WGS.109 | Fall 2023 | Undergraduate

Women and Global Activism in Art, Media and Politics

Course Description

This course explores theoretical issues and concerns underlying global feminisms, and their expression through diverse forms of feminist activism at the community, national, and transnational levels. A comparative perspective is used to examine the following questions: How are women’s issues understood and …

This course explores theoretical issues and concerns underlying global feminisms, and their expression through diverse forms of feminist activism at the community, national, and transnational levels. A comparative perspective is used to examine the following questions: How are women’s issues understood and articulated in different contexts? What are the linkages between women’s multiple identities (class, race, caste, ethnicity, religion, location) and feminist activism? How do conflict, religious fundamentalism, and militarization of societies impact women’s lives? Further, the course explores the role of the state in influencing the course and direction of women’s movements, and women’s mobilization within and across national boundaries for social and gender justice. The challenges and dilemmas facing contemporary women’s activism are also addressed.

In this semester the course will devote a section of the course to the Black Lives Matter struggle in the US and its global impact.

Learning Resource Types
Presentation Assignments
Readings
Written Assignments
A mural on the side of a building featuring six women dressed in different outfits, including indigenous dress and a woman in medical scrubs. A sign reads "Silencio=Muerto More funding for Women's Health Research"
The Maestra Peace Mural, on the side of the The Women’s Building in San Francisco, California, was created by artist Juana Alicia in 1994. (Image by Steve Rhodes on flickr. License: CC BY-NC-SA.)