I was honored to teach SSC 615/MDO617B, “Standing Up for Racial Justice” at Marlboro College in Spring 2016.
“Nobody is going to teach you your true history, teach you your true heroes, if they know that that knowledge will help set you free.”
― Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography
Course Description
This course combines theories about race, racism, and social movements with case studies of racial justice organizing efforts to explore contemporary issues surrounding racial oppression. Although racism is the main focus of the course, we will incorporate an intersectional approach that accounts for interlocking systems such as sexism, classism, ableism, and so on. We will explore shifting forms of racial oppression in the US and look at how people are combating oppression through cross identity collaboration and organizing. In addition, we will learn about different regional not-for-profit organizations addressing racism through intersectional approaches. Through classroom dialogue, classroom visits from community organizers, and written assignments, students will engage in reflection about their positions in the matrix of racial oppression and devise strategies to “stand up” for racial justice in the form of their campus and/or non-profit work.
Learning Objectives
- Students will have an understanding of how racial oppression is systemic
- Students will have an understanding of their role in the matrix of racial oppression.
- Students will leave with ideas on how they can stand up for racial justice in their communities.
Syllabus
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16nuwLm1RT0mVxXOPX-re_mrX0GpvKDZNZWkfVL9UtMQ
