Instructors often face ‘difficult to teach’ moments in the classroom when the world outside the classroom is in turmoil and the events are unrelated to course content. We recommend instructors pause, make space and engage students in respectful and thoughtful civic discourse. We recommend not introducing new content related to these events unless it is relevant for the course. Instead instructor can check in with students who may be impacted by the conflict and use these resources to inform themselves and make available to their students.
CEETL's existing guidance on Conversations About Challenging Moments may be helpful.
These resources speak to a wide variety of incidents in and outside the classroom and will provide instructors with some tools for their classroom.
Faculty are also encouraged to attend Ally trainings offered by Division of Equity and Community Inclusion (DECI).
Some resources to understand the current conflict:
- New York Times: Teaching About the Israel-Hamas War
- Israel-Palestine: Avoiding Antisemitic and Islamophobic Hate Speech
- San Diego County Office of Education: Resources for Educators, Families to Discuss The
- Events in Israel and Gaza with Students
- New York State Education Department: The Israeli-Palestinian Crisis: Resources for Educators, Caregivers, and School Leaders
- Bloomberg: Your Guide to Understanding the Roots of the Israel-Hamas War
- Teaching about the violence in Palestine and Israel
- Relevant Course List at SF State
The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) has compiled a list of resources for higher education professionals here.
Teaching Resources
- US Department of Education Resources for preventing and addressing Islamaphobia
- UC Berkeley Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project
- The Challenge Islamaphobia project
- Duke University Islamic Studies Center Resource list to increase awareness of Islam and Muslims
- List of Books addressing Islamaphobia
Resources for Students
- Department of Jewish Studies
- SFSU Chapter of Hillel International
- SFHillel
- SFSU Jewish Student Campus Climate Assessment, 2021
- DECI Jewish Student Life Coordinator:
- Danille Hoffer serves as the Coordinator of Jewish Student Life and Interfaith Programs. Danille completed her undergraduate degree at Queen’s University, in Canada, focusing on History and Jewish Studies. In 2021, Danille achieved a Master of Public Administration and an MA in Hebrew & Judaic Studies at New York University.
• AMED Studies
• SFSU Edward Said Mural
• SFSU Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies
• SFSU Muslim Student Association
• SFSU General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS)
• SFSU Pakistani Student Association
• SFSU Indian Student Association
• SFSU Bangladeshi Student Association
• DECI Muslim Student Life Coordinator
- Sara Alhanich, Coordinator, Muslim Student Life & Interfaith Programs. Sara was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates and moved to the U.S to pursue her undergraduate studies at UC Santa Cruz in Politics and Sociology. Following her undergraduate degree, Sara graduated from SFSU with an M.A in Ethnic Studies.