Course Description and Goals
“The academy is not paradise. But learning is
a place where paradise can be created. The classroom, with all its limitations,
remains a location of possibility. In that field of possibility we have the
opportunity to labour for freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an
openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality even as we
collectively imagine ways to move beyond boundaries, to transgress. This is
education as the practice of freedom.” (bell hooks in Teaching to Transgress,
1994, p. 207)
Drawing from
bell hook’s inspiring quote above, this course introduces you to the vibrant
field of Sociology of Gender and Globalization and its unique interdisciplinary
perspectives, borrowing insights from Sociology; Women, Gender, Sexuality
Studies; Anthropology; Economics, Politics and so on. This
200-level course moves beyond geographical and disciplinary boundaries, to engage
with the key dimensions of global restructuring and globalization through the
lens of gender, sexuality, race, class, ethnicity, and North-South relations. We
will study how various modes of oppression and inequalities intersect in global
manufacturing, supply chains, and in the transnational politics of
representation and access in global media, religion, culture, war, and
dissenting spaces. Questions
that we will interrogate throughout the semester include: What is globalization
and how and why is it a contested concept? Is globalization a new process? How
can globalization be understood as a social, cultural, political, and
ecological process and not just as a technological-economic process? How are structures
of identity and oppression i.e., gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality,
nation, religion, ability, and other forms of difference, interwoven with
globalization? How do biological, cultural, historical, and political
frameworks shape knowledge and processes of globalization? In exploring these
questions, the course incorporates sources ranging from social science
research, creative non-fiction, films/documentaries, art, media, and popular
culture. Topics may include transnational feminisms, gendered labor and the
global economy, feminist and queer theory, reproductive politics and
globalization, carceral politics, rights-based advocacy, visual cultures.
This
course will accomplish its goals by:
- Engaging students in
pluralistic perspective-taking and awareness of the relationship among
society, self, and others
- Providing
opportunities to develop and practice the skills of critical thinking,
reasoning, communication, and integration of knowledge and perspectives,
including:
●
Communicating persuasively and effectively in public speaking and writing
●
Working collaboratively and creating safe and kind spaces for each
other to teach and learn in
- Students will be expected to be
self-reflective and draw from their own identities and global social
issues affecting their young adult lives, using theoretical concepts and
language from the course. Please remember, using personal experiences to
understand academic concepts is valid and important – as the famous
feminist saying goes - The Personal
is Political! We should strive to use these as examples to
illustrate or raise questions about readings and course debates rather
than substituting anecdotes for critical thinking.
READINGS
You do not need to purchase any readings/books for this
course. All reading materials will be on
the course’s Moodle website and all videos will be linked on the syllabus. You would be able to access the videos
required for the course for free through YouTube or the Smith Kanopy service (https://www.kanopy.com/en/smith/). The course
schedule below lists the readings/videos we will cover each class day during
the semester.