190117 SE Education and Gender (2017S)

This course will focus on the intersecting nature of identity markers such as race, gender, class, and skin color in U.S. society and beyond. Overall, the class will study discourses of privilege and prejudice as (re)presented in a variety of media outlets, with a specific focus on the significance of skin color for Black women. Colorism, which is a form of intra-racial discrimination that generally favors light skin over dark skin and adheres to white beauty ideals, is a global phenomenon. It is particularly prominent in the African American community, however, where it is seen as a legacy of slavery, having resulted from an internalization of white dominant standards of beauty. In addition to reading selected fiction of African American literature (such as Toni Morrison’s novel 'The Bluest Eye') students will critically work with foundational texts on “intersectionality theory” and Black feminist thought to understand the now common concept of intersecting factors that play a role in domination and oppression of social groups. With the help of these texts, the relationship among a series of identity categories will be studied. Based on this awareness students will learn about colorism as a specific form of prejudice within a racial or ethnic community and how discourses of skin color are influenced by gender and class. The knowledge gained from such analyses will then be used to look at intersecting identities in different geographical contexts, such as Austria and Germany. This will help course participants gain an understanding of race, gender, class, and skin color in contemporary educational contexts and in the students’ immediate social surroundings.