How did the movie Jaws change the Middle East’s perception and views toward sharks?

Daniya Aldereyaan, 30283

My paper consisted of:•Abstract•Literature Review•Research Questions/Hypotheses•Methods and instrument•Population of the study •Data Collection•Findings

Abstract: • This paper looks at how the movie Jaws effects the view and perception of sharks to the

people in the Middle East. People all over the world fear sharks and this fear can sometimes contribute to the killing of this fish. Studies in the United States imply a connection between the killing of sharks and Hollywood movies such as, Jaws. Jaws is mainly about how one 25 foot great white shark hunts and kills people in a very brutal way. This research will look into the reasons behind the fear of sharks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and question if the connection between the level of fear and Hollywood movies such as Jaws. This issue is important because the shark is not only a predator but it is important for underwater life. The shark is a key-stone species. Key-stone species are the animals that are necessary to maintain balance in the underwater world and therefore our ecosystem. The research method being used to answer the research question is the Qualitative research method. Qualitative research aims to gather an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviour. This information will give a good base of comparison to how the Middle East views sharks after these events. The sample is young Emeriti men and women between the ages of 20-40 who are interested in the film industry. The population should be aware of the movie Jaws and what it is about. The sample will be collected through non-random sampling. The population should be aware of the movie Jaws and what it is about. The research should show a slight connection between fear of sharks in the Middle East and the movie Jaws. The movie shows sharks in “evil” perspective that creates and exaggerated fear of sharks all over the world including the Middle East.

Literature Review

•Perception of people towards sharks•Perception of media towards sharks•Truth about Shark-attacks•Truth about Sharks and their Behaviour•Role of the shark in the Ecosystem

Research Questions/Hypotheses

• Research Question: How did the movie Jaws change the Middle East’s

perception and views toward sharks?• Context:

The purpose of this research paper is to look in to how people view sharks in the United Arab Emirates. It would like to prove that sharks are not as evil as they seem but in fact they are important for the maintenance of the underwater world. The research question looks in to if the movie jaws and asking if the movie affected the way people view sharks in the Middle East and more specifically the UAE.

Methods and instrument

•Method used: ▫Qualitative research method

•Instrument used: ▫Focus group

Population of the study

•The population for the paper are young Arab men and women who have lived in the UAE between the ages of 20-40 who are interested in the film industry.

Data Collection•Group who has seen Jaws: (focus group 1)

Generally speaking what are the facts you know about the animal and where did you base this information on?

Do you think the movie Jaws changed the way people view sharks and do you think the movie lead to the massacre of sharks all over the world?

•Group who has not seen Jaws: (focus group 2) Generally speaking what are the facts you know about

the animal and where did you base this information on? When I say the word shark, what is the first thing that

pops in your head?

Findings•The results that were found show that

people in the UAE who have seen the movie seem to have a more positive outlook toward sharks and tend to have more interest in the fish. Moreover, the people who have not seen the movie have a more negative aspect toward sharks and have little or no interest in the animal.

Conclusion•In order to answer this research question

more accurately a quantitative research paper should be conducted to show how many people in the UAE know about sharks and whether or not their opinion towards them has anything to do with the movie Jaws.

•Bibliography• Bright, M. (2000). The Private Life of Sharks, the truth behind

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Bio Science, Vol 18, No 10. , 946-950.• Gilbert, P. W. (1977, Oct). Two Decades of Shark Research: A

Review. BioScience, Vol. 27 , 275-310.• Hall, S. (2007). The Raw Shark Texts. Edinburgh: Group West.• Mojetta, A. (1997). Sharks : history and biology of the lords of

the sea. Shrewsbury: Swan Hill Press.• Paully, J. (2001). Shark Conservation. New York: New York

University Press.• Randall, D. J. (1986). Sharks of Arabia. London: IMMEL.• Schultz, L. P. (1967). Predation of Sharks on Man. Chesapeake

Science, Vol. * No. 1 , 52-62.•  All pictures are taken from www.discovery.com/sharks

Any Questions?