This book:
● lays out the objectives of WS 166, Gender, Race, and Class, taught in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, Pace University, New York City campus;
● provides a structure for any course addressing intersectionality, feminism, and oppression;
● describes the framework of intersectionality, which examines societal issues by analyzing the interlocking systems of oppression that shape people’s lives;
● argues for a transnational application of intersectionality that also centers U.S. Black feminists’ contributions to understanding oppression;
● includes journal articles, TED Talks, and class exercises that are generally accessible for most students or interested readers without previous exposure to these topics.
We designed this book to illustrate that intersectionality is a powerful tool for learning about and addressing injustice and inequity. When we analyze the world using an intersectionality framework, we learn about people’s lives and experiences in ways that we may never have considered, or wanted to consider. And the mere act of examining multiple systems of oppression is not enough, either, as the point of understanding oppression is to end it in all forms. As you read, be thankful for the discomfort, anger, and compassion that may arise; learning about oppression is never easy, but it is a worthwhile and meaningful task
