Feminist and Anti-Colonial Science Studies [Durham, NC]
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructor: Lindsey Andrews | 5-Weeks | Sundays August 24-September 21 | 7:00-9:00 PM | In-Person, 719 N Mangum St, Durham, NC
In 2020, theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein published an article called “Making Black Women under White Empiricism,” arguing that the knowledge produced by the sciences is not “objective,” or “neutral” as many of us like to believe. In fact, the very approach that lies at the heart of the sciences—empiricism—is raced and gendered. Her argument resonates with the work of contemporary science studies scholars, who analyze the ways that scientific knowledge bears the traces of the cultures that make it. In this class, you’ll be introduced to the field of critical science studies, through the work of writers like Prescod-Weinstein, and turn a historical, anthropological, and philosophical eye on the sciences. We’ll ask: What is “science,” and what do we mean by ideas often associated with it such as “objectivity” and “method”? And we’ll look at the ways that feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial scholars have answered these questions.
Many of us are aware that, for example, scientific medical research has engaged in unethical experiments on people of color; we know that in the past biology was used to prove the “fact” of binary sex and the “inferiority” of women; or that scientific “advancement” has been used to justify technologies that facilitate war and expedite environmental degradation that disproportionately affects minority communities. So we will ask: How have race and gender shaped our scientific understandings of ourselves and our world? How has that knowledge been applied in ways that often disadvantage or exploit raced and gendered groups? And how have researchers and activists been fighting against the sometimes-pernicious use of science and reimagining the very idea of “knowledge”?
The aim of this course will be to dismantle a totalizing conception of science as “truth” and instead understand how scientific knowledge and practices are (re)produced in and through culture. Over the course of five weeks, we’ll learn about feminist concepts such as “strong objectivity” (Harding) and anti-racist theories of “fugitive science” (Rusert). We’ll look at anti-colonial projects that are working to transform the conditions under which knowledge are made and changing how science is done. Ultimately, we’ll ask what truly anti-colonial, anti-racist, and feminist sciences might look like. Authors may include: Robin Wall Kemmerer, Katherine McKittrick, Sandra Harding, Britt Rusert, Harriet Washington, Karen Barad, Donna Haraway, Alondra Nelson, and Ruha Benjamin, among others.
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This class will take place in person at Night School Bar in Durham. Night School requires that students refrain from attending in-person classes when sick. For more on our class policies, see our FAQ. Instructors will also follow this policy. If your instructor is sick, class may be moved to online for a session or rescheduled to the week following the final scheduled session at the instructor’s discretion.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing the full-tuition or mid-level tuition tier in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructor: Lindsey Andrews | 5-Weeks | Sundays August 24-September 21 | 7:00-9:00 PM | In-Person, 719 N Mangum St, Durham, NC
In 2020, theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein published an article called “Making Black Women under White Empiricism,” arguing that the knowledge produced by the sciences is not “objective,” or “neutral” as many of us like to believe. In fact, the very approach that lies at the heart of the sciences—empiricism—is raced and gendered. Her argument resonates with the work of contemporary science studies scholars, who analyze the ways that scientific knowledge bears the traces of the cultures that make it. In this class, you’ll be introduced to the field of critical science studies, through the work of writers like Prescod-Weinstein, and turn a historical, anthropological, and philosophical eye on the sciences. We’ll ask: What is “science,” and what do we mean by ideas often associated with it such as “objectivity” and “method”? And we’ll look at the ways that feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial scholars have answered these questions.
Many of us are aware that, for example, scientific medical research has engaged in unethical experiments on people of color; we know that in the past biology was used to prove the “fact” of binary sex and the “inferiority” of women; or that scientific “advancement” has been used to justify technologies that facilitate war and expedite environmental degradation that disproportionately affects minority communities. So we will ask: How have race and gender shaped our scientific understandings of ourselves and our world? How has that knowledge been applied in ways that often disadvantage or exploit raced and gendered groups? And how have researchers and activists been fighting against the sometimes-pernicious use of science and reimagining the very idea of “knowledge”?
The aim of this course will be to dismantle a totalizing conception of science as “truth” and instead understand how scientific knowledge and practices are (re)produced in and through culture. Over the course of five weeks, we’ll learn about feminist concepts such as “strong objectivity” (Harding) and anti-racist theories of “fugitive science” (Rusert). We’ll look at anti-colonial projects that are working to transform the conditions under which knowledge are made and changing how science is done. Ultimately, we’ll ask what truly anti-colonial, anti-racist, and feminist sciences might look like. Authors may include: Robin Wall Kemmerer, Katherine McKittrick, Sandra Harding, Britt Rusert, Harriet Washington, Karen Barad, Donna Haraway, Alondra Nelson, and Ruha Benjamin, among others.
—
This class will take place in person at Night School Bar in Durham. Night School requires that students refrain from attending in-person classes when sick. For more on our class policies, see our FAQ. Instructors will also follow this policy. If your instructor is sick, class may be moved to online for a session or rescheduled to the week following the final scheduled session at the instructor’s discretion.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing the full-tuition or mid-level tuition tier in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructor: Lindsey Andrews | 5-Weeks | Sundays August 24-September 21 | 7:00-9:00 PM | In-Person, 719 N Mangum St, Durham, NC
In 2020, theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein published an article called “Making Black Women under White Empiricism,” arguing that the knowledge produced by the sciences is not “objective,” or “neutral” as many of us like to believe. In fact, the very approach that lies at the heart of the sciences—empiricism—is raced and gendered. Her argument resonates with the work of contemporary science studies scholars, who analyze the ways that scientific knowledge bears the traces of the cultures that make it. In this class, you’ll be introduced to the field of critical science studies, through the work of writers like Prescod-Weinstein, and turn a historical, anthropological, and philosophical eye on the sciences. We’ll ask: What is “science,” and what do we mean by ideas often associated with it such as “objectivity” and “method”? And we’ll look at the ways that feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial scholars have answered these questions.
Many of us are aware that, for example, scientific medical research has engaged in unethical experiments on people of color; we know that in the past biology was used to prove the “fact” of binary sex and the “inferiority” of women; or that scientific “advancement” has been used to justify technologies that facilitate war and expedite environmental degradation that disproportionately affects minority communities. So we will ask: How have race and gender shaped our scientific understandings of ourselves and our world? How has that knowledge been applied in ways that often disadvantage or exploit raced and gendered groups? And how have researchers and activists been fighting against the sometimes-pernicious use of science and reimagining the very idea of “knowledge”?
The aim of this course will be to dismantle a totalizing conception of science as “truth” and instead understand how scientific knowledge and practices are (re)produced in and through culture. Over the course of five weeks, we’ll learn about feminist concepts such as “strong objectivity” (Harding) and anti-racist theories of “fugitive science” (Rusert). We’ll look at anti-colonial projects that are working to transform the conditions under which knowledge are made and changing how science is done. Ultimately, we’ll ask what truly anti-colonial, anti-racist, and feminist sciences might look like. Authors may include: Robin Wall Kemmerer, Katherine McKittrick, Sandra Harding, Britt Rusert, Harriet Washington, Karen Barad, Donna Haraway, Alondra Nelson, and Ruha Benjamin, among others.
—
This class will take place in person at Night School Bar in Durham. Night School requires that students refrain from attending in-person classes when sick. For more on our class policies, see our FAQ. Instructors will also follow this policy. If your instructor is sick, class may be moved to online for a session or rescheduled to the week following the final scheduled session at the instructor’s discretion.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing the full-tuition or mid-level tuition tier in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.