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.
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.
4 activities
Student-facing slides
Recommended resources for exploring this topic
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What assumptions do people make about Khalid Latif when he is in uniform? What assumptions do people make about him when he is not in uniform? What do you think explains the difference?
How have people—including people in authority—treated Khalid Latif because of assumptions about Muslims?
How is Khalid Latif impacted by the harassment and discrimination he experiences?
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 and 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?
Student Activities: Stereotypes, Media, and Islamophobia
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These student-facing slides contain four activities that prompt students to think about how the media reinforces stereotypes about Muslims and the negative impact that stereotypes have on people's lives.
Resources from Other Organizations
These are the resources from external sources that we recommend using with students throughout the activities in this mini-lesson.
This unit helps students understand what hate crimes are, the ways they impact individuals and communities, and what people can do to foster belonging and counteract hate.
Students deepen their understanding of the diversity and complexity of Jewish life in pre-war North Africa through an analysis of images, film, and readings.
Responses to Rising Antisemitism and Antisemitic Legislation in North Africa
Explore how power structures established through the European colonization of North African countries influenced the fate of North African Jewry during the Holocaust and ways in which individuals and groups responded to rising antisemitism.
The Holocaust and North Africa: Resistance in the Camps
Students learn the importance of teaching the history of the Holocaust’s impacts on North African communities with a focus on ways in which they resisted oppression.
Students learn about the overall rise in acts of hate in schools and examine a story that illustrates how acts of antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hate can overlap.
Inform students about the rising number of antisemitic incidents in the United States and explore the story of one teacher’s response to an antisemitic incident involving high school students in her community.
Help students strengthen their civic voices by exploring examples of individuals who are choosing to participate and make their voices heard in their communities.
Deconstructing Antisemitic Memes: Helping Students Critically View Online Hate
Students consider the intentions, dangers, and impacts of online hate by engaging in a step-by-step close analysis and deconstruction of antisemitic memes.
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Facing History & Ourselves is designed for educators who want to help students explore identity, think critically, grow emotionally, act ethically, and participate in civic life. It’s hard work, so we’ve developed some go-to professional learning opportunities to help you along the way.
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Issues of equity and education have long existed in our country and continue to manifest today. How can writing and the power of one's voice help us respond to these disparities? Listen to writer and educator, Dr. Clint Smith, where we hear his poetry and reflections on working for justice, equity, and civic agency in our schools.
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Centering Student Voices to Build Community and Agency
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Explore approaches to centering student voice, building authentic relationships and cultivating community with Molly Josephs, the creator of This Teenage Life, a youth-driven, story-sharing podcast that started as a school club.
