march 11, 2014: taught a class on “religion in media and pop culture” today along with andrew harrison. i focused on islam and its (mis)representation in mainstream media. the high school students in my class were bright and engaged. they understood stereotyping and labels. they could unpack the illustration of a burka-clad woman screaming “help” by linking it to the justification for western intervention. they understood patriarchy and its universality. i left them with one advice: balance ur worldview with alternative media. watch democracy now, the real news, etc. once again i come away inspired by how open-minded and smart american teenagers are. more here.