The Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Statue in Ruleville, MS. Hamer’s famous quote that she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired” expressed the need for understanding how physical and mental health impact people of color. (Image by dishfunctional on Flickr. License CC BY-NC-SA.)
Instructor(s)
Dr. Moya Bailey
MIT Course Number
WGS.S10
As Taught In
Spring 2021
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
Black feminist health science studies is a critical intervention into a number of intersecting arenas of scholarship and activism, including feminist health studies, contemporary medical curriculum reform conversations, and feminist technoscience studies. We argue towards a theory of Black feminist health science studies that builds on social justice science, which has as its focus the health and well-being of marginalized groups. Students will engage feminist science theories such as the linguistic metaphors of the immune system, the medicalization of race, and critiques of the sexual binary. We will use contemporary as well as historical moments to investigate the evolution of “scientific truth” and its impact on the U.S. cultural landscape.