This course focuses on empowering young women to recognize their individual and collective agency in preparation for using their voices in male-dominated spaces. This course will help develop young women’s leadership skills, analyze power dynamics rooted in sexism, and cultivate a strong sense of self so that she never has to silence herself in her personal relationships, academia, or her professional life. As part of this course, we will examine a selection of groundbreaking women who have challenged structures rooted in sexism and racism, focusing on women who have laid foundations of intersectional feminism in their activism. (13-18 year olds)
Bio:
Facilitated by Samantha Stearns (MS in history) 8th grade social studies teacher at Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest, Illinois. Samantha has written for The American Historical Association and is currently working on publication of her thesis project, “Foreign Affairs: The Council on Foreign Relations and the Shaping of the Foreign Policy Establishment Discourse, 1921-1950.” As an 8th grade social studies teacher, she has implemented social studies-focused extracurriculars such as Mock Trial, Stock Market Club, and History By Hollywood Club and is a passionate advocate for youth empowerment.