SPRING 2024, WEDNESdays, 4:00-7:00PM; Meets at MIT

This course covers queer and feminist approaches to methodology (approaches to knowledge production) and methods (specific strategies such as interviews or archives) across the humanities and social sciences. We will use transdisciplinary perspectives to identify debates and tensions in conceptualizing, conducting, analyzing, writing, and disseminating feminist research. We will also explore what it means “to queer" research methodologies and methods and what a queer method might look like. At the center of our inquiry is a focus on how interlocking systems of power related to race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and so on impact the production of knowledge—and the possibilities and limitations of research as a tool to disrupt dominant forms of power. This is an applied course that emphasizes building the skills needed to carry out queer and feminist research across our various disciplines. Specific methods covered will be based on student interests and may include ethnography, interviews, statistics, focus groups, surveys, archival research, discourse analysis, close reading, and visual analysis.​

Faculty

Chris Barcelos is a feminist scholar and educator working in the fields of gender and sexualities studies, public health, and sociology. Their work combines critical race theory and critical sexualities studies with community-based research to analyze public health efforts. Chris emphasizes research for and by marginalized people that contributes to effective policies and programs and is guided by the needs and priorities of those most affected.

Dr. Barcelos is also an associate book review editor at TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, a consultant with Think Again Training, and a yoga teacher.

Twitter: @ChrisABarcelos.