On Facebook on Wednesday, the University of Michigan featured Stiffler and his efforts to share that passion as part of its Wolverines of Ann Arbor series.

Stiffler, who has been teaching Introduction to Arab American Studies during the fall semester for five years, has a Ph.D in American culture with a focus in Arab American studies. 

“I still can’t believe they let me teach,” Stiffler wrote in the Facebook post. “Not because I am unqualified, but because each time I walk into the classroom, I feel honored that these students would sit there (most of them willingly) and work through difficult issues with me, such as imperialism, anti-Arab racism, and media stereotyping.” 

The post garnered more than 1,300 likes and 100 shares by Wednesday evening.

Nadia Karizat, a University of Michigan sophomore studying communications, is one of Stiffler’s former students and the creator of Wolverines of Ann Arbor. Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, Karizat developed the photo series for a writing course last year. She aimed to capture the essence of the university by featuring real people, emotions and thoughts.

In August, Wolverines of Ann Arbor launched on the University of Michigan’s social platforms with posts on Instagram every Monday and Facebook every Wednesday.

Karizat said she hopes Stiffler’s story on Facebook will pique other students’ interest in his course, because she feels the topics he teaches are crucial now.

She cites hegemony as one of the most important concepts she learned in Stiffler’s course, as well as the importance of counteracting the media representation of Arabs, Arab Americans and Muslims.

In a comment on the Facebook post, Miray Filobos wrote, “I took professor Stiffler’s class and it was hands down one of the most refreshing and exciting classes at Michigan! He is a very engaging professor and gave us a lot of information rooted in literature to help us be more informed citizens.”

Karizat said Stiffler was the first instructor to introduce her to history with whom she had a personal connection.

“He’s half Lebanese and half Italian, and so am I,” she said. “So it was very cool to hear someone speak about their experience. I’ve never really met anyone who also shares some of my experiences.” 

Stiffler said his heritage made him aware of other cultures as he grew up, but his high school classes did not. 

“The history textbooks and things don’t really reflect a wide variety of experiences in American history,” Stiffler said. 

In the Facebook post, Stiffler mentioned that his “underfunded” high school in Johnstown, Penn., did not prepare him for the rigors of college courses. Now, he draws on that experience when he teaches. 

“I don’t expect that everyone who comes into my classes has had the same knowledge and experience as everybody else,” he said.  

He reassures students that they don’t need to have mastered the terminology or be experts on the subjects they discuss.

In closing the Facebook post, Stiffler wrote, “The content of my courses is the Arab and Muslim American studies, but the message behind my teaching is applicable across the disciplines: be active consumers of information.”