GRSJ 225: Youth Activism and Social Justice

GRSJ 225: Youth Activism and Social Justice

Instructor: Dr. Kim Snowden

In recent years, there has been a rise in social justice movements lead by youth around the world. From Malala Yousafzai, to the Parkland survivors, to Greta Thunberg and Autumn Peltier, to global movements focused on the right to education, ending child labour, or ending the practice of child brides, young people are leading the fight for social justice and social change. GRSJ 225 provides an introduction to intersectional feminist scholarship with a focus on contemporary youth culture and the social and political resistance of youth movements.

Students will engage critically with major issues, debates, and politics in feminist and social justice scholarship and activism by exploring the social experiences, politics, and influences of youth cultures and movements in a variety of contexts.  We will analyze specific movements, activists, artists, popular culture, music, digital activism, fan cultures, and literature by and for youth and seek to understand the social and cultural forces that shape the experiences of youth. Course readings and scholarship include indigenous feminisms, trans studies, critical race studies, sexuality studies and queer theory, media and literary studies, digital feminism, and theories of the body.