This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of reproductive rights, restrictions and resistance in the United States, examining history, activism, public policy, science and discourses related to reproduction. A central framework for analysis is how gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, disability and nationality intersect to shape women’s experiences of reproductive oppression and their resistance strategies. Topics include eugenics and the birth control movement in the United States; the reproductive rights and justice movements; U.S.

Grounding our work in the current scholarship in lesbian history, this course explores lesbian, queer and bisexual communities, cultures and activism. While becoming familiar with the existing narratives about lesbian/queer lives, students are introduced to the method of oral history as a key documentation strategy in the production of lesbian history. What are the gaps in the literature and how can oral history assist in filling in the spaces? What does a historical narrative that privileges categories of gender and sexuality look like?

Topics course.: In this seminar we investigate the lives of individuals of African origin (artists, revolutionaries, scholars, migrant workers, a Smith Study Abroad student) who lived or travelled in Spain at different historical times: painter Juan de Pareja (Velazquez’s slave) in the 17th century, whose breathtaking portrait by Velazquez hangs at the New York Metropolitan Museum; Arturo Schomburg, in the 1920s, a pioneer scholar of Afro-American Studies, who travelled to Spain in order to research Pareja; volunteers of the Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, such as p

Topics course. May be repeated once with a different topic.: Most accounts of the slave trade and antislavery and abolition movements reflect European historical points of view. Few are the original documents by former slaves, but many are the actions and events documented in archives and chronicles regarding revolts. The goal of this class is to search for the voices and actions of the cimarrones, the “rebellious subjects” that sought freedom from the moment they were captured.

Topics course.: The phenomenon of theater as a form of resistance and the use of performance made by artists and activists as a way of political protest is something already seen during the era of military dictatorship in Argentina (1981) through Teatro Abierto. Through the study of dramatic texts, news articles and web blogs, plus the application of actor-training methodologies, we bring stories from page to stage for a final presentation in Spanish. Performance strategies are used during the course to enhance foreign language skills. Prerequisites: SPN 220 or equivalent.

This course is for students who are heritage speakers of Spanish but who have not studied it formally. Students formalize their Spanish language skills in a collaborative, project-driven, community-based learning environment that fosters Latino/a cultural citizenship through local partnerships.

This course considers the shifting borders of Portuguese as a local, national and global language. We explore language diversity within and across Lusophone countries and communities, noting differences in pronunciation and vocabulary and ways in which some varieties are esteemed and others stigmatized.

This course focuses on developing skills in both spoken and written Portuguese and is designed for students who have already learned the fundamentals of grammar. Topics for compositions, class discussions and oral reports are based on short literary texts as well as journalistic articles, music and film. Enrollment limited to 18. Prerequisite: POR 100Y, POR 125 or POR 200, or permission of the instructor.

Same as ARH 201. This course serves as an introduction in English to contemporary and modern Brazilian art. Course materials and class discussions address such topics as public vs. private art spaces, national vs. global identities, the role of art as agency for social change, and as site of memory, activism, resistance and transformation.

This community-based learning course trains students in identifying and researching social problems in Holyoke, Mass., and collaborating as a research team. Weekly work with a community-based organization, utilization of quantitative and/or qualitative sociological methods, and a consideration of both primary and secondary sources on the community are expected. Prerequisites: SOC 101, 201, 202 or 203. Enrollment limited to 14. SOC 309 must be taken concurrently.