My class is studying gender and race theory at the moment. As the class is focused on the ways gender and race theory have motivated movements for social justice, I put the syllabus together with the intention of having the students read selections from individuals who were involved in social movements themselves. I highly recommend two readers if you are interested in the same thing: The Modern African American Political Thought Reader and The Essential Feminist Reader. Both have selections from public figures who were not just thinking about race and gender, but organizing and advocating on behalf of oppressed populations at the same time.
As I have found discussions of race and gender to be more interesting to students when they are connected to current events, I have also sought out videos that connect the idea of racial stereotypes and gender roles to movements going on at the moment. The Black Lives Matters website, as well as the new video launching the hashtag #morethanmean, have both been helpful for this purpose. Such videos illustrate nicely the more theoretical points made in the readers.
What are you reading?
