This week, at the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) 2015 Annual Conference, Ms. in the Classroom, a college curriculum based on Ms. magazine, will introduce two innovative new digital readers. The readers compile the best of Ms. magazine and the Ms. Blog into easily accessible online textbooks for the 21st century feminist classroom.
Designed to engage digital-savvy undergraduate students in an ever-growing number of women’s studies and online education courses and programs, Ms. Digital Readers are edited and introduced by distinguished faculty from the Ms. Committee of Scholars and feature more than 100 articles from Ms. and the Ms. Blog—from 1972 to present day. Currently available, the new Ms. Digital Reader: Gender, Race & Class, introduced by Beverly Guy-Sheftall and edited by Aviva Dove-Viebahn, introduces students to the intersections that connect gender, race and class, strengthening students’ relationships to progressive activism on their campuses, in their communities and the larger world. For the first time ever, the Ms. Digital Reader, in partnership with Women Make Movies, will offer students the opportunity to supplement their reading with documentary films related to their topic of study.
The Ms. Digital Reader series, inspired by an appeal to educators issued by the NWSA Curriculum Institute (led by Guy-Sheftall) to approach women’s studies in transnational and intersectional terms, is the brainchild of Ms. in the Classroom program director Karon Jolna. Building on four key concepts identified as central to women’s studies and feminist activism, including intersectionality, transnationalism, knowledge production and social justice, Ms. Digital Readers feature articles written by such feminist and social justice pathbreakers as bell hooks, Gloria Steinem, Alice Walker, Bonnie Thornton-Dill, Dolores Huerta and Brittney Cooper, addressing topics like work and labor, media, and reproductive justice.
Arriving January 2016—just in time for Winter and Spring 2016 classes!—the followup Ms. Digital Reader: Introduction to Women’s Studies: So You Want to Change the World?, edited by Michele Tracy Berger, introduces students to the field of women’s studies. The articles highlight the transformative influence of studying women, gender and sexuality on students, universities, communities and feminism.
Want to join the 700+ undergraduate women’s studies programs worldwide using Ms. in the Classroom Ms. Digital Readers, but can’t attend NWSA’s Annual Conference? Sign up for Ms. in the Classroom TODAY!