Weekly Feminism Social Club

I LOVE TEACHING THIS CLASS!

Every week since mid-2020, I've been meeting with bright young people to discuss feminism, gender, social issues, pop culture, history, and more! Together, our group is a place where like-minded peers can meet with an encouraging positive instructor to learn, share, and talk. 

This weekly drop-in class is run as a weekly subscription. You can join at any time! There is no homework or outside reading. Because of the social nature of this class, students are encouraged to keep their cameras on, but there is no requirement to do so (after verification). Students can participate by sharing their thoughts and ideas out loud or adding comments in the Zoom chat. 

I have taught this course from all over the world, taking my students with me to Disney World, California, France, England, and more. Although some students only join for a few weeks as something to do during a break from school or as part of a homeschool study unit, many of the participants in this class stick around for months--or even years! 

Each week, the class will follow a similar structure that looks like this:
1) Greetings and introductions; icebreaker discussion
2) Weekly feminism lesson, where I'll provide a detailed, interactive lesson about an important moment in history or feminist concept
3) A chance to share experiences related to feminism and ask questions.

This class is taught from an intersectional feminist perspective, which means that we recognize that even though feminism has a historical focus on gender-based equity, today's feminists also care about other forms of inequality: interpersonal and systemic racism, accessibility for people with disabilities, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion, and more.

This class is conversational, friendly, and encouraging. It is a place where tweens and young teens can share their experiences, voice their frustrations, encourage one another, and find like-minded friends. 

Students should come to class with a basic understanding that feminism can be defined as a movement or belief that everyone has value, inclusive of gender and sexual orientation. When there is an injustice based on gender or orientation, feminists seek to find a solution and remedy that injustice. 

Participants with a mastery of these topics may find that my Advanced Feminism Discussion Group is a better fit. Sometimes, students "graduate" from this course to that one, but that is entirely self-directed. 

***Weekly topics tend to be student-led and in response to current events, so we don't always plan every week in advance. Some items on this list may change if students want to adjust the plan.****

I've been keeping track of topics here on the class page since 2023. You'll see some repetition, but rarely do I repeat a lesson more than once every couple of years. 

2023 Topics
Week of Jan 9: Women in superhero movies & comics
Week of Jan 16:  Coretta Scott King, activist 
Week of Jan 23: Ernestine Rose, inventor and suffragist
Week of Jan 30: Rosalie Barrow Edge, environmentalist 
Week of Feb 6: Sexism in Vintage Ads (week 1)
Week of Feb 13: Sexism in Vintage Ads (week 2)
Week of Feb 20: Trans women in sports 
Week of Feb 27: Arsenic dresses
Week of March 6: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice
Week of March 13: Women in distant history (Sei Shonogan and Hapshetsut)
Week of March 20: No class
Week of March 27: Victoria Woodhall, first woman to run for president 
Week of April 3: Abala Bose, educator 
Week of April 10: How women's soccer achieved equal pay
Week of April 17: Emmaline Pankhurst, suffragist
Week of April 24: Women in pop music & music videos, week 1
Week of May 1: Women in pop music & music videos, week 2
Week of May 8: Marsha P. Johnson
Week of May 15: Susannah Salter
Week of May 22: Ida B. Wells
Week of May 29: NO CLASS
Week of June 5: Radium Girls
Week of June 12: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Week of June 19: ONE Magazine
Week of June 26: Trans Girls in Sports
Week of July 3: Frances EW Harper
Week of July 10: Vintage Magazine Story
Week of July 17: Annie Londonderry & Kitty Knox
Week of July 24: Anne Lister
Week of July 31: Ada Lovelace
Week of August 7: Henrietta Lacks
Week of August 14: Bessie Coleman
Week of August 14: Gladys Bentley
Week of August 21: Frida Kahlo
Week of August 28: Sacagawea
Week of September 4: NO CLASS (LABOR DAY)
Week of September 11: NO CLASS (Teacher Vacation)
Week of September 18: Billie Jean King
Week of September 25: Anna Mae Wong
Week of October 2: Pauli Murray
Week of October 9: Mirabal Sisters
Week of October 16: Marlena Dietrich
Week of October 23: Marie Curie
Week of October 30: Mary Frith
Week of November 6: Gender & Feminism on TV
Week of November 13: Paintings of Women at the Louvre, Part 1
Week of November 20: Paintings of Women at the Louvre, Part 2 + More Art
Week of November 27: Dolores Huerta
Week of December 4: Baby care book from 1921 (Ivory Soap)
Week of December 11: Shirley Chisholm
Week of December 18: Jane Addams
Week of December 25: NO CLASS

2024 Topics
January 1: NO CLASS
January 8: Octavia Butler
January 15: Annette Kellerman
January 22: Sexualization of femme comic cartoon characters
January 29: Human computers at NASA (Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn)
February 5: Disney's History with LGBTQ+ Characters 
February 12: Rosa Luxemburg
February 19: Robyn Davidson
February 26: Anti-Feminist Propoganda (Suffrage Era) 
March 4: NO CLASS
March 11: Gay Travel Index (LGBTQ+ Safety Around the World)
March 18: Sally Ride
March 25: Sojourner Truth
April 1: Laura Bassi
April 8: NO CLASS
April 15: Anandibai Joshi
April 22: NO CLASS
April 29: NO CLASS
May 6: Anandabai Joshi
May 13: Amalia Post
May 20: Susan La Flesche Picotte
June 3: Peace Pilgrim & Emma Gatewood
June 10: The ERA
June 17: Kei Okami and Sabat Islambouli
June 24: Mary Cleave
July 1: Christine di Pizan
July 8: Betty Reid Soskin
July 15: Ida B. Wells
July 22: Ernestine Rose
July 29: Alia Muhammad Baker
August 5: Mary McLeod Bethune
August 12: NO CLASS
August 19: Marjory Stoneman Douglas
August 26: Irene Sendler
September 2: Elizabeth Blackwell
September 9: Interesting Women in Disney History
September 16: Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domingue
September 23: The first GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance)
September 30: True Confessions magazine from the 1940s, week 1
October 7: True Confessions magazine from the 1940s, week 2
October 14: Nurses who treated AIDS patients during the early years
October 21: Robin Wall Kimmerer 
October 28: Hypatia of Alexandria