Social Science Research Council
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November 6-10, 2005
Los Angeles, CA
The Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the USC Annenberg Knight Chair in Media and Religion, in partnership with the Social Science Research Council and the New York Times Company Foundation, presented a seminar that explored in-depth the practice of Islam and the Muslim experience in America.
The program, which focused on Islamic practices and communities, aimed to provide journalists with context and understanding of issues essential to framing news stories with a greater depth of understanding of American Muslim life and its transnational dimensions.
Fellowships were offered to 25 professional journalists to attend the seminar, which featured a broad range of experts leading discussions key to understanding the complexities of Islam.
The program addressed issues including:
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The social, cultural, and political diversity of Muslims in American society
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Reporting on the cultural, linguistic and transnational aspects of the religion
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The role of Muslim women in political, business and community life
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The institutional, ethnic, and religious ties of American Muslims with Muslims abroad
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Coping with post-9/11: fear, civil liberties, foreign policy, terrorism and war
Fellows also discussed the challenges of reporting and writing about Muslim communities, and learning where to find source experts, community contacts, websites, literature and other resources.
The Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism (www.WKConline.org) is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is a joint project of the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. The Social Science Research Council (www.ssrc.org) has organized collaboration between social scientists and practitioners since its foundation in 1924.
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