Mullins Library Assignment

Katie Lynch

Part A:
Part B:

Class: GEOS 4413 Principles of Remote Sensing

Instructor: Jason Tullis

Part C, Thesis 1:

1. Jake Bryan Rowlett

2. Geography of the Middle East through the Western Lens: A Survey of Films Set in the Middle
East and Filmed in the American Southwest
3. May 2018
4. University of Arkansas
5. Abstract/purpose of study:

“Representation of cinematic geography is a struggle in the world of film: a power

balance between the work of the filmmakers and the place itself. Often, the filmmakers
tip the scales in their favor and the true nature of the place is lost in translation.
Throughout the history of cinema, the geography of the Middle East has been
manipulated into a vision designed for Western audiences that is strikingly disjointed
from reality.
The foundation of modern Orientalist interpretations of the Middle East in film can be
seen in the early decades of the film industry, through the “Biblical Epic,” and in modern
geopolitical depictions. This intertwining of geographic place and themes developed a
violent vision of the Middle East that has remained the foundation of what we currently
understand to be the region in film.
Studying these early film locations that served as masks for the Middle East illuminates
the history of the location on film, even the films that were shot in the true Middle East.
The visual history of the region in film can be seen through direct comparison of the
physical geographic regions of the Middle East and American Southwest and the ways
both were used.”
Quote by Jake Bryan Rowlett. Accessible at:
http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2820/

6. Page 60 begins the conclusion to the study. Three major questions were
answered, one being that similar locations were used for movies set in the Middle
East as were older westerns and biblical epics.
7. This study would be important in my field of study because the Middle East is such a hot
topic in today’s news. I am also studying Political Science, so understanding the culture
and history of this region is essential to understanding current global relations between
the US, the Middle East and other countries around the world.
8. This study does an excellent job of linking specific films of the past to today’s perception
of the Middle East, though if I were conducting this study, I would focus specifically on
political change from the past to today in films. Culture encompasses so many factors,
such as history, music, place, etc. though I am interested in political and government
structures. Those with authority over a place have such a significant impact on how
quickly change occurs for the country as a whole. If I were conducting this study I would
analyze a variety of movies that revolve around political leaders in Middle Eastern
history. I would analyze these specific movies because it interesting to know how only a
few individuals can alter history.
Part C, Thesis 2:
1. Jason Tullis
2. 2003
3. “Data mining to identify optimal spatial aggregation scales and input features: Digital
image classification with topographic LIDAR and LIDAR intensity returns”
4. University of South Carolina
5. This study concludes that spatial aggregation plays a part in increasing the accuracy of
classifying types of surfaces in the environment.