Through its Civility Project, the John Brademas Center has convened thought leaders, scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to examine the value of civility in politics and the public square. This final session will go beyond civility in the body politic to look at lessons and challenges from other parts of American life. Is there a growing generational difference in the concept of civility? What does Civility mean for Millennials and Gen Z? How are campuses and classrooms facing the collision of civility and regulated vs. free speech? What can we learn from other sectors, such as entertainment and the arts? What lessons are there from how artists build connection and empathy? How can satire and humor be used as a tool of civility, or of incivility? What lessons can we draw from the power of humor to confront leaders in disarming ways?
Speakers for this final panel include Caty Borum, Executive Director, Center for Media & Social Impact, American University, Ricardo Maldonado, President and Executive Director, Academy of American Poets, and Hussein Rashid, Assistant Dean, Religion and Public Life; Lecturer, Harvard Divinity School.
In this conversation, Dr. Rashid discussed his work and its uses in the classroom, with a particular focus on the Children’s Museum of Manhattan exhibit “America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far?”
Dr. Hussein Rashid is the new Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life and brought to RPL with a wealth of experience as an educator in public and classroom settings. He has particular expertise in integrating the arts into the study of religion. From work with museums to film, documentary, and comics, Rashid has long engaged the power of images and art to highlight complexity and captivate learners when teaching religious literacy.
Among other projects Dr. Rashid executive produced the Times Op-Doc “The Secret History of Muslims in the US” and co-edited a volume on Ms. Marvel, the first Muslim to have her own comic series with Marvel Comics.
Hussein