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In 'Unlikeable Women of Color,' a major focus of the course will be in understanding and interrogating the idea of 'unlikeability.' Who gets labeled unlikeable and who does the labeling? How are race and gender intertwined in this process? Increasingly diverse forms of media and authors' or creators' voices may be more readily available today than in the past, leading to examples (both fictional and in real-life) of more powerful or atypical women of color. However, the potential for increased representation does not necessarily change the ways womxn are labeled or found lacking. In exploring how change and representation influence who is liked and who is not, we'll also consider how stereotypes and controlling images are both reinforced and challenged. Ultimately, the class will investigate the potential opportunities and consequences that result from being defined as unlikeable or, more broadly, pushing back against gendered and racialized social expectations.

In today’s “surveillance society,” we have become accustomed to trading personal information—wittingly or not—for goods, services, and simply to participate in everyday life. With the rise of big data, state and market institutions routinely collect and analyze data to monitor our purchasing patterns, social networks, and physical movements. However, some people are more insulated from scrutiny than others, and exposure to surveillance of various kinds depends on social status and the matrix of identities each of us hold. In this course, we will examine surveillance through a sociological lens, focusing on how surveillance can generate and reproduce social inequalities. We will cover various formal institutions that surveil particular populations, including the criminal justice, welfare, and child protective systems, and explore contexts where everyday surveillance occurs, including school and workplaces, on social media, and in public spaces. We will also discuss the possibilities for resisting surveillance through formal and informal means. Throughout the course we will consider how being surveilled—and surveilling others—shapes our understanding of ourselves and reflects on the power relations that structure society.

This course draws on the work of activists, scholars, and educators who have used sociological thought toward the goal of dismantling systems of power and imagining more just futures. We strive to foreground these sentiments in this course, both in design and practice. How can we embody the principles of collectivity, creativity, and liberation? How do we situate the discipline of sociology in this endeavor, and how do we situate ourselves in the discipline? The direction and substantive focus of the class will be determined through a collaborative process, with students as co-developers.