for its potential to support nuclear weapons development. The Bush administration encouraged the same fears, including Iran in the “Axis of Evil.”
Bridge to Iran helps the viewer glimpse into the lives of ordinary Iranians, through the power of documentary film. Showcasing documentaries by contemporary independent Iranian filmmakers living and working in Iran, BRIDGE TO IRAN shatters preconceived notions about a nation and culture that most Americans know little about and have never experienced firsthand.
The series covers a wide range of subjects about ordinary life in Iran: young girls facing womanhood within an Islamic society; religious pilgrims who risk their lives to visit a holy site in war-torn Iraq; rural life and political awareness; and an energetic and surprising exploration of Tehran as a mega metropolis. Each documentary in the series will be introduced by the BRIDGE TO IRAN series host Salome Azizi, and some are also followed by an exclusive, in-depth interview with the filmmaker.
Comment on Bridge to Iran: This is an extraordinary website that brings us right into the real stories of Iranians. Even the short introductions offer rich teaching tools for the classroom.
Iran Chamber Society: http://www.iranchamber.com/index/art_culture.php
In the absence of a well-documented, comprehensive and permanent source of information on Iran, or formerly and widely known as Persia, that can accommodate many viewers' needs and wishes we decided to create a source, which could provide information on all aspects of Iranian/Persian history, art and culture. Therefore, in compliance with the needs of those who are concerned with Iran/Persia and its issues, in 2001 "Iran Chamber Society" was founded as a non-partisan and non-profit organization with the aim to promote Iranian culture and history. By actively publicizing historical and cultural findings and issues in a format that is accessible for the world community at large, Iran Chamber Society aims to create a global awareness about Iranian society and eradicate the misunderstandings and misconceptions about Iranian society, and to play an educational role as well.
Iran Chamber Society does its best to be the most well organized and comprehensive online source of information on Iranian/Persian history, art and culture without any membership requirement to access the data. We do believe that "Iran Chamber Society" is a free source of information and must stay away from all commercial concerns. Therefore, we decided not to accept, display, or publish any advertisement in order to be able to focus on the content and the quality of information. The Iran Chamber Society's mission is not to play a role of a Current Affair Organization as we know plenty of them are available on the net.
Comment on Iran Chamber Society: This is a rich and expanisve site with scholarly articles. The articles are not overly lengthy, but help offer a depth on a topic that goes beyond the surface. In preparing Seda, the Iran Chamber Society was one of our primary reference sources.
U.S. Department of State: Iran: http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/ir/
The U.S. Department of State maintains volumes on most countries of the world. The Iran volume is one in a continuing series of books prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the Department of the Army. The last two pages of this book list the other published studies.
Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, their origins, dominant beliefs and values, their common interests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent of their involvement with national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order.
The books represent the analysis of the authors and should not be construed as an expression of an official United States government position, policy, or decision.
Comment on U.S. Department of State: This site is filled with background material, up-to-date highlights of the U.S. and Iran relationships, and archived highlights from the last ten years. This is an excellent source to look at issues that "divide" the U.S. and Iran.
World Savvy Monitor: http://worldsavvy.org/
The World Savvy Monitor is a free service of World Savvy, a 501c3 national education nonprofit. The World Savvy Monitor is designed and written for educators, but is a universal tool for deepening content knowledge of world issues. It provides background, context, and perspectives to help understand the conversation in the global community.
Inside Every Edition
Letter from the Editor:An introduction and context for the monthly edition
Issue in Focus: A thorough examination of one region or topic of global importance gleaned from hundreds of sources
Classroom Companion: Practical ways to integrate world affairs into curriculum and classroom discussion
leveled student readings
discussion questions
lesson plans and resources aligned with national standards
World Savvy Salon Guide: Guiding questions to stimulate conversation
Updates: Ongoing updates as events warrant to archivededitions
Sources: View online resources
Comment about World Savvy Monitor: This is a site that educators and students will go back to over and over again. The Monitor publishes an edition each month. There is an archive of previous editions.
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