RIYADH, 5 February 2007 -- Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University has launched an ambitious program for mass communications that will include a redesigned curriculum, e-publishing, web page designing, state-of-the-art TV and broadcasting facilities as part of its plan to project a new look.

"The review of the curriculum is based on extensive research on introducing new concepts in teaching mass communication to the Arab world," Dr. Muhammad Alheezan, dean of the faculty of mass communications, told Arab News.

The university's drive to acquire a new look comes against a general perception that it is a conservative institution. Last month, Spanish Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar canceled a speech at the university when female journalists from the Spanish press corps were banned from entering the campus.

Dr. Alheezan said the university had no objection to women on the campus. "However, in this particular case, there was a communication gap. We hosted Prince Charles and his delegation without any problem," he observed.

Dr. Alheezan said the university was not only misunderstood abroad but also at home. Some Saudis wrongly believe it to be a citadel of conservatism. He denied that alumni of the university were involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "I can say with certainty nobody was involved," he claimed.

The Saudi academic, who took over as the new dean of the faculty of mass communications recently, said the university had received queries from the US and other countries asking for access to students' theses stored in an electronic archive. A modest fee is charged for providing copies of a thesis.

Referring to the changes in the curriculum, Dr. Alheezan said the difference was in the fact that the past emphasis was on the history of the media. The new curriculum, based on input received from three universities in the Kingdom and three in the US, includes the latest concepts and ultramodern facilities for mass communications.

"We did a comparative study of almost 226 subjects forming part of the curriculum in those universities and came to the conclusion that there was a need for a revolutionary change in the syllabus which has since been revised thoroughly," said Dr. Alheezan.

He said the restructuring of the department of mass communications would not have been possible but for the full cooperation of Dr. Muhammad Al-Salem, rector of the university. "He has been very supportive of the program and has given all the facilities to put our department on par with the best universities in the Middle East."

One of the highlights of the new curriculum is a course in communications marketing which integrates communication tools and marketing strategy. The subject was designed after evaluating the needs of the Saudi market. The centerpiece in the department is the multimedia training center, described as unique in the Middle East. It has four units consisting of high-quality graphics unit for the media, a digital TV editing unit (equipped with 50 computers specialized in TV editing), a computer applications unit (equipped with 40 computers for designing websites, analyzing data, etc.), an individual projects unit (to upgrade the skills of teachers in using the new technology).

Complementing these facilities are state-of-the-art TV studio and broadcasting units. "They are so sophisticated that even Saudi TV is planning to make use of them," he said, adding that the facilities could go a long way in improving the university's image in terms of quality education for its students.

By Javid Hassan

© Arab News 2007