Race, Gender, and Sexuality (382-0-20)

Topic

Race, Gender, Justice & Ethics: Reframing Research

Instructors

Alyssa Garcia

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 303: Mon, Wed 1:00PM - 2:30PM

Overview of class

Race, Gender, Justice & Ethics: Reframing Research, Teaching, Learning

This course explores debates within and about Critical Race Feminist pedagogy, research, methodology, and writing. We will explore the politics and production of knowledge related to issues of gender, race, justice, scholarship and learning. In order to break away from colonial frameworks, we seek to deconstruct the traditional academic gaze by discussing feminist themes around: activism, public intellectualism, the politics of representation, decolonizing paradigms, community engagement, ethics, and accountability. What is our role or responsibility as feminist scholars and students committed to social justice? Beyond our intentions, who does our work serve? What role does power, positionality, and identity play? The possibilities of a social justice applied feminist lens enables us to democratize the research enterprise by developing more equitable alternative methodologies.

We also explore Critical Race, Queer, and Feminist pedagogy in the broader sense to consider how identity, power, privilege, and difference play out in our educational experiences. We examine issues of voice and self-reflection to critically analyze the role of race, class, gender, and sexuality amidst educational institutions and the dissemination of knowledge. We reflect not only on ‘how' we learn, but also Praxis…how do we apply what we learn outside the classroom setting? As such, we experiment with alternative expressions of feminist knowledge and representation such as performance, movement, poetry, theatre, and field trips. Together we will develop an appreciation for social justice-based strategies that foster a more empowering-transformative education for use both in and beyond the classroom.

Learning Objectives

• Critically analyse processes and institutions of knowledge production
• Reflect upon the politics of social change within the academy, both historically and contemporarily
• Historicize the dynamics of power inherent in research practices
• Critique traditional models of service-learning and engagement with the "Other"
• Identify ethical issues and consequences in research situations and writing
• Question issues of accountability and responsibility in research encounters
• Engage and design alternative anti-oppressive, democratic, and non-exploitative research methodologies & design
• Discuss the complexity of integrating activism into research
• Think critically about one's own identities, subjectivities, and positionality in academic/ social justice endeavours.
• Explore issues of power amidst issues of voice, reflexivity, and representation
• Explore and experiment with alternative expressions of knowledge, representation, and pedagogy
• Develop an awareness of power and privilege in teaching settings
• Understand the interventions of feminist, queer, and antiracist pedagogies
• Create and foster empowering models of transformative education, in and outside of the classroom.

Teaching Method

Class participation, discussion, case studies, films, student presentations, readings, online postings, writing assignments, guest speakers

Evaluation Method

40% Class Participation
15% Online Presentation
15% Weekly Assignments and/or Response Papers
15% Testimonio Essay
15% Final Project/Presentation

Class Materials (Required)

bell hooks. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom Routledge: New York, 1994 and additional course materials will be provided on Canvas.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration is reserved for Gender & Sexuality Studies students