Despite efforts to diversify the ranks of academia and graduate school education across various disciplines, including sociology, the professoriate and graduate student population remains predominately white (American Sociological Association nd). Several scholars point to a “pipeline” problem, a perspective that attributes the racial disparity in bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States, Graduate Records Examination (GRE) scores, and student loan financing to structural issues (Cottom 2017). Still, as the landmark volume Presumed Incompetent suggests, faculty and graduate students of color, once in the academy, particularly those whose identity and social positionality fall beyond the gender or sexual binary, face discrimination, bias, and other hurdles to their career success. Additionally, they navigate the curriculum and academic standards that either marginalize, erase, or co-opt intellectual perspectives that reflect their communities and themselves (Muhs et al., 2012). Therefore, academics will need to rethink critical race theory, intersectionality, queer theory, and other knowledge initiatives developed by and for oppressed groups to include disadvantaged voices in today’s curriculum. To that end, we propose the Black Feminist Sociology and Digital Pedagogy Initiative (BFSDPI) as a digital repository of information generated by researchers and intellectuals who use Black feminist sociology as an epistemological framework.
To accomplish the BFSDPI goals, we intend to extend the principles laid out in the recently published edited volume Black Feminist Sociology into cyberspace through the maintenance of blackfeministsociology.com as a virtual hub to promote intellectual labor of sociologists doing work in the Black feminist tradition. With the use of digital media such as blogs, recorded films, online broadcasts, and social media, BFSDPI hopes to expand the reach of sociological knowledge about and created by people of color. Through relevant pedagogical themes including: “Teaching the Black Feminist Sociology edited volume” and “Teaching Intersectionality,” this virtual hub contributes to the enhancement of teaching in sociology through its hosting of (a) critical, timely written conversation pieces in the form of a blog, (b) quarterly virtual interactive and live conversations or workshops, and (c) collaborative syllabi and annotated bibliographies designed for public and classroom use.
The BFSDPI was recently received funding from the American Sociological Association Carla B. Howery Teaching Enhancement Fund Grant.
Infographics for Teaching Black Feminist Sociology
We are thrilled to announce infographics that can be used as supplementary materials in undergraduate classrooms for courses taught from each chapter of Black Feminist Sociology: Perspectives and Praxis by Zakiya Luna and Whitney Pirtle.
These infographics serve as an innovative educational tool in several key ways:
- Clarifying Complex Concepts: Each infographic succinctly captures the core themes and ideas of its respective chapters. This simplification is crucial in helping students quickly grasp the foundational aspects of Black feminist sociology. The visual summaries distill intricate theories and discussions, making them more accessible to learners at all levels.
- Stimulating Classroom Engagement: These infographics are not just supplementary materials but conversation starters. Educators can use them to anchor class discussions, guiding students through critically exploring each chapter’s central themes. This method encourages active participation and deepens students’ engagement with the material.
- Reinforcing Key Takeaways: As visual aids, these infographics are an excellent resource for quick revision and reinforcement of the chapters’ main points. They serve as a valuable reference tool, enabling students to revisit and consolidate their understanding of essential concepts and arguments presented in the text.
- Encouraging Analytical Skills: Using infographics in teaching Black feminist sociology also opens opportunities for developing students’ analytical abilities. Instructors can prompt students to critically assess how effectively each infographic captures the essence of its chapter, fostering a more nuanced comprehension of the subject matter.
- Broadening Pedagogical Approaches: The initiative also embraces diverse teaching methodologies. By integrating visually oriented learning materials, we acknowledge and cater to different learning styles, ensuring a more inclusive and practical educational experience.
These infographics, therefore, are not just creative representations of academic content; they are a testament to our commitment to evolving and enhancing the way Black feminist sociology is taught. They reflect our dedication to making this field of study more accessible, engaging, and comprehensible to students, enriching their learning journey.
See a sample infographic:
In 2022, the Black Feminist Sociology team received the Carla B. Howery Teaching Enhancement Fund Grant from the American Sociological Association (ASA). This grant offers financial support for projects that aim to advance the pedagogy of sociology. Our project, titled “The Black Feminist Sociology Digital Pedagogy Initiative,” utilized the principles of Black feminist sociology to develop a digital repository of information generated by researchers and intellectuals who employ Black feminist sociology as an epistemological framework.
With the Howery grant’s support, we could fund an undergraduate research assistant, Kaitlin Webster, a third-year student at Santa Clara University. Kaitlin describes her process below:
When creating infographics for each chapter of “Black Feminist Sociology,” I followed a systematic approach. Firstly, I read the chapter carefully, underlining and boxing relevant information. I also outlined headers and sections, considering the flow of the sections in the infographic.
I drew inspiration from the book’s cover, using its color scheme and motifs to maintain a consistent visual style without repetition. Sketching basic layouts with my section ideas helped me ensure consistency and identify the most essential ideas from the text. Additionally, I reread the text, writing summaries of sections and highlighting outstanding or elaborative quotes.
Once satisfied with my initial drafts, I collaborated with Reyna Rajkumar, a fellow Santa Clara University undergraduate (class of 2024), during the revision process. Reyna provided comments and questions offering suggestions for improving the visual layout of the infographics to enhance the reading experience and correct any grammatical errors.
Furthermore, I sought feedback from my faculty mentor, Dr. Melissa Brown, who reviewed the graphics before sending them for revisions from Elizabeth Stier, a Washington University in St Louis undergraduate research assistant (class of 2024), Dr. Zakiya Luna, Dr. Whitney N. Laster Pirtle, and Dr. Jasmine Kelekay.
We are thrilled to present the project’s outcome, which aligns with our main themes of “Teaching the Black Feminist Sociology edited volume” and “Teaching Intersectionality.”
To access an infographic, please click the name of the chapter title in the list below.
- Introduction: Black Feminist Sociology is Sociology’s Past, Present, and Future. Period. – Zakiya Luna and Whitney Pirtle
- Black Feminist Sociology: An Interview with Patricia Hill Collins – Patricia Hill Collins
- The Black Feminist Roots of Scholar-Activism: Lessons from Ida B. Wells-Barnett – Shaonta’ E. Allen
- The Radical Black Feminist Project: Reimagining a Critical Sociology – Rose M. Brewer
- The Language Through Which Black Feminist Theory Speaks: A Conversation with Jennifer C. Nash – Mali Collins-White and Jennifer C. Nash
- Reflections on Re-Creating Biological Race and the Entrapment of Black People – Dorothy Roberts
- Centering Us: What Doing Black Feminist Sociology Looks Like – Lori Martin
- Nothing About Us, Without Us: Reinscribing Black Feminism in Sociology – Endia Louise Hayes, Ashley Hollingshead, Jomaira Salas, and Brooklynn Hitchens
- #BlackGirlMagic and its Complexities – Maria S. Johnson
- Learning, Teaching, Re-Membering, and Enacting Black Feminist Sociology at a Black Women’s College: A Love Letter to One Another – LeConté J. Dill, Mercedez Dunn, Mona Taylor Phillips, Nzali Scales, Cynthia Neal Spence
- Black Feminist Sociology and The Politic of Space and Place at the Intersection of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality – Carolette Norwood
- Global Health and BFS: Diasporic Research and Interventions Rooted in Advocacy – Alicia D. Bonaparte
- Family Background and the Meanings of Economic Autonomy for Black Lesbian Women – Mignon R. Moore
- ‘Kantsaywhere’: Black African Women inside the Australian Racial Crucible – Mandisi Majavu
- Black Feminist Piety: A Framework for Engaging Islam in Black Feminist Sociology – Ashley Garner
- Love, Loss and Loyalty: A Black Feminist Reading of Black Girlhood – Kenly Brown
- Black Feminist Epistemological Methodology: Bridging Theory and Methods to Research Health and Illness – Jennifer E. James
- Employing Community-based Participatory Research to Create Oppositional Knowledge as a Black Feminist – Assata Richards
- Doing it for Ourselves: Research Justice and Black Feminist Sociology – Julia Chinyere Oparah
- For a Black Feminist Digital Sociology – Melissa Brown
- Allyship in the Time of Aggrievement: The Case of Black Feminism and the New Black Masculinities – Freeden Blume Oeur and Saida Grundy
- Theorizing Embodied Carcerality: A Black Feminist Sociology of Punishment – Brittany Friedman and Brooklynn Hitchens
- Too Intersectional: What Black Feminism and Disability Studies Can Build Together – Subini Ancy Annamma
- We Major: Historical Black Trans Feminism Fights Back – Blu Buchanan and Ayotunde Khyree Ikuku
- Exploring the Black Feminist Imagination – Aisha A. Upton and Jalia Joseph
Please let us know what you think about this resource. Reply and let us know how they enhance your class!