American knowledge of Jordan

With today’s technology, news is everywhere, and Americans certainly like to make use of it. But, despite how much knowledge we think we have about current issues, we really don’t realize how much news we are actually missing out on. Being an American citizen, I personally find it somewhat difficult to find coverage of foreign news in American media. Because of this lack of coverage, most Americans probably find themselves uneducated or even clueless about events outside of the United States.

To support this, I asked a variety of people a few questions about the country of Jordan. The following questions were asked:

1)   What continent is Jordan located in?

2)   What is the capital of Jordan?

3)   Can you name any historical event that has happened in or involved Jordan?

4)   What do you think of when you hear the word “Jordan?”

Five out of seven of the people I interviewed correctly answered the first question with Asia. The two that answered incorrectly thought Jordan was located in Africa. When I asked one person why she thought this, she said, “it just sounded right.” I considered this to be a good start to the interviews, but perhaps the majority knew the correct answer thanks to that required geography class in high school. Or maybe it has something to do with Jordan being located next to Iraq and Israel, two countries that have been frequently talked about in American news.

Do Americans really know where Jordan is located? Or are we familiar with its location because it sits just west of Iraq, the country that frequently headlines American news?
Photo source: http://www.zonu.com/fullsize-en/2009-09-17-602/Western-Asia-Political-Map-2000.html 

Only one of my interviewees knew the correct answer to the second question. This was impressive, in my opinion, considering I don’t think I can even name all of the state capitals in my own country. I did receive the creative, and somewhat sarcastic, answer of “Jordania” from one person I talked to. Other than that, the common response was “I don’t know.”

The responses I received for the third and fourth questions were quite interesting as I saw a similarity in what different people said in regards to both questions.  I noticed a number of people answering the last two questions with religious references. Although four people said they couldn’t name any events involving Jordan, one mentioned the baptizing of Jesus, which she said occurred in the river of Jordan. Yet, another listed the Crusades, World War 1 and the Israeli Palestinian conflicts known as Black September.

The fourth question also included a few biblical and religious connections. One person replied with, “When I think of Jordan, I think of kings, the Holy Land, and centuries of bloodshed.” This person, though, openly confessed to being a historian, which may be why he had the answers to every question I asked. Another said she thought of the Bible when she heard the word Jordan. Could this pattern of religious references be because of the religious traditions that Americans practice? I asked the people with these religious responses if they practice religion or have a religious background, and they all told me yes.

One of my other interviewees, surprisingly, admitted to not even thinking about the country of Jordan when I asked him the fourth question. He, instead, thought about basketball superstar Michael Jordan. Although I did sense the sarcasm, I think that he had a good point. If I asked the fourth question out of context of this interview, I think a lot of Americans wouldn’t think about the country of Jordan.

From this brief survey of seven people, I was able to make a few connections and predictions. Even though I was able to get answers out of some people, I felt that they were almost unsure of themselves when talking to me. Three of the interviewees seemed to respond in a questioning tone, and one even said, “I think” after one of her responses. Also, the answers that were given to me seemed to come from knowledge that had nothing to do with media, but rather had to do with religious experience. There is certainly room for improvement when it comes to Americans’ knowledge of foreign news.

Jordan's religious sites seem to play a role in the amount of knowledge that Americans have towards the country. For example, Jesus was said to have been baptized in Jordan.
Photo Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23620510/ns/travel-destination_travel/    

Interview participants:

1)   Kevin Heinemann- Cal Poly sophomore, biological science major

2)   Sue Bakalar- my mom, 47

3)   Dani Bakalar- my sister, 18

4)   Karen Steen- Cal Poly sophomore, environmental engineering major

5)   Brian John- law student, 27

6)   Shire Beach- Stanford sophomore

7)   Andrew Engdahl- Cal Poly junior, business major