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This study critically analyses how the film industry shapes cultural norms and values, particularly through political agenda-setting. Using Edward Said’s concept of orientalism and neo-orientalist discourse, it examines Hollywood’s portrayal of Iran and Iranians. While past research has focused on dominant themes, this paper explores ‘minor moments’ linked to Iran and ‘minor characters’ identified as Iranians in films where the central narrative is unrelated. By addressing these depictions, the paper seeks to understand Hollywood’s role in shaping perceptions of Iranians as non-Arab, Muslim, oriental ‘others’.

Coronavirus global pandemic and the growing need of governments and health organisations to direct respected societies to conduct new behaviour and health protocols have stressed the critical role of persuasive communications. This paper intends to show how new digital technologies and social platforms have provided the effective tools and techniques required for such purposes. The paper focuses on different aspects of technology changes in persuasive communications, elaborates the critical factors for a persuasive strategy to be more effective, and shows how these factors can be used. The study classifies the main factors in provision and likelihood of acceptance of persuasive content and the role that technology plays in each factor. It also provides a new method for governments and health organisations to actuate the public into appropriate responses to the outbreak.

The prevailing representation of Muslim masculinity is often profiled in negative stereotypes or regarded as toxic and violent owing to their religion or racial heritage. Using Raewyn Connell’s theory of gender hegemony and orientalism paradigm, this paper investigates the remake of an original Hollywood blockbuster, RoboCop (2014). Following a textual analysis, this aims to answer some questions concerning the power dynamics between various male characters in the movie and how masculinity is playing part based on geographical racial orientation; more specifically, how masculinity could be traced in white western men vs. brown eastern men. Moreover, this paper pays particular attention to the characteristics of these characters’ masculinity vs. their western counterparts since the involvement of Middle Eastern characters was the most fundamental change in RoboCop (2014).

The learning approach to persuasion was considered obsolete following the emergence of new paradigms such as cognitive and constructive approaches. However, according to the evolutions of learning theories and especially the re-emergence of the connectivism paradigm, mainly due to what new technologies have provided, the learning approach to persuasion seems to have reappeared as a powerful approach that has a lot to offer yet. Based on research conducted on transformative learning patterns and algorithms, this paper investigates: i) the applicability of using the patterns and algorithms as well as techniques developed in the transformative learning approach for transformative persuasion, ii) how media can be used in the transformation process. The components of a persuasive transformation model, the factors involved, and major elements of each factor are extracted by constructivist grounded theory (CGT), which is used for theory building, accumulating knowledge and experiences of scholars, practitioners, and experts in adult learning. We show how media can use these factors and elements and notions and techniques developed in transformative learning for the persuasive transformation of their respective audience. Borrowing the concepts of transformative learning concerning the states of mind of the adult students in different stages of the transformation process, we suggest how media can appropriately act in each stage to facilitate a transformation through persuasion.