Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games
Kawika Guillermo
GRSJ 350B: Joy as Resistance
Term 2
GRSJ_V 350-201
Title: Joy as Resistance
Instructor: Dr. Isabel Machado
Description: Joy seems to be everywhere these days, from activist affirmations to neoliberal co-optations. Defined by Kristie Soares as “both a scholarly field and an activist movement dedicated to examining how joy functions as a form of political resistance among minoritized communities,” Critical Joy Studies is still an emerging field. Looking at the works of Imani Perry, Lindsay Stewart, adrienne maree brown, Frances Negrón-Muntaner, Miguel Valerio, among others, and using a special issue of the Journal of Festive Studies dedicated to “Joy as Resistance” as a starting point, we will look at how joy can fuel social movements and activate defiance and resistance while recognizing when joy can be understood as assimilation and accommodation, and be imposed as a tool to curtail and erase dissent. We will also think about how and when oppressed peoples need to ‘killjoy’ as a practice of resistance.
GRSJ 350A: Fandoms, Fan Cultures, and Social Justice
Term 1
GRSJ GRSJ_V 350A-101
Title: Fandoms, Fan Cultures, and Social Justice
Instructor: Dr. Kim Snowden
Description: This course explores various fandoms in the context of fan studies and social justice as spaces for negotiating identity, escapism, a means of collaboration and community, and as a form of activism. We will look at aspects of fandoms such as fan fiction and storytelling, shipping, politics in fandoms, cosplay, anti-fandoms and what Henry Jenkins calls “cultural convergence” – a form of participatory culture that speaks to the convergence of a group of fans, particularly around technology, new media, and social media. Particular attention will be give to the perceived social contract between fans and artists, creators, actors, etc. who frequently engage with fans. Students will analyze and engage with social justice and fan studies scholarship and various fandoms to understand how fandoms and fan cultures can, at times, be unsafe spaces that reproduce oppressive and harmful ideologies but can also be a place of liberation, collaboration and change for historically marginalized communities. Fandoms explored will come from the worlds of television, film, music, video games, literature, celebrity culture, social media and other areas of popular culture.
2026W Teaching Assistant Positions
Closing date: Friday May 29, 2026.
2026W Courses:
The Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice is accepting applications for the following graduate teaching assistant (GTA) positions during 2026W term 1 & 2:
Please note the following course list is subject to change based on course enrollment and other factors.
| Course Code | Course Title | Term | Time/Scheduele |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRSJ 101 (101) | Introduction to Social Justice | T1 | (M,W: 12:30-2:00pm) |
| GRSJ 101 (102) | Introduction to Social Justice | T1 | (T,R: 12:30-2:00pm) |
| GRSJ 101 (227) CAP | Introduction to Social Justice | T1 | (T,R: 9:30-11am) |
| GRSJ 101 (99A) | Introduction to Social Justice | T1 | (Online Asynchronous) |
| GRSJ 102 (101) | Global Issues in Social Justice | T1 | (M,W, F: 10:00-11:00am) |
| GRSJ 300 (99A) | Intersectional Approcahes to Thinking Gender | T1 | (Online Asynchronous) |
| GRSJ 306 (101) | Globalization and Social Justice: Gender, Race and Sexuality in International Politics | T1 | (T,R: 12:30-2:00pm) |
| GRSJ 326 (101) | The Politics of Gender, Families and Nation-Building | T1 | (T,R: 9:30-11:00am) |
| GRSJ 101 (201) | Introduction to Social Justice | T2 | (T,R: 2:00-3:30pm) |
| GRSJ 101 (99C) | Introduction to Social Justice | T2 | (Online Asynchronous) |
| GRSJ 102 (201) | Global Issues in Social Justice | T2 | (T,R: 9:30-11:00am) |
| GRSJ 224B (202) | Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice in Literature | T2 | (T,R: 2:00-3:30pm) |
| GRSJ 300 (99C) | Intersectional Approaches to Thinking Gender | T2 | (Online Asynchronous) |
| GRSJ 307 (201) | Gender, Race, Sexuality and Popular Culture | T2 | (T,R: 12:30-2:00pm) |
| CSIS 300A (101) | Introduction to Critical Studies in Sexuality | T2 | (T,R: 11:00am-12:30pm) |
Eligibility
All successful applicants must physically reside in Canada for the duration of their appointment as teaching assistant (including during the exam period) according to the Canada Revenue Agency, WorkSafe and UBC policies. Students must be registered full-time during the terms they will serve as teaching assistant and be legally entitled to work in Canada.
Qualifications:
Advanced course work in gender, race, sexuality and social justice.
Responsibilities:
Graduate Teaching Assistant duties may include holding regular office hours (online and in person), marking assignments and exams, communicating online with students, attending orientation meetings as well as follow-up sessions, where applicable. Duties may also involve preparation and involvement in seminars, lectures, discussion periods and tutorials. GTAs will work with a faculty member teaching the course.
All positions are dependent on final enrollment and funding.
Current salary:
Salary will be in accordance with current negotiated CUPE 2278 rates:
| Graduate Teaching Assistant I: | $40.16/hour |
| Graduate Teaching Assistant II: | $38.65/hour |
A full-time TA is 192 hours per term.
How to Apply:
All applications must be submitted online at https://grsj.air.arts.ubc.ca/2026w-teaching-assistant-applications/
The application should include a current CV with contact information for 2 academic referees, and a cover letter that outlines your preferred courses and describes your academic expertise relative to the particular subject matter of the courses.
Deadline for applications: May 29, 2026
All positions are subject to availability of funds and will be governed by the collective agreement between UBC and CUPE 2278.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.