JAN 307 - Ecofeminism: Women, Land, and Resistance (EL)

CORE Designation: EL 

Course Times:  9:15am - 11:55am
Note: See the Jan Term website for meeting days if not specified here.
Course Materials Fee:  $25

Instructor(s):  Sbrogna, Kristen
Email:  ksbrogna@gmail.com

Culturally we are taught that women are akin to nature, that Earth is our mother, that land and fertility are female. With the understanding that Western thought is laden with symbols of nature as woman, we can begin to unravel how the same forces of patriarchy that position man above nature, also position men above women. Ecofeminism is a concept coined in the 1970s that directly connects the destruction of the Earth and the oppression of women, and calls for an ecofeminist approach to healing our relationship with the planet.
 
Learning from case studies of women-led resistance movements from across the globe, we will ask: How might we apply these practices today to address some of our most pressing social and environmental problems? How can today’s ecofeminism reject binary norms and uplift a new radical ecology? How can we transform our approach to food and nutrition, climate change, waterways, and caring for our own bodies in ways that reject patriarchal norms? 
 
“Students will address these questions in our month-long scholarly and personal inquiry while creating their own unique impact through a community engagement project. Our partnership will foster deep engagement with the land and the campus community, while students uncover their own ecofeminist ancestral food lineage and gain qualitative research practice in our cultural foods final project.
 

Prerequisites & Notes
None

Credits: 3-CU + 1-CU EL