All resources in OpenWA Sociology

Introduction to Queer Studies

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Focuses on the lives and contributions of queer people in cultural, historical, and social context, including identities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, sexual, pansexual and gender non-binary. Uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore the complex social constructions of sex, sexuality, race, class, gender identity and gender expression. Explores the institutional and cultural factors that create and maintain systems of oppression. This course is taught from an intersectional feminist perspective. This means that we’ll explore all the different identities that queer people can take; addressing racism, ageism, ableism, heterosexism, cissexism and many other forms of power inequality and oppression. Provides a framework to connect personal experience with contemporary social and political issues.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Jimena Alvarado

Introduction to Women's Studies

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This course is an introduction to intersectionality and social justice. I’m starting from a beginner perspective assuming that folks are coming into these ideas for the first time. The course begins with some of the typical patterns that people experience when they’re confronting their privilege for the first time, including resistance, fragility, guilt and shame. I encourage folks to always stay focused on their privileged identities, whichever those are. Since it’s an introductory course, there’s a lot of interesting ideas, but we don’t delve deep into any of them. We explore some of the similar patterns that different oppressions face, like victim blaming, competition, internalization, issues around visibility, disclosure, inheritability and familial relationships. We analyze economic systems around work and employment and question the structures and systems that shape our lives. I encourage students to develop their humility, ally and activism skills. We wrap up with hope for how to reimagine a better society. The course uses a flipped-classroom methodology that centers student conversations during class time.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Jimena Alvarado

Exploring Socio-Cultural Perspectives in Diversity

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The fundamental knowledge of understanding culture and teaching children from diverse backgrounds. Examination of the nature and function of culture, development of individual and group cultural identity, definitions and implications of diversity, and the influences of culture on learning, development, and pedagogy. This course has a required field experience component.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Brian Dotts, Deanna Cozart, et al.

Global Femicide

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Indigenous Women and Girls Torn from Our Midst, 2nd Edition Short Description: Laying our Canadian stories alongside the global phenomenon of femicide in other colonized countries such as Mexico and Guatemala, this book underscores the common, interlocking effects of racism and sexism on Indigenous women. Family members, scholars and researchers, artists, activists and policy-makers provide their decade-long perspectives, providing testimony and evidence that sexualized and racialized violence is not only a product of historic colonization but continues to manifest in entrenched systems of colonization and global femicide. The analysis and the heart of all the authors is generously shared, exemplifying what resistance looks like. Long Description: Global Femicide: Indigenous Women and Girls Torn from our Midst brings Canadian, Mexican and Guatemalan stories together to show that the interlocking systems of sexualized and racialized violence is not only a product of historic colonization but continues to be entrenched as deliberate systems of colonization and global femicide. Using reflections from Torn from our Midst: Voices of Grief, Healing and Action from the 2008 MMIW Conference, this book is uniquely situated to provide a decades-long retrospective on what, if anything has changed since the time of that conference. Roadblocks and successes are found in the chapters written by family members, scholars and researchers, artists, global activists and Canadian policy-makers. This book is designed to be readable and approachable, taking an Indigenous feminist approach of including personal stories of family members as well as critical analyses of history, governmental policies, intimate partner violence and health, and intergenerational art activism. Issues around governmental manipulation in the Canadian Indian Act, Mexican families’ resistance to neo-liberal economics as it pertains to the vulnerability of women workers in maquiladoras as well as the rampant environmental crisis, and the devastation wreaked by complicit governments and police forces in Guatemala all have bearing on the specific vulnerability of Indigenous women. Book sections provide specific recommendations, such as the chapters on pedagogical and administrative transformation at the university level. The book is driven by the underlying question of how we can best prepare and support young adults in work that redresses structural colonialism and violence against women. Each chapter serves as a call to all global citizens to engage in the work of decolonization, reconciliation (or “setting things right” as Maria Campbell teaches us) and justice. The analysis and the heart of all the authors is generously shared, exemplifying what resistance looks like. Word Count: 83097 ISBN: 978-0-7731-0762-5 (Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Brenda Anderson, Mary Rucklos-Hampton, Shauneen Pete, Wendee Kubik

Environmental Justice

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This class explores the foundations of the environmental justice movement, current and emerging issues, and the application of environmental justice analysis to environmental policy and planning. It examines claims made by diverse groups along with the policy and civil society responses that address perceived inequity and injustice. While focused mainly on the United States, international issues and perspectives are also considered.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Carmin, JoAnn

Moral Problems and the Good Life

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This course will focus on issues that arise in contemporary public debate concerning matters of social justice. Topics will likely include: euthanasia, gay marriage, racism and racial profiling, free speech, hunger and global inequality. Students will be exposed to multiple points of view on the topics and will be given guidance in analyzing the moral frameworks informing opposing positions. The goal will be to provide the basis for respectful and informed discussion of matters of common moral concern.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Haslanger, Sally