Two Thursdays: March 14 and 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET Hybrid Online and In-Person Connecticut Ave. Condo Classroom
Lecture and Discussion. This live class will be recorded and available for later viewing.
Life histories and memoirs reveal the societal conditions that people have faced even under trying conditions. Life histories reveal the circumstances people face, even when dominant stereotypes mitigate against such understanding. Life histories tell stories—human stories that connect us to experiences that may not be our own. Because life history narratives can tell us how racial inequality is felt and experienced, they can be especially powerful at times when people feel divided. And, hearing people’s stories can also defy racial stereotypes. This class will explore diverse life narratives with a focus on how such accounts teach us about inequalities of race, class, and gender and how society enable, not disable, individual success in the context of structural inequality.
Two Thursdays: March 14 and 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET Hybrid Online and In-Person Connecticut Ave. Condo Classroom
Schedule:
Week One: Life History: Understanding the Intersections of Inequality
During the first week, Professors Andersen and Zinn will discuss how life history as a method of inquiry and will introduce a framework for thinking about racial inequality and its intersections with gender and class. Prior to the first class, students should have read the introduction to Moving from the Margins and at least three of the essays in the book.
Week Two: Reflections on Life Histories and Racism
After the first class, students should pick one of the essays from Moving from the Margins and either the Simmons or Hinojosa book and be prepared to discuss what specifically they learned from their reading about racism—and its connection to other inequalities. We will ask you to submit a brief written note (one page) answering these questions:
Question: What did the life history(ies) you read teach you about racism and intersectionality? What we would learn from your life history?
Required Book:
Moving from the Margins: Life Histories on Transforming the Study of Racism by Margaret L. Andersen (Editor), Maxine Baca Zinn (Editor)
Recommended:
Up Home: One Girl’s Journey by Ruth J. Simmons (9780593446003)
Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America by Maria Hinojosa (9781982128654)
Margaret L. Andersen is the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor Emerita at the University of Delaware. An expert on race and gender inequality, she is the author of several books, including: Getting Smart about Race: An American Conversation. She is the Past-Vice President of the American Sociological Association; Past President of the Eastern Sociological Society; and Emerita member of the Stanford University Center for Comparative Studies of Race and Ethnicity.
Maxine Baca Zinn is Professor Emerita of Sociology at Michigan State University. She specializes in social inequalities of Race, Gender, and Family and Latina/o Studies. Her books include Women of Color in U. Society, Gender Through the Prism of Difference, and Diversity in Families. She is former president of the Western Social Science Association.
REFUND POLICY: Please note that we can issue class refunds up until seven (7) days before the first class session.
