‘Syriana’ as a Teaching Tool

In the fall semester of 2008, Professor Meredeth Turshen of Rutgers University secured a small grant to sponsor the “Geopolitics of Petroleum Faculty Cluster.” A small group of interested faculty and graduate students settled on a study group format with the idea that we would invite the authors of the books we had decided to read to meet with us. It was decided that our study would focus on the intersection of US foreign policy and energy policy, with the possibility of working toward a set of policy recommendations for the incoming federal government administration. We proceeded in this fashion throughout the fall semester—reading relevant books and meeting in a small group with the authors.

To kick off the spring semester and to stimulate interest in our work, we departed from that format. Instead, we began the new semester with a screening of the film “Syriana,” starring George Clooney. Since I was already familiar with the film from my own undergraduate courses, I volunteered to introduce the film and to lead a follow-up discussion. I believe that this film is a valuable teaching tool. Not because it is historically accurate. It is after all a fictional film. But it successfully dramatizes many of the underlying issues of oil and public policy. The screening took place on February 7, 2009, at the Edward J. Bloustein Auditorium in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In order to avoid spoilers, I kept the introduction to the film very brief.

The audience for this screening was somewhat larger than our usual small core of readers, and it was made up mainly of faculty and graduate students. Although this audience was more sophisticated than the regular undergraduate audience, they still had many of the same problems in understanding the film. It is simply very confusing for anyone on first viewing. There are multiple characters and multiple plot lines. The setting jumps rapidly from Tehran to Geneva and to Langley, Virginia. The film goes back and forth from an unnamed country in the Persian Gulf to stateside locations such as Princeton, New Jersey, and Hondo, Texas. Following the plot is challenging and difficult. Many viewers are left with the reaction, “What happened?”

To my way of thinking, the confusion engendered by the film creates a teachable moment. Many Hollywood films are so straightforward that there is little justification for including them in the college curriculum. But this one is so complex as to be a puzzle, an interesting challenge. By the same token, it creates a real opportunity for the discussion leader to serve a real need, to help the students figure out the puzzle. As a discussion leader, I cannot claim any special brilliance or insight. What gives me the edge is the simple fact of watching the film several times. Each time I watch the film, it becomes a bit clearer. On multiple viewing, there are many “Aha!” moments.

In preparing my post-screening remarks, I relied heavily on readily available resources on the internet. One of the best, of course, is the Movie Review Query Engine (www.MRQE.com), a large online database for movie reviews founded in 1993 by Stewart Clamen. The site aggregates reviews associated with particular movies. It is comprehensive and easy to use. Even more helpful in this particular case was the information from Film Education (www.filmeducation.org), a non-profit founded by the UK film industry to promote the use of film in schools and colleges.

I found the “Syriana Study Guide” provided by Film Education to be an invaluable resource. The Study Guide begins by pointing out that “Syriana is a demanding film, requiring some background knowledge.” It then goes on to provide that background knowledge. For example, we are told that a quarter of the world’s oil is consumed in the USA and that US consumes 30 billion barrels of crude a year but produces only four billion barrels from its own fields. Yet the US population is only 5% of the world’s total population. We also learn that Syriana is a term “used by Washington think tanks to describe a democratic, Western-leaning, business-friendly Middle East most suited to US commercial and political interests.”

The Study Guide goes on to provide thumbnail character sketches of some of the major characters. One of the great strengths of the film is that one cannot simply sort the characters into good guys and bad guys. These are three-dimensional characters, each with individual strengths and weaknesses. The Study Guide then goes on to suggest that the discussion leader summarize for students the four main plot strands, specifically: 1) the progress of the Connex-Killeen merger, 2) the hope of a new beginning in the Middle East following Prince Nasir’s bid for power, 3) the power struggles that surround Bennett Holiday at his Washington-based law firm Sloan Whiting, and 4) the slow recruitment of Wasim Khan to the cause of Islamic terrorism. The challenge for the teacher, of course, to show students how these strands all fit together.

In the question and answer session that followed my post-screening prepared remarks, the first few minutes were spent in clearing up questions of the plot structure.

But then the discussion evolved where audience members offered up their own insights.

The group was small enough that everyone had a chance to talk and be heard by the others. Little by little, we all tried to make sense of the film. The experience reaffirmed the value of talking and listening. Good films make for good discussions.

From The Geopolitics of Petroleum ACAS Blog Series