Joining the History of Feminist Activism

Kate Drabinski is a lecturer in Gender and Women’s Studies and director of the WILL Program at UMBC.

Most students who enroll in my course, Studies in Feminist Activism, expect to learn about the history of feminism and feminist movements. We do that, sure, but the course also encourages students to see themselves as activists, as part of the history of feminist activism. They do so by organizing activist projects addressing issues they are personally passionate about that affect their communities, from UMBC to their hometowns, Maryland to the globe. As a teacher, it is incredibly exciting to see what UMBCers can do when given the time and space to figure out what making a difference means to them. 

Students reflect on their projects–what worked, what didn’t, what they’d do differently should they do a similar project again–and post them to a course blog that serves as a permanent archive of what students imagine as “activism” and how they become activists themselves. Check out their final projects at http://umbcactivism.wordpress.com/.

Contact the author, Kate Drabinski, at drabinsk@umbc.edu.