Queer Identity and Social Structure
This Praxis Lab addressed three central questions: What is queer? What is activism? What is social justice? Students engaged with these complex inquiries, forming their own responses while exploring how others have answered them. They learned from community activists who grapple with these questions in their daily lives and work. Throughout the course, students deconstructed their own identities and examined how these are shaped by politics, culture, ideologies, media representations, and institutional practices.
By the end of the semester, students had developed a refined academic lens to analyze identity and social justice issues. They critiqued historical and contemporary efforts by activists and institutions to address challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community. In the second semester, students implemented strategic outreach initiatives that promoted inclusion and reduced discrimination. By the conclusion of the year, participants had reshaped their self-identities, strengthened community networks, and executed a groundbreaking project that raised awareness about social justice.
More Praxis Labs
Infectious Disease on the Run
Margaret P. Battin, PhD
Wendy Hobson-Rohrer, MD
This Praxis Lab examined the history, science, and ethical implications of pandemics, from the Black Plague to COVID-19. Students analyzed how diseases spread, the social and political responses to outbreaks, and the ethical considerations of public health interventions.
How We Die
Margaret P. Battin, PhD
This Praxis Lab explored the evolving landscape of death and dying in the modern world, examining the shift from infectious disease mortality to prolonged battles with degenerative illnesses like cancer, heart failure, and dementia.
Education, Incarceration & Justice: Punishment and Opportunity in an Era of Mass Imprisonment
Erin Castro
Roberto Garcia
This Praxis Lab examined the deep connections between education, incarceration, and justice in the United States, a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world. Students explored the historical and systemic forces that have expanded the carceral state, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color.