Gender, Sexuality, and History (321-0-20)

Topic

Coalition Politics: Case Studies from Chicago & Be

Instructors

Amy Partridge
847.491.5872

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-331: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Coalition Politics: Case Studies from Chicago and Beyond

In this seminar, we explore several 1970s-1990s-era projects** in Chicago and beyond that exemplify a coalitional feminist politics and consider the usefulness of this history in an increasingly polarized present. We will read histories of this period and memoirs by movement participants, but our focus will be on engaging in collective archival research that aid us in recuperating these instances of successful coalition building across movements, as well as the intersectional politics that informed these collaborative projects. This seminar will introduce students to the practice of archival research as well as the remarkable range of archival materials housed in Special Collections, which might form the basis for research projects during your four years at Northwestern. Our final class project will be to collectively curate our findings. Over the course of the quarter, we will also host several class visitors and plan an (optional) field trip.

**CASES: (underground) abortion/health projects in Chicago pre-Roe; Chicago Women's Liberation Union (CWLU) and the free clinic movement; Chicago's "Rainbow Coalition" (which included the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords, the Young Patriots and Rising Up Angry) and the Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention; The anti-Vietnam war/G.I. movement in Chicago & at NU; Liberation schools and ‘free university' projects; Gay and lesbian/feminist liberation in Chicago and at NU; ACT UP/Chicago.

Teaching Method

seminar discussion and collaborative group work

Evaluation Method

• 2 3-4-page papers
• Final Group Research Project
• Regular reflection assignments—most weeks students will be asked to reflect on some aspect of the course materials before class on a shared Google Doc (posted on Canvas) OR through short in-class writing assignments.
• Regular research assignments--each week includes research assignments, some of which we will do in class and some of which you do before class. These are intended to introduce you to a range of resources, research methods, and types archival collections. These regular research assignments will also serve as the basis for a collectively researched and curated final group project. Students will work in groups of 2-3 in the final weeks of the course to bring a specific element of our class project to completion

Class Materials (Required)

All provided in Canvas

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline

Enrollment Requirements

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