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GNDR_ST 390-0 : Race, Gender, Justice & Ethics: Reframing Research, Teaching, Learning (Race, Gender, Justice & Ethics: Reframing Research, Teaching, Learning)

Description

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.