
Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Program
The Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice (RHRJ) certificate provides undergraduate students at the Five Colleges with an opportunity to develop a strong understanding of the social, economic, legal, and political conditions that influence reproduction in the U.S. and transnationally.
Scholarship on RHRJ issues examines the impact of reproductive policies not only on individuals, but also on communities, with particular attention to communities that have been historically marginalized. The field also includes study of the history of social movements for reproductive empowerment, including the movements for women's liberation, disability rights, racial justice, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, and the women's health, reproductive freedom, and reproductive justice movements.
Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Program
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To join the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice mailing list, please send an email to lindah@umass.edu with "RHRJ listserv request" in the subject line.
Please submit this Student Interest Form to let us know that you are interested in pursuing the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Certificate.
Overview of the Certificate Program
By completing a special project and interdisciplinary coursework, students are prepared for graduate school, as well as careers in law, science, medicine, health, politics, social work, and community organizing:
- Understand how race, class, gender, ability, and sexuality influence reproduction
- Examine the hyper-medicalization of childbirth for some and the lack of reproductive health care for others
- Understand reproductive technologies and their impact on kinship structures and welfare and childcare policies
- Investigate how the health care industry, the prison industrial complex, and the foster care system influence reproductive decisions and policies
- Learn to think critically about the legal barriers to reproductive health care
- Be able to use human rights and reproductive justice analyses to frame social policy
Similar to an academic minor, the Five College RHRJ certificate enables students to investigate these issues beyond what might be available on their individual campus.
The certificate is available to undergraduate students at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students from all campuses as encouraged to join in RHRJ activities and courses.

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Watch a recording of our panel from October 2020, The Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Future of Feminist Jurisprudence.
RHRJ Certificate Advisors and Steering Committee
Amrita Basu, Political Science (on sabbatical Spring 2021 and Fall 2021)
Sheila Jaswal, Biochemistry-Biophysics
Kristen Luschen, American Studies (not accepting new advisees during AY 2020-21)
Jen Manion, History
Leah Schmalzbauer, Anthropology and Sociology, American Studies, Latinx and Latin American Studies
Christine N. Peralta*, History, Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies
*Steering Committee Member
Elizabeth Conlisk, Public Health
Marlene Gerber Fried*, Philosophy, Civil Liberties and Public Policy
Pam Stone, Anthropology
*Steering Committee Member
Cora Fernandez Anderson*, Comparative and Reproductive Politics
Jacquelyne Luce, Gender Studies
Liz Markovits, Politics
*Steering Committee Member
Carrie Baker*, Study of Women and Gender
Leslie King, Sociology
*Steering Committee Member
Laura Briggs, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Aline Gubrium, Public Health
Betsy Krause, Anthropology
Kirsten Leng, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (on leave during AY 2021-22)
Jennifer L. Nye*, History
Banu Subramaniam, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Svati Shah, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies
Favorite Iradukunda, Nursing
*Steering Committee Member
Marisa Pizzi, Deputy Director, Collective Power for Reproductive Justice
Jacquelyne Luce, Director, Five College Women’s Studies Research Center
Certificate
Focus of Study
Students pursuing the RHRJ certificate take courses across a wide variety of academic disciplines that address diverse issues such as:
- the biology of reproduction
- legal barriers to abortion and birth control
- the hyper-medicalization of childbirth
- reproductive health care access
- reproductive technologies and kinship structures
- welfare policy
- childcare and childcare policies
- reproduction and labor
- gender justice
- adoption
Students also learn to think critically about social institutions such as science, medicine, technology, schools, housing, law enforcement, labor and prisons that produce racial and class differentiation in childhood and beyond.
Through the required special project component, students are encouraged to take what they learn out of the classroom and into an appropriate community-engaged experience where they can connect their academic pursuits with policy and advocacy work. Students work with their certificate advisor to connect with campus-based centers, as well as local and national policy and advocacy organizations, to pursue internships and other opportunities and learn through hands-on experience.
RHRJ Graduates
Students who complete the interdisciplinary RHRJ program gain knowledge and experience that prepares them for graduate school and for careers in law, science, medicine, health, politics, social work and community organizing. They will be able to:
- Understand the ways that race, class, sexuality and nation influence the reproduction of individuals and communities
- Address questions about how people engage with having and raising children in different circumstances
- Learn about the impact of reproductive policies on individuals and communities, with particular attention to diverse and marginalized ethnic groups, cultures and nations
- Use human rights and reproductive justice analyses to frame social policy
- Become effective practitioners, researchers, policy makers and advocates
Certificate Requirements
There are two components to the RHRJ certificate: courses and a special project.
1. Complete at least 6 approved courses, including:
- One foundational course
- One transnational/global course
- One upper-level (300 or above) course
A foundational course has 90–100% reproductive health, rights, and justice content, as reflected in the course title and description. Foundational courses introduce students to reproductive politics, including the reproductive health, rights and justice frameworks; introduce students to thinking intersectionally about reproductive issues, for example, how gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, disability and nationality intersect to shape women’s experiences of reproductive oppression, and their resistance strategies; and teach students to think systemically about reproductive issues, rather than just individually, that is, about the impact of reproductive politics not only on individuals, but also on communities, and how social, economic, legal and political conditions impact reproduction. The material may be covered through any disciplinary or interdisciplinary lens, including history, sociology, legal studies, public policy, women, gender and sexuality studies, political science, journalism, religious studies, American studies, transnational studies, etc.
A transnational/global course has 25% reproductive health, rights, and justice content, as defined above, with a transnational/global (i.e. non-U.S.) focus.
An additional course has 25% reproductive health, rights, and justice content, as defined above.
All courses used to fulfill the certificate requirements must be selected from the courses currently approved to count toward this certificate by the RHRJ steering committee.
2. Complete a special project
Students must also complete a special project that will help them gain an experiential understanding of reproductive health, rights and/or justice among community-based groups. This requirement may be completed through an independent study project, thesis or other course work that engages the student with issues of reproductive health, rights or justice and meaningfully incorporates the perspectives of community-based groups. However, this special project will only receive academic credit at Amherst College if it is part of a regularly offered course or a special topics course of which the experiential component is only one part. Students must consult with their RHRJ advisor about how to fulfill this requirement.
Courses
Please note that this list may not include all courses that meet the certificate requirements. If you have questions about what courses can count toward the certificate, please contact your RHRJ certificate advisor.
Spring 2022 RHRJ Courses: Foundational
Jallicia A. Jolly
TTH 01:00 PM-02:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as AMST 296, BLST 296 [D] and SWAG 296). This course explores the transnational politics of race, gender, sexuality, and health from interdisciplinary perspectives. It engages a range of texts and methodologies that locate the historical and contemporary experiences of Afro-diasporic women and girls in the struggle for embodied freedom, autonomy, and reproductive justice. We will draw on examples from Africa and the African diaspora (U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America) as we engage the main debates in reproductive justice around key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV/AIDS; sexual autonomy and choice; sterilization; police brutality; the right to bear children; abortion. The course will also introduce students to theories about health and illness, embodiment and subjectivity, critical race theory, ethnography, black feminist theory, and postcolonial health science studies. Class field trips to reproductive justice organizations will also provide an experiential component that grounds our inquiries.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Post-Doctoral Fellow Jolly.
Jallicia A. Jolly
TTH 01:00 PM-02:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as AMST 296, BLST 296 [D] and SWAG 296). This course explores the transnational politics of race, gender, sexuality, and health from interdisciplinary perspectives. It engages a range of texts and methodologies that locate the historical and contemporary experiences of Afro-diasporic women and girls in the struggle for embodied freedom, autonomy, and reproductive justice. We will draw on examples from Africa and the African diaspora (U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America) as we engage the main debates in reproductive justice around key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV/AIDS; sexual autonomy and choice; sterilization; police brutality; the right to bear children; abortion. The course will also introduce students to theories about health and illness, embodiment and subjectivity, critical race theory, ethnography, black feminist theory, and postcolonial health science studies. Class field trips to reproductive justice organizations will also provide an experiential component that grounds our inquiries.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Post-Doctoral Fellow Jolly.
Jallicia A. Jolly
TTH 01:00 PM-02:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as AMST 296, BLST 296 [D] and SWAG 296). This course explores the transnational politics of race, gender, sexuality, and health from interdisciplinary perspectives. It engages a range of texts and methodologies that locate the historical and contemporary experiences of Afro-diasporic women and girls in the struggle for embodied freedom, autonomy, and reproductive justice. We will draw on examples from Africa and the African diaspora (U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America) as we engage the main debates in reproductive justice around key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV/AIDS; sexual autonomy and choice; sterilization; police brutality; the right to bear children; abortion. The course will also introduce students to theories about health and illness, embodiment and subjectivity, critical race theory, ethnography, black feminist theory, and postcolonial health science studies. Class field trips to reproductive justice organizations will also provide an experiential component that grounds our inquiries.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Post-Doctoral Fellow Jolly.
Marlene Fried
01:00PM-02:20PM TU;01:00PM-02:20PM TH
Franklin Patterson Hall 108;Franklin Patterson Hall 108
Pamela Stone
MW 10:00AM-11:15AM
Daniel L. Jones CDC 111
Loretta Ross
TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Ford 240
Loretta Ross
TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
Seelye 212
Jennifer Nye
TU TH 10:00AM 11:15AM
Herter Hall room 117
Aline Gubrium
M 4:00PM 6:30PM
Arnold Room 101
Laura Briggs,Jude Hayward-Jansen
TU TH 10:00AM 11:15AM
South College Room W101
Spring 2022 RHRJ Courses: Transnational/Global
Jallicia A. Jolly
TTH 01:00 PM-02:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as AMST 296, BLST 296 [D] and SWAG 296). This course explores the transnational politics of race, gender, sexuality, and health from interdisciplinary perspectives. It engages a range of texts and methodologies that locate the historical and contemporary experiences of Afro-diasporic women and girls in the struggle for embodied freedom, autonomy, and reproductive justice. We will draw on examples from Africa and the African diaspora (U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America) as we engage the main debates in reproductive justice around key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV/AIDS; sexual autonomy and choice; sterilization; police brutality; the right to bear children; abortion. The course will also introduce students to theories about health and illness, embodiment and subjectivity, critical race theory, ethnography, black feminist theory, and postcolonial health science studies. Class field trips to reproductive justice organizations will also provide an experiential component that grounds our inquiries.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Post-Doctoral Fellow Jolly.
Jallicia A. Jolly
TTH 01:00 PM-02:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as AMST 296, BLST 296 [D] and SWAG 296). This course explores the transnational politics of race, gender, sexuality, and health from interdisciplinary perspectives. It engages a range of texts and methodologies that locate the historical and contemporary experiences of Afro-diasporic women and girls in the struggle for embodied freedom, autonomy, and reproductive justice. We will draw on examples from Africa and the African diaspora (U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America) as we engage the main debates in reproductive justice around key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV/AIDS; sexual autonomy and choice; sterilization; police brutality; the right to bear children; abortion. The course will also introduce students to theories about health and illness, embodiment and subjectivity, critical race theory, ethnography, black feminist theory, and postcolonial health science studies. Class field trips to reproductive justice organizations will also provide an experiential component that grounds our inquiries.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Post-Doctoral Fellow Jolly.
Amrita Basu
W 02:00 PM-04:45 PM
SCCEA013
(Offered as SWAG 400 and POSC 407) The topic will vary from year to year. The past decade has witnessed the dramatic rise of populist parties, movements, and leaders. One of their defining attributes, and a key reason for their success, is their affective character. Rather than laying out policy proposals for rational deliberation and critical consent, they touch and excite people in an intimate way through their oratory and bodily comportment. Gender and sexuality play a key role in these visceral appeals. We will explore the ways populists enact hegemonic forms of masculinity and femininity and employ binary constructions of gender to differentiate allies from enemies.
Although we sometimes mistakenly assume that populist leaders draw on a common script, populist performances are most effective when they mine national memories, anxieties, and aspirations. We will analyze significant differences in the gendered styles of male and female populist leaders within and across nations. We will also examine how progressive movements among LGBTQ groups, feminists, and racial/religious minorities have employed gender and sexuality to challenge right-wing populists. Our approach will be comparative, cross-national, and interdisciplinary. The seminar will culminate in a final research paper.
Not open to first-year students. Spring semester. Professor Basu.
Jallicia A. Jolly
TTH 01:00 PM-02:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as AMST 296, BLST 296 [D] and SWAG 296). This course explores the transnational politics of race, gender, sexuality, and health from interdisciplinary perspectives. It engages a range of texts and methodologies that locate the historical and contemporary experiences of Afro-diasporic women and girls in the struggle for embodied freedom, autonomy, and reproductive justice. We will draw on examples from Africa and the African diaspora (U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America) as we engage the main debates in reproductive justice around key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV/AIDS; sexual autonomy and choice; sterilization; police brutality; the right to bear children; abortion. The course will also introduce students to theories about health and illness, embodiment and subjectivity, critical race theory, ethnography, black feminist theory, and postcolonial health science studies. Class field trips to reproductive justice organizations will also provide an experiential component that grounds our inquiries.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Post-Doctoral Fellow Jolly.
Amrita Basu
W 02:00 PM-04:45 PM
SCCEA013
(Offered as SWAG 400 and POSC 407) The topic will vary from year to year. The past decade has witnessed the dramatic rise of populist parties, movements, and leaders. One of their defining attributes, and a key reason for their success, is their affective character. Rather than laying out policy proposals for rational deliberation and critical consent, they touch and excite people in an intimate way through their oratory and bodily comportment. Gender and sexuality play a key role in these visceral appeals. We will explore the ways populists enact hegemonic forms of masculinity and femininity and employ binary constructions of gender to differentiate allies from enemies.
Although we sometimes mistakenly assume that populist leaders draw on a common script, populist performances are most effective when they mine national memories, anxieties, and aspirations. We will analyze significant differences in the gendered styles of male and female populist leaders within and across nations. We will also examine how progressive movements among LGBTQ groups, feminists, and racial/religious minorities have employed gender and sexuality to challenge right-wing populists. Our approach will be comparative, cross-national, and interdisciplinary. The seminar will culminate in a final research paper.
Not open to first-year students. Spring semester. Professor Basu.
Cora Fernandez Anderson
TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM
Ciruti 009
Leslie L. King
M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
Seelye 211
Payal Banerjee
TU TH 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
Seelye 206
Spring 2022 RHRJ Courses: Additional
Jennifer A. Hamilton
TTH 03:00 PM-04:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as SWAG 372 and AMST 370) This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of Indigenous feminisms, and explores how questions of sex, gender, and sexuality have been articulated in relation to concerns such as sovereignty, colonization, and imperialism. We will explore how Indigenous feminists engage with or challenge other modes of feminist thought and activism. We will focus on how Indigenous ways of knowing and being can challenge how we conduct research and produce knowledge. While we will concentrate on work produced within the context of Native North America, we will also be attentive to transnational dimensions of Indigenous feminist histories, political movements, and world-building. Specific topics include movements to recognize missing and murdered Indigenous women; Indigenous feminist science and technology studies; and, Indigenous futurisms.
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Spring semester. Visiting Professor Hamilton.
Kristin Bumiller
T 01:30 PM-04:00 PM
CHAP203
(Offered as POSC 374, LJST 374, and EDST 374) This seminar explores the role of rights in addressing inequality, discrimination, and violence. This course will trace the evolution of rights focused legal strategies aimed at addressing injustice coupled with race, gender, disability, and citizenship status. We will evaluate how rights-based activism often creates a gap between expectation and realization. This evaluation will consider when and how rights are most efficacious in producing social change and the possibility of unintended consequences.
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Requisite: One introductory POSC course or its equivalent. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Bumiller.
Kristin Bumiller
T 01:30 PM-04:00 PM
CHAP203
(Offered as POSC 374, LJST 374, and EDST 374) This seminar explores the role of rights in addressing inequality, discrimination, and violence. This course will trace the evolution of rights focused legal strategies aimed at addressing injustice coupled with race, gender, disability, and citizenship status. We will evaluate how rights-based activism often creates a gap between expectation and realization. This evaluation will consider when and how rights are most efficacious in producing social change and the possibility of unintended consequences.
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Requisite: One introductory POSC course or its equivalent. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Bumiller.
Jennifer A. Hamilton
TTH 03:00 PM-04:20 PM
CONV209
(Offered as SWAG 372 and AMST 370) This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of Indigenous feminisms, and explores how questions of sex, gender, and sexuality have been articulated in relation to concerns such as sovereignty, colonization, and imperialism. We will explore how Indigenous feminists engage with or challenge other modes of feminist thought and activism. We will focus on how Indigenous ways of knowing and being can challenge how we conduct research and produce knowledge. While we will concentrate on work produced within the context of Native North America, we will also be attentive to transnational dimensions of Indigenous feminist histories, political movements, and world-building. Specific topics include movements to recognize missing and murdered Indigenous women; Indigenous feminist science and technology studies; and, Indigenous futurisms.
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Spring semester. Visiting Professor Hamilton.
Jacquelyne Luce
TTH 10:00AM-11:15AM
Shattuck Hall 107
Vanessa Rosa
T 01:30PM-04:20PM
Ciruti 127
Pinky Hota
TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
Lucie Schmidt
TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Seelye 201
Jennifer Mary Guglielmo
TU 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM
Burton 307
Timothy Recuber
M W 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Neilson 102
Carrie N. Baker
TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
McConnell 103
Carrie N. Baker
TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
McConnell 103
Elisabeth Brownell Armstrong
TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
McConnell 103
Kelly P. Anderson
M W 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
Seelye 202
Jennifer M. DeClue
W 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM
Seelye 302
Kelly P. Anderson
M W 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
Seelye 304
Laura Ciolkowski
TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM
South College Room W219
Fall 2022 RHRJ Courses: Additional
Khary O. Polk
TTH 02:30 PM-03:50 PM
(Offered as BLST 236 [US] and SWAG 235) From the modern era to the contemporary moment, the intersection of race, gender, and class has been especially salient for people of African descent—for men as well as for women. How might the category of sexuality act as an additional optic through which to view and reframe contemporary and historical debates concerning the construction of black identity? In what ways have traditional understandings of masculinity and femininity contributed to an understanding of African American life and culture as invariably heterosexual? How have black lesbian, gay, and transgendered persons effected political change through their theoretical articulations of identity, difference, and power? In this interdisciplinary course, we will address these questions through an examination of the complex roles gender and sexuality play in the lives of people of African descent. Remaining attentive to the ways black people have claimed social and sexual agency in spite of systemic modes of inequality, we will engage with critical race theory, black feminist thought, queer-of-color critique, literature, art, film, “new media” and erotica, as well as scholarship from anthropology, sociology, and history.
Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Polk.
Jessica Wolpaw Reyes
TTH 02:30 PM-03:50 PM
(Offered as ECON 416, BLST 416 and SWAG 416) Economics is fundamentally about both efficiency and equity. It is about allocation, welfare, and well-being. How, then, can we use this disciplinary perspective to understand hierarchy, power, inequity, discrimination, and injustice? What does economics have to offer? Applied microeconomics is a fundamentally outward-looking and interdisciplinary field that endeavors to answer this question by being both firmly grounded in economics and also deeply connected to sociology, psychology, political science, and law. In this class, we will employ this augmented economic perspective to try to understand the hierarchies and operation of race and gender in society. We will read theoretical and empirical work that engages with questions of personal well-being, economic achievement, and social interaction. Students will have opportunities throughout the semester to do empirical and policy-relevant work. Each student will build a solid foundation for the completion of an independent term paper project that engages with a specific economic question about racial or gender inequity.
Requisite: ECON 300/301 (Microeconomics) or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Reyes.
Lawrence R. Douglas
TTH 02:30 PM-03:50 PM
This course will examine the relationship between legal institutions and democratic practice. How do judicial decisions balance the preferences of the majority and the rights of minorities? Is it possible to reconcile the role that partisan dialogue and commitment play in a democracy with an interest in the neutral administration of law? How does the provisional nature of legislative choice square with the finality of judicial mandate? By focusing on the United States Supreme Court, we will consider various attempts to justify that institution’s power to offer final decisions and binding interpretations of the Constitution that upset majoritarian preferences. We will examine the origins and historical development of the practice of judicial review and consider judicial responses to such critical issues as slavery, the New Deal, and abortion. The evolving contours of Supreme Court doctrine will be analyzed in the light of a continuing effort to articulate a compelling justification for the practice of judicial intervention in the normal operation of a constitutional democracy.
Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Professor Douglas.
Manuela Picq
TTH 02:30 PM-03:20 PM
(Offered as POSC 160 and SWAG 160) From abortion to gay rights, sexuality is deeply entangled in world politics. As LGBT rights become human rights principles, they not only enter the rights structure of the European Union and the United Nations but are also considered a barometer of political modernity. If some Latin American nations have depicted their recognition of gay rights as symbolic of their progressive character, certain North African nations have depicted their repression of homosexuality symbolic of their opposition to western imperialism. The results of sexual politics are often contradictory, with some countries enabling same-sex marriage but criminalizing abortion and others cutting aid in the name of human rights. This course explores the influence of sexual politics on international relations. We analyze how women and gay rights take shape in the international system, from the UN to security agendas, and evaluate how sexuality shapes the modus operandi of contemporary politics.
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Karl Loewenstein Senior Lecturer Picq.
Manuela Picq
TTH 02:30 PM-03:50 PM
(Offered as POSC 160 and SWAG 160) From abortion to gay rights, sexuality is deeply entangled in world politics. As LGBT rights become human rights principles, they not only enter the rights structure of the European Union and the United Nations but are also considered a barometer of political modernity. If some Latin American nations have depicted their recognition of gay rights as symbolic of their progressive character, certain North African nations have depicted their repression of homosexuality symbolic of their opposition to western imperialism. The results of sexual politics are often contradictory, with some countries enabling same-sex marriage but criminalizing abortion and others cutting aid in the name of human rights. This course explores the influence of sexual politics on international relations. We analyze how women and gay rights take shape in the international system, from the UN to security agendas, and evaluate how sexuality shapes the modus operandi of contemporary politics.
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Karl Loewenstein Senior Lecturer Picq.
Khary O. Polk
TTH 02:30 PM-03:50 PM
(Offered as BLST 236 [US] and SWAG 235) From the modern era to the contemporary moment, the intersection of race, gender, and class has been especially salient for people of African descent—for men as well as for women. How might the category of sexuality act as an additional optic through which to view and reframe contemporary and historical debates concerning the construction of black identity? In what ways have traditional understandings of masculinity and femininity contributed to an understanding of African American life and culture as invariably heterosexual? How have black lesbian, gay, and transgendered persons effected political change through their theoretical articulations of identity, difference, and power? In this interdisciplinary course, we will address these questions through an examination of the complex roles gender and sexuality play in the lives of people of African descent. Remaining attentive to the ways black people have claimed social and sexual agency in spite of systemic modes of inequality, we will engage with critical race theory, black feminist thought, queer-of-color critique, literature, art, film, “new media” and erotica, as well as scholarship from anthropology, sociology, and history.
Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Polk.
Jessica Wolpaw Reyes
TTH 02:30 PM-03:50 PM
(Offered as ECON 416, BLST 416 and SWAG 416) Economics is fundamentally about both efficiency and equity. It is about allocation, welfare, and well-being. How, then, can we use this disciplinary perspective to understand hierarchy, power, inequity, discrimination, and injustice? What does economics have to offer? Applied microeconomics is a fundamentally outward-looking and interdisciplinary field that endeavors to answer this question by being both firmly grounded in economics and also deeply connected to sociology, psychology, political science, and law. In this class, we will employ this augmented economic perspective to try to understand the hierarchies and operation of race and gender in society. We will read theoretical and empirical work that engages with questions of personal well-being, economic achievement, and social interaction. Students will have opportunities throughout the semester to do empirical and policy-relevant work. Each student will build a solid foundation for the completion of an independent term paper project that engages with a specific economic question about racial or gender inequity.
Requisite: ECON 300/301 (Microeconomics) or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Reyes.
William Girard
W 01:30PM-04:20PM
Instructor To Be Announced,Joshua Roth
M 01:30PM-04:20PM
Sarah Bacon
MW 11:30AM-12:45PM
Ren-yo Hwang
TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
Susanne Mrozik
TTH 03:15PM-04:30PM
Instructor To Be Announced
MW 10:00AM-11:15AM
Instructor To Be Announced
TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
Instructor To Be Announced
MW 07:15PM-08:30PM
Mara Benjamin
TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
Instructor To Be Announced,Mara Benjamin
MW 03:15PM-04:30PM
Sarah Bacon
MW 11:30AM-12:45PM
Lily Gurton-Wachter,Jina Boyong Kim
TU TH 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
Sari Fein
TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
Jennifer M. DeClue
M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
Kelly P. Anderson
TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
Kelly P. Anderson
TU TH 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
Carrie N. Baker
M W F 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
Jina Boyong Kim
TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Carrie N. Baker
TH 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM
Jennifer Nye
TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM
Herter Hall room 113
Banumathi Subramaniam
TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM
South College Room W219
Banumathi Subramaniam
TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM
South College Room W101
Tiarra Cooper
TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM
South College Room W205
TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM
South College Room W205
Miliann Kang
TH 4:00PM 6:30PM
South College Room E245
Laura Ciolkowski
TU 1:30PM 4:30PM
South College Room W465
Fall 2022 RHRJ Courses: Transnational/Global
Manuela Picq
W 02:00 PM-05:00 PM
(Offered as POSC 411 and SWAGS 411) Indigenous women are rarely considered actors in world politics. Yet from their positions of marginality, they are shaping politics in significant ways. This course inter-weaves feminist and Indigenous approaches to suggest the importance of Indigenous women’s political contributions. It is an invitation not merely to recognize their achievements but also to understand why they matter to international relations.
This course tackles varied Indigenous contexts, ranging from pre-conquest gender relations to the 1994 Zapatista uprising. We will learn how Indigenous women played diplomatic roles and led armies into battle during colonial times. We will analyze the progressive erosion of their political and economic power, notably through the introduction of property rights, to understand the intersectional forms of racial, class, and gender violence. Course materials explore the linkages between sexuality and colonization, revealing how sexual violence was a tool of conquest, how gender norms were enforced and sexualities disciplined. In doing so, we will analyze indigenous women’s relationship to feminism as well as their specific struggles for self-determination. We will illustrate the sophistication of their current activism in such cases as the Maya defense of collective intellectual property rights. As we follow their struggles from the Arctic to the Andes, we will understand how indigenous women articulate local, national, and international politics to challenge state sovereignty.
Requisite: At least one POSC course (200 level or above)
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Karl Loewenstein Senior Lecturer Picq.
Manuela Picq
W 02:00 PM-05:00 PM
(Offered as POSC 411 and SWAGS 411) Indigenous women are rarely considered actors in world politics. Yet from their positions of marginality, they are shaping politics in significant ways. This course inter-weaves feminist and Indigenous approaches to suggest the importance of Indigenous women’s political contributions. It is an invitation not merely to recognize their achievements but also to understand why they matter to international relations.
This course tackles varied Indigenous contexts, ranging from pre-conquest gender relations to the 1994 Zapatista uprising. We will learn how Indigenous women played diplomatic roles and led armies into battle during colonial times. We will analyze the progressive erosion of their political and economic power, notably through the introduction of property rights, to understand the intersectional forms of racial, class, and gender violence. Course materials explore the linkages between sexuality and colonization, revealing how sexual violence was a tool of conquest, how gender norms were enforced and sexualities disciplined. In doing so, we will analyze indigenous women’s relationship to feminism as well as their specific struggles for self-determination. We will illustrate the sophistication of their current activism in such cases as the Maya defense of collective intellectual property rights. As we follow their struggles from the Arctic to the Andes, we will understand how indigenous women articulate local, national, and international politics to challenge state sovereignty.
Requisite: At least one POSC course (200 level or above)
This course fulfills a requirement for the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) certificate.
Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Karl Loewenstein Senior Lecturer Picq.
Ying Wang
W 01:30PM-04:20PM
Adriana Pitetta
TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM
Jennifer Mary Guglielmo
TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Elisabeth Brownell Armstrong
W 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM
Fall 2022 RHRJ Courses: Foundational
Jacquelyne Luce
TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
Loretta Ross
TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Derek Siegel
TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM
South College Room E241
Frequently Asked Questions
We strongly suggest you declare your interest as early as you can and get an advisor for the program.
- Fill out the Student Interest Form as soon as possible.
- Contact an RHRJ advisor to arrange an initial consultation.
- Download the Certificate Completion Form to keep track of your progress as you consult with your RHRJ certificate advisor and complete the requirements.
If you have identified a course that does not appear on the list of approved courses but that you think might be used to satisfy a certificate requirement, talk to your RHRJ advisor to gain special permission. (Courses not on the course list may be approved for inclusion by campus program advisors in consultation with the RHRJ steering committee.)
Use the cross-registration procedures set up by the registrar at your home campus to enroll in a course at another campus. Learn about procedures, helpful tips and links at the Five College Guide to Cross Registration.
Some instructors of courses approved for the RHRJ certificate may hold spots in their classes for qualified Five College students. Check to make sure you have fulfilled the prerequisites for the class. It's also a good idea to contact the instructor early to say that you hope to use the course to satisfy an RHRJ requirement.
Not necessarily. It is recommended, but not required, for students to study beyond their home campus. One of the greatest benefits to students pursuing the certificate is their access to interdisciplinary courses at five highly regarded institutions, as well as the networking opportunities with professors and peers. For that reason, we encourage students to take advantage of the wide variety of reproductive health and rights courses available in the consortium.
This requirement may be completed through an independent study project, thesis, Division III project or other activity outside the classroom that engages the student with issues of reproductive health, rights or justice, and meaningfully incorporates the perspectives of community-based groups. Students are encouraged to fulfill the requirement through participation in an appropriate community-engaged experience or internship selected in consultation with their RHRJ advisor. Students completing the requirement in this way will be required to document their experience through supervisor evaluation and a short essay reflecting on the experience.
On this page, you can find resources to help you find internships and other community-engaged activities. If you want to do a research project, the content should be at least 25% related to reproductive health, rights, and justice, although we would hope that it would be more fully focused on reproductive health, rights, and justice. Consult with an RHRJ advisor for help in choosing your special project and confirming that it meets the certificate requirements. Amherst College students will only receive academic credit at Amherst College if it is part of a regularly offered course or a special topics course of which the experiential component is only one part.
No, but if you are looking to study or work internationally or in a community health setting, it’s highly recommended. Many community outreach–oriented positions require second language skills.
You should submit the following documents to your RHRJ advisor by November 1st for Fall graduates and April 1st for Spring graduates:
- The Certificate Completion Form (below)
- An unofficial copy of your transcript
- Special Project reflection essay (3-5 pgs.)
- Special Project Supervisor Evaluation, either the completed Special Project Supervisor Evaluation Form OR a letter, email, or other type of evaluation from the supervisor stating what work the student completed and that it was completed satisfactorily.
Note: Students who complete a thesis or other major piece of writing for their Special Project do not have to complete the reflection essay or the supervisor evaluation. However, these students should submit the final thesis or writing to their RHRJ Advisor for review. Please only submit your materials to your advisor during the semester you expect to graduate (even if you complete the requirement prior to this time), as Five Colleges cannot process Completion Forms prior to the semester of your graduation. Your advisor will review your materials, and approve your certificate completion. Once approved, the RHRJ program assistant will notify Five Colleges that you have completed the requirements and have been approved to receive the certificate. This happens once a year in late April/early May. A hard copy of the certificate will be mailed to you from the Five Colleges central office, typically in July.
We coordinate with the registrar's office at each campus to make sure the certificate appears on the transcript of each graduating student receiving the RHRJ certificate, as long as there is space (some schools only include two to three qualifications on the transcript). We send out paper certificates each July for all graduates receiving the certificate that year.
Online courses can be counted toward the certificate if they are three credits or more, if the policy of your home institution allows you to count online courses toward your degree and with the approval of your RHRJ advisor.
If you want to use a course you have taken (or plan to take) at another college or university toward the certificate requirements, consult with your RHRJ advisor. Your advisor may want to see a copy of the course description, syllabus and any work you completed for the course. The advisor may use their discretion, in consultation with the RHRJ Steering Committee, to decide whether the course will qualify for your RHRJ certificate requirements.
You will need to follow your home campus’s rules about this, but in most cases you can. Contact your home campus registrar's office for more information.
Whatever you choose to pursue after graduation, the interdisciplinary nature of the certificate will give you a solid background in the social, economic, legal and political conditions that influence human reproduction in both U.S. and transnational contexts. In addition, the RHRJ certificate represents a breadth and depth of knowledge beyond your individual major, as well as a commitment to social justice and change.
Yes. More and more medical programs are realizing the value of a liberal arts education that can move beyond a solely disease-based model to one that is both effective and culturally competent. Understanding the socio-cultural forces that impact patients’ lives is crucial to providing good care.
Likely yes. If you have done work in women’s and gender studies, Afro-American studies, international studies, sociology or public health, some of the classes on your transcript may already fulfill the certificate requirements. It’s ideal to go into the certificate with intention, but the requirements are doable. Your campus advisor can work through this with you.
Yes, the RHRJ certificate is available to undergraduate students enrolled at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Please contact an RHRJ certificate advisor at your campus, or email Ray Rennard at Five College Academic Programs.
Student Profiles
The Five College Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice program has only been around for a few years, but our students are already making an impact on and off campus. Below, read profiles of current students and recent graduates to learn about their course of study and plans for the future, and the value of studying reproductive justice.
"A liberal arts education,” says Sarah Flores Shannon ’17, “is about giving people the tools they need in order to make the best decisions for themselves—and for the world around them.”
The anthropology major from Falls Church, Va., looks at much of the world through that broad, interdisciplinary lens, both in and out of the classroom.
An anthropology major with a focus on reproductive justice in the U.S. and abroad, Flores Shannon is also the first Smith student to graduate with a Five College certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice. The certificate’s experiential requirement prompted Flores Shannon to spend her junior year in Havana—making her the first person in her family to travel to Cuba since her mother left the island nation nearly 60 years ago.
March 2021 update:
In case you missed it, here is a recent Washington Post op-ed by the first RHRJ Certificate graduate from Smith College, Sarah Flores Shannon. Sarah is currently the senior field coordinator for the Virginia office of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. The Latina Institute builds Latina/x power to fight for the fundamental human right to reproductive health, dignity, and justice. It is a national organization headquartered in New York City, with offices in Washington, D.C., Florida, New York, Texas, and Virginia. Congratulations to Sarah and Smith College—it’s so wonderful to see Certificate graduates doing great work in the world!
Article credit: Aria Bracci
From reproductive justice to immigration law, Nargis Aslami's activism spans from present organizing to future practice. She discusses how the Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, as well as other resources at UMass, have built a foundation for her work. Nargis was the recipient of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts Achievement Award, the Henry and Jean Hall Humanities and Fine Arts Scholarship Fund Award, and William F. Field Alumni Scholar Award and will be serving as a Legal Assistant Intern for Student Legal Services in Fall 2017.
What led you to declare a major in Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies at UMass?
I took "Intro to Women’s Studies" freshman year, second semester, as a Gen. Ed. It was so cool. All the content was really interesting, and it was what I was passionate about—I just didn’t know it coming into college. I was initially an English major.
We talked about sexism, and that’s so basic, but it still was shocking to me that there was an academic discipline that studied this. I had no idea that this existed in the first place, but then I came in, and I took this class, and we talked about all of these incredibly real things that no one talks about, that nobody talked to us about in high school. It was really great and super important. It made me feel something (whereas reading James Joyce doesn’t make me feel anything, you know?). That doesn’t have an impact on my life, but Women’s Studies? This is real stuff that we’re talking about, and we’re trying to change the world. That’s why I switched into WGSS.
How did your WGSS classes motivate you to pursue further work outside of the classroom?
For me, reading isn’t enough. It’s really good to build your knowledge and be educated on these topics—that happens in the classroom, and that’s really important. But when we’re sitting in the classroom and learning about disproportionately high rates of homelessness and incarceration in communities of color, that’s just not enough, and WGSS majors are in this field of study because they want to be making some sort of tangible change.
Reading about Foucault is really great and important, but what is that doing? It’s frustrating sitting in a class and reading about all of these systems of oppression and recognizing that there are reasons why sexual violence exists. What are we doing to stop it? What are we doing to decrease those numbers of people that are being assaulted? I do value the academic theory and having this theoretical knowledge because it informs activism, and it informs the practical work that we’re doing, but in a time like this, when real people are being targeted, the practical work is important.
In what ways do your studies overlap with the work that you’ve done?
I think that my studies overlap primarily with my work at CLPP [Civil Liberties and Public Policy], especially because what I’m studying in the classroom is reproductive justice—it is reproductive rights—and that’s what I’m working with at CLPP. A lot of the stuff that I learn in the classroom provides me with information to take to Student Group and information to relay to the students that I’m planning these meetings for. It’s really great. It’s really helpful.
Sexual assault obviously revolves around misogyny, internalized homophobia and blatant homophobia, racism. It all relies on these systems of oppression that exist, and these forms of discrimination that are out there. It just informs the way that people choose to display their power over people. So, yes, theory is important. Foucault is important in this instance. If you’re thinking about Foucault and his theory of power and how there’s power everywhere you go—you’re never free from power—that’s true, especially in terms of sexual violence. You are always one step below somebody else in the hierarchy of power.
So, in some instances, my studies are informing what I’m doing, and in some instances, what I’m doing is a repetition of my studies.
How did you first get involved with Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP), the organization that you work for at Hampshire College?
I was taking Theories of Social Justice, a WGSS class with Ann Ferguson, and she provided the students with an option to do a practicum—she had several different organizations to choose from. There was Arise for Social Justice, some others, and then there was CLPP. I had just read Killing the Black Body, so reproductive justice and rights were on my mind. This was a really great opportunity to get involved, and I had this professor who could guide me through the process of getting involved, so I joined the Student Group, which is what I now direct.
When I first joined, it was a weekly meeting in the Spring semester. I was on the Abortion Speakout committee, and I helped plan the Abortion Speakout for the conference. That was the first.
And now you just finished planning and running the annual CLPP conference! What was the most rewarding part of this challenging process?
Honestly, the most rewarding thing was seeing all of these students organize their specific events. It was remarkable to see how much power students have, how much they can do, and how little we give them credit for. It was remarkable to see the students on the Support Team be there every minute of the conference; there was someone always there. They were well-equipped. They were ready to go. They had their phones. They had their cute little fanny packs and their resource bags. It was incredible.
I haven’t been to many conferences, but I personally would never have thought of creating a Support Team for a conference in the way that we have it at CLPP—the way that we always have two to four people on shift, ready to go and provide these people with support. They go to a training during the weekend to be able to provide the support. And our entertainment committee—they put on this incredible event.
In addition to being on the same stage as Wendy Davis and Shanelle Matthews—it’s just incredible being on the same stage as those people—the most rewarding part of it was seeing that I spent this entire year leading this Student Group, and they killed it. It was so incredible to see that students can do so much if we give them the space to do it. I’m just so proud.
Any given week, you find yourself commuting between two towns, two campuses, and various roles as student, intern, hotline operator, and co-coordinator. How do you stay motivated?
People have been asking me this question a lot, and I keep asking myself the same thing. There’s a difference between staying motivated and just “keeping on keeping on.” This work is real life. There’s no stopping. There’s no, “If I take a step back…” I can’t take a step back. Yes, the work will keep happening, but we need as many people as we can get involved to stay involved and to keep doing this work.
We need people doing this work, and I want to be doing this work, and I keep doing it. And it’s hard. It’s exhausting. But people need to be doing it, and so I’m doing it.
You plan to go to law school after graduation. How do you plan to apply a law degree to your social justice work?
I’m really excited about this. Still working it out. I’m viewing the law as a tool. That’s really downplaying this whole process, because law school is expensive and I’m spending three years of my life going after this degree. So it’s not just a tool, but it’s one more thing that I can add to this collection of tools and skills that I have, in order to continue making change. Being able to understand the Constitution, being able to understand if Trump’s immigration ban is unconstitutional—I need to go to law school to understand this, and I want to do that.
I want to be able to say, “This is not okay because of this,” and not just because I morally oppose this ban, but because it is inherently, legally not acceptable. Sometimes that’s the only way you can stop something. You have to go to court. You have to have a judge, a Supreme Court justice, say, in a court opinion, this is illegal, and you can’t move forward with this.
There’s that whole conflict of needing to compromise and “work within the system”—a system that I don’t agree with. But I hope that once I get this law degree and I understand the law, I’ll be able to take down these policies and laws that, morally, I know are wrong but I want to take a step further. I want to actually take it to court and be able to say, “This is wrong, not just because it hurts me and a lot of people, but because it’s against the Constitution or against this precedent that you already had, that you already put in a Supreme Court opinion.”
Not only do I want to take these awful things to court, but I also just want to be a person that can provide legal services to undocumented immigrants or a survivor of domestic violence or a person that was assaulted—anything. I just want to work with the people that don’t have these resources available to them. And, hopefully, I will be in a financial situation at some point where I can do this pro bono. But who knows?
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This article was originally published on the UMass College of Humanities and Fine Arts website in spring 2017, and is republished here by permission. See https://www.umass.edu/hfa/profile/nargis-aslami-18.
Reproductive Politics Faculty Seminar
The Five College Reproductive Politics Faculty Seminar provides an opportunity for faculty and staff to share knowledge about the work being done locally and internationally in the field of reproductive politics, as well as to discuss challenges and opportunities for collaboration. Numerous faculty who have presented their work-in-progress at a seminar have gone on to publish articles and books. Members of the Reproductive Politics Faculty Seminar conceived of the undergraduate Five College certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice, wrote the proposal, and shepherded the Certificate into existence in 2015. Finally, the Reproductive Politics Faculty Seminar serves as an intellectual and scholarly support and community for faculty teaching courses for the Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Certificate Program. We aim to hold at least two seminars per academic year and are appreciative of the administrative and financial support provided by the Five College Consortium.
Contact Us
Program Co-Chairs:
Cora Fernandez-Anderson, Assistant Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke
Jennifer L. Nye, Lecturer in Law and Social Justice, Department of History, UMass Amherst
Program Assistant:
Linda Hillenbrand, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, UMass Amherst
Five College Staff Liaison:
Ray Rennard, Director of Academic Programs