W Period 5 - 7 (11:45 AM - 2:45 PM),CBD 0224
INTERSECTIONALITIES
SPRING 2017, SYA 7933
W | Period 5 - 7 (11:45 AM - 2:45 PM),CBD 0224
Kendal L. Broad, Ph.D.Office Hours:
(352) 273-0389, , (email) Mondays, 11:30am-12:30pm
Office:USTLER 301(office) Thursdays, 11:30am–1:30pm
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“In the early twenty-first century, the term “intersectionality” has been widely taken up by scholars, policy advocates, practitioners, and activists in many places and locations. …Across these different venues, people increasingly claim and use the term “intersectionality” for their diverse intellectual and political projects” (Collins and Bilge, 2016: 1)
“…though it is widely cited and extensively applied, and as such would not seem in need of much further explanation or justification, the fact is that many uses and common understandings of intersectionality regularly: circumscribe its analytical and political vision, turn away from its radical roots, or flatten its capacity in other ways” (May, 2015: 7)
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COURSE DESCRIPTION: An intersectional approach to scholarship assumes, an minimum, “the critical insight that race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nation, ability, and age operate not as unitary, mutually exclusive entities, but as reciprocally constructing phenomena that in turn shape complex social inequalities” (Collins, 2015: 2). This perspective has been articulated through activist work and has been developed in many disciplines and in different areas of study such that recently the call has been made to name it as a field of “Intersectional Studies.” (Cho, Crenshaw, and McCall, 2013). As a mark of the growth of intersectionality as an intellectual/political project, presently there are many articles and books reflecting upon and re-evaluating its purpose and potential. This course will review some of the core recent writings, outlining the various ways authors reflect on the different definitions of intersectionality, its theoretical/political contributions and oversights, and mis-directions and new directions in the field. In addition, a major focus of the course will be consideration of how intersectionality is conceptualized in different disciplines and areas of scholarship - seeking to trace the Intersectionalities that characterize the field. For example, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, sociology and critical legal studies were two core areas where a good deal of foundational intersectional scholarship was produced. Part of our readings and discussion will consider both of these and how they are different, similar, and informing each other.As well part of our readings and discussion in the course will attend to how intersectionality has been “taken up” by students and faculty in a range of other interdisciplinary fields and disciplines.At heart, this is a seminar that engages the related questions of: What is Intersectionality? And what is Intersectionality Studies today?
COURSE OBJECTIVES/GOALS
This course is intended to be a seminar about Intersectionality scholarship that aims to provide participants with the following:
* A review of key pieces by central authors who are considered foundational in articulating interdisciplinary analysis such that participants will become familiar with what many name as its classic works, especially emphasizing sociological approaches.
* Engagement with notable writings reflecting upon the field of Intersectional Studies and how it has developed in the last few decades such that course participants will be able to identify core critiques of the field and central concerns about visions of its future.
* In-depth consideration of one key new text that outlines the complexity of intersectionality scholarship today and offers a self-reflexive consideration about “its truths and practices” such that course participants will become familiar with the type of reflections defining the field and its future.
* Continual research and discussion of intersectional scholarship across fields and disciplines such that participants will develop familiarity and fluency in discussing the breadth and specifics of different types of intersectional scholarship (Intersectionalities).
GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION
ACADEMIC ETIQUETTE: This course is designed to be a working seminar, where all participants are both students of intersectionality and engaged scholars willing to work collaboratively.
UF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: This course will subscribe to the University of Florida Honor Code. This honor code states, in part, “In adopting this honor code, the students of the University of Florida recognize that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the university community. Students who enroll at the university commit to holding themselves and their peers to the high standard of honor required by the honor code. Any individual who becomes aware of a violation of the honor code is bound by honor to take corrective action. The quality of a University of Florida education is dependent upon community acceptance and enforcement of the honor code. The Honor Pledge: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. On all work submitted for credit by students at the university, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.’” Further information about the UF Honor Code and guidelines for Academic Honesty are outlined online in the UF Graduate Catalog at:
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY: In order to make this an effective seminar for everyone, all participants will be expected to meet professional standards of integrity. This means all participants are expected to interact with peers “professionally,” meaning with honesty, ethical behavior, professional competence, integrity, professional responsibility, social responsibility, and respect for people’s rights, dignity and diversity. In conjunction, seminar participants will be expected to fulfill work obligations in a thoughtful and timely way, and display collegiality and sensitivity to faculty and other students in the class. These are standards informed by the American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics for professional responsibilities and conduct (
ACCOMMODATIONS: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability with the Disability Resource Center, located at 0001 Building 0020-Reid Hall ( ; Voice 352-392-8565; Fax, 352-392-8570). Please notify me within the first two weeks of class about any accommodations needed for the course. Late notification may cause the requested accommodation to be unavailable.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES: Your well-being is important to the University of Florida. The U Matter, We Care initiative is committed to creating a culture of care on our campus by encouraging members of our community to look out for one another and to reach out for help if a member of our community is in need. If you or a friend is in distress, please contact so that the U Matter, We Care Team can reach out to the student in distress. A nighttime and weekend crisis counselor is available by phone at 352-392-1575. The U Matter, We Care Team can help connect students to the many other helping resources available including, but not limited to, Victim Advocates, Housing staff, and the Counseling and Wellness Center. Please remember that asking for help is a sign of strength. In case of emergency, call 9-1-1.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
DISCUSSION (CO)FACILITATOR (3%,10 points possible): To facilitate discussion in our seminar and also to help you develop your mastery as an Intersectional scholar, you will be expected to (co)facilitate discussion about the readings of the day once during the semester (for seminar meetings from January 18th – March 29th, except Feb 1st, Feb. 22nd, and March 1st). The discussion should include a review of the readings followed by a facilitated discussion. The review is expected to be collaboratively created and presented by all of those acting as discussion facilitators that day and is expected to include (at minimum): a review of the readings main points/contributions, contextual information about the readings (authors, expected audiences, historical eras, disciplines, etc.), and critiques. It is expected to last approximately 20-30 minutes. The review should be accompanied by a handout, prepared with other co-facilitators,outlining key points of the readings (maximum = 1 page/reading) and listing (at minimum) 6 potential discussion questions about all readings for the day [you should include three questions that you and your co-facilitator(s) generate and three more of the most relevant or interesting submitted by your class colleagues)]. These questions should clearly address the readings and pose inquiries about the readings’ major contributions, significant weaknesses, and/or connections to other readings. Please be prepared to give a copy of a handout to each member of class (including Dr. Broad). NOTE: Papers and handouts on the day you are Discussion Facilitator will count as your notes/reflection (see below) for that day. Turn in copies of your handout on Elearning in the notes section.
READING NOTES (33 %, 100 points possible, 10 per set): To facilitate discussion and analysis of course readings, each member of the seminar will be expected to write 10 sets of reading notes over the semester. Notes should be 2-3 pages of notesof all readingsassigned for the day. In general, each set of notes should identify author(s)’ key points, quotes, examples and noteweaknesses or critiques of the piece. Each set of notes should include 1 discussion question related the readings of the day. You will need to also email these discussion questions to the discussion facilitators of the week (and Dr. Broad) by noon on the Tuesday before class. The notes are due before we meet each week (Wednesdays by noon on Elearning). At the end of class each week, I will ask you turn in an additional reflection paragraph. In that paragraph, please discuss one thing you learned in our class discussion and/or one question you still have about the reading(s). Each notes/reflection will be worth 6 points for the notes and discussion question you turn in before class and the remaining 4 points will be based on your reflection and collaborative and professional behavior during class participation (further discussion on expectations will be outlined in class; see also the statement on Personal and Professional Integrity). To be clear, because we are working collaboratively, you will be expected to speak about the readings every day that we meet. Everyone in the seminar is expected to participate in discussion. The notes/reflection assignments are designed to support collaborative discussion.
INTERSECTIONALITIES (SEMESTER) PROJECT:
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (26%, 80 points possible): To facilitate your mastery of one specific area of Intersectionality scholarship, over the semester you will be expected to create an annotated bibliography by doing independent research to determine the most relevant articles and booksdefining intersectional scholarship ina specific area (an interdisciplinary field – women’s studies, ethnic studies, cultural studies, American studies, media studies, or a discipline –sociology, political science, history, psychology, law, etc.). Each week you should aim to find 2-3 articles, read them and write annotations about them, such that by the end of the semester you will have a minimum of 20 articles or books listed and annotated. The articles/books should be listed in chronological order, in the citation style appropriate for your area of study and should include a brief annotation (one long paragraph) summarizing and analyzing/evaluating the work (i.e. including your voice as the author). See the following online guides for general explanations of annotated bibliographies:
RESEARCH REVIEW(3%, 10 points possible): To facilitate familiarity with how intersectionality research is done in different disciplines and areas of research, once during the semester you will be asked to find a quality piece of published intersectionality research (related to your Annotated Bibliography area of focus) and review it for your colleagues. Your written review should be in the form of a 2-3 page single-space essay outlining the intersectional research project, the details and main contribution of the study, and your evaluation of it in relation to our readings about Intersectional Studies. You will be expected to present your review to the seminar in a 20 minute presentation. We will have two reviews per day on seminar meetings from January 18th – March 29th, except Feb 1st, Feb. 22nd, and March 1st.
FINAL ESSAY (33%,100 points possible):To facilitate complex reflection and evaluation of the field of Intersectionality Studies today, each participant in the seminar will be expected to write an 8-page (double-spaced) essay (and present it in class), reviewing the literature of their Annotated Bibliography in relation to the literature of the course. These essays are expected to be developed literature reviews that both survey the Annotated Bibliography readings and synthesize them. In the essay, course participants should aim to summarize one area of intersectionality scholarship, identifying critical characteristics of the scholarship, contributions, criticisms, and any gaps in the area. The essay may be organized in any way, but should not be a summary of each reading individually and should situate the review of the scholarship in relation to overall trends, critiques and visions of Intersectionality Studies more broadly. Further details to be provided in class.
REQUIRED READING
Collins and Bilge, 2016. Intersectionality. Cambridge: Polity press
And various articles listed in weekly schedule below (available as full text pdfs in
the class Elearning account).
COURSE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, January 4thINTRODUCTION /CLASSIC ARTICULATIONS
Syllabus
Collins, Patricia Hill. 1990 “Chapter 11: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment,” In Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment, First Edition. New York: Routledge.
Crenshaw, Kimberlé, 1991 “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color,” Stanford Law Review, 43, 6: 1241-1299.
Recommended:
Collins, Patricia Hill. 1990. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Publisher: Routledge.
Crenshaw, Kimberlé, 1989. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics,” University of Chicago Legal Forum 139-67 (1989).
Wednesday, January 11thCLASSIC INTERSECTIONAL ANALYSES
Library visit
Collins, Patricia Hill. 1998 “It's All in the Family: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Nation,” Hypatia, 13, 3: 62-82.
Crenshaw, Kimberlé W. 2012. From Private Violence to Mass Incarceration: Thinking Intersectionally About Women, Race, and Social Control. UCLA Law Review, Vol. 59 Issue 6, p1418-1472.
Wednesday, January 18thINTERSECTIONALITY AS RESEARCH PARADIGM
McCall, Leslie. 2005 “The Complexity of Intersectionality.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society. Vol. 30, 3: 1771-1800.
Hancock, Ange-Marie, 2007, “When Multiplication Doesn't Equal Quick Addition: Examining Intersectionality as a Research Paradigm,” Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 63-79.
Wednesday, January 25th“RETHINKING INTERSECTIONALITY”
Nash, Jennifer C., 2008, “Rethinking Intersectionality,” Feminist Review, No. 89, pp. 1-15.
Prins, Baukje 2006. “Narrative Accounts of Origins: A Blind Spot in the Intersectional Approach?” European Journal of Women’s Studies, 13(3): 277–290.
Wednesday, February 1st“DISTORTED AND DESTRUCTIVE” CRITIQUES
Annotated Bibliography workday– bring 2 annotations to class
Tomlinson, Barbara, 2013, “To Tell the Truth and Not Get Trapped: Desire, Distance, and Intersectionality at the Scene of Argument,” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society. Summer, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p993-1017.
May, Vivian. 2014. “Speaking into the Void”? Intersectionality Critiques and Epistemic Backlash. Hypatia, 29, 1.
Wednesday, February 8thREINVIGORATING LAW & INTERSECTIONALITY
Carbado, Devon W., 2013 “Colorblind Intersectionality” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society. Summer, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p.811-845.
Spade, 2013. “Intersectional Resistance and Law Reform” Signs: Journal of Womenin Culture & Society, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 1031-1055
Wednesday,February 15thFEMINIST TRAVELING
Bilge, Sirma, 2013. “Intersectionality Undone: Saving Intersectionality from Feminist Intersectionality Studies,” DuBois Review, 10:2, 405-424.
Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, 2013. “Transnational Feminist Crossings: On Neoliberalism and Radical Critique,” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society. Summer, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p967-991.
Tomlinson, Barbara. 2013. “Colonizing Intersectionality: Replicating Racial Hierarchy in Feminist Academic Arguments,” Social Identities, 19, 2, 254-272.
Wednesday, February 22ndTBA
Wednesday, March 1stDEFINING INTERSECTIONALITY TODAY
Collins and Bilge, 2016. Intersectionality. Cambridge: Polity press.
*Chapters 1-2
May, Vivian. 2015. Pursuing Intersectionality, Unsettling Dominant Imaginaries. New York: Routledge.
* Chapter 1
Wednesday, March 8thNO CLASSES – UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY
Wednesday, March 15thINTERSECTIONALITY TODAY
Collins and Bilge, 2016. Intersectionality. Cambridge: Polity press.
*Chapters 3-4
Wednesday, March 22ndINTERSECTIONALITY TODAY
Collins and Bilge, 2016. Intersectionality. Cambridge: Polity press.
*Chapters 5-6
Wednesday, March 29thINTERSECTIONALITY TODAY
Collins and Bilge, 2016. Intersectionality. Cambridge: Polity press.
*Chapters 7-8
Wednesday, April 5thREFLECTING ON FIELDS OF INTERSECTIONALITIES
Due: Annotated Bibliography
Nash, Jennifer C. 2011 "'Home Truths' on Intersectionality," Yale Journal of Law & Feminism: 23, 2, Article 5.
Wednesday, April 12thINTERSECTIONAL PRAXIS
Zavella, Patricia. 2017 “Intersectional Praxis in the Movement for Reproductive Justice: The Respect ABQ Women Campaign,” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 42:2, 509-533.
Wednesday, April 19thINTERSECTIONALITIES FINAL PRESENTATIONS
Due: Final Essay
SYA 7933: INTERSECTIONALITIES
Final grades will be available on ONE.UF (Transcript view) on May 3
Grade %
A 95 - 100 %
A- 90 - 94%Please note: While this grading scale can be used
B+ 87 - 89%to help you calculate your grade, you should be
B 84 - 86%aware that in order to maintain good standing you
B- 80 - 83%must maintain a 3.0 GPA in graduate classes. In
C+ 77 - 79 %general, if you receive only B’s or below, you need
C 74 - 76 %to meet with your instructor to discuss how to bring
C-70 - 73%your work up to graduate level expectations.
D+ 67 - 69 %
D64 - 66%
D-60 - 63 %
Ebelow 60 %
DISCUSSION (CO) FACILITATOR (10 points possible)______
READING NOTES(100 points possible, 10/set)______
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (80 points possible)______
RESEARCH REVIEW(10 points possible)______
FINAL ESSAY(100 points possible)______
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TOTAL =______
% (TOTAL/300) =______
GRADE =______