Faculty First Year Seminars 197CR2 - Orange is the new Black - 2

The Pioneer Valley is a hotbed for prison abolition activism -- a movement that seeks not only to improve conditions for prisoners but to dismantle the ?prison-industrial complex? that many argue continues the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. In this course, we will analyze writings, hip-hop music, and art produced by prisoners and prison abolitionists, discuss their perspectives on race, class, gender, and sexuality in the prison system, and debate their tactics. The format will break down the walls and hierarchies of a traditional classroom experience: we will regularly bring in activists from local grassroots organizations, and the instructor will collaborate with an advanced undergraduate student activist to facilitate class discussions based on an anti-hierarchical model of community organizing. The course will thus provide opportunities to learn not only about prisons, but also about how faculty, students, and community can work together on issues that concern us all.

Freshmen Only