[sphinx]

The course name is a bit of a tipoff. Look before you leap. That said, I have no idea how the prof has developed the subject, but irrational fear of and prejudice against "the other" are perfectly good topics, although they strike me as worthy of a lecture or two, not a whole class.

Compare and contrast is a good approach to dilemmas like this. For example, compare and contrast Islamophobia is the U.S. to the Arab world's hostility to Jews, Christians, Hindus, and others. That is a discussion that could be usefully explored, in a respectful and open-minded way.

[sphinx]

On further thought, this is at Berkeley, and the students may perhaps be presumed to be relatively bright, and capable of creative thinking. How about comparing Islamophobia to the notorious “Klanophobia” of black Americans in the Jim Crow era South.