Mini-Lesson
Current Event
Stereotypes, Media, and Islamophobia
This mini-lesson is designed to help students reflect on how the movies, shows, and books we consume can reinforce stereotypes about Muslims and the harmful impact stereotyping has on people's lives.
Subject
- Civics & Citizenship
- Social Studies
Grade
6–12Language
English — USPublished
Overview
About This Mini-Lesson
This mini-lesson is designed to help students reflect on how stereotypes—specifically stereotypes about Muslims—can be reinforced through the media we consume and the negative impacts that these stereotypes can have on people’s lives.
Activities
Activities
Pick a book you recently read or a show or movie you recently watched. Then, choose one character from the piece and create an identity chart for them. To create an identity chart, write the character’s name in the space provided below or on a piece of paper. Then, write the traits or characteristics of the character around their name, and connect each one to the character’s name with a line.
Credit:
Facing History & Ourselves
Reflect:
- What stereotypes are there about people like this character?
- In what ways, if any, does this character reinforce these stereotypes?
- In what ways, if any, does this character break away from these stereotypes?
- What impact can stereotypes have on the people who are being stereotyped? What impact can they have on society as a whole?
- Do writers or directors have a responsibility to avoid perpetuating stereotypes, or even to counteract them? Why or why not?
Materials and Downloads
Resources from Other Organizations
These are the resources from external sources that we recommend using with students throughout the activities in this mini-lesson.
Additional Resources
Stereotypes and "Single Stories"
Students create working definitions of stereotype as they examine the human behavior of applying categories to people and things.
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