Oppression and Injustice (YHU2280)

M R 13:00-14:30, Classroom 9
Instructor: Prof. Robin Zheng

Contact information
email: robin.zheng@yale-nus.edu.sg
website: on Canvas, via http://yale-nus.instructure.com/
office hours: W 13:00-15:00 (Cendana RC3-02-05D)
to book an appointment, visit: https://calendly.com/prof-zheng

Please don’t hesitate to contact me; I am here for you and happy to help however I can.
However, note that I do not respond instantaneously to emails, especially on evenings and
weekends, so make sure to allow yourself plenty of time to get in touch.

Course description
How can we fight oppression and eliminate injustice in the world? Philosophers and activists
confronting exploitation, colonialism, imperialism, racism, and sexism have relied on self-
produced bodies of theory to guide their analyses and actions. This course focuses on the moral
and political thought of oppressed groups with respect to the question of overcoming injustice,
that is, on philosophy born of struggle and aimed at emancipation. It explores themes of
intersectionality and epistemology, education and liberation in the traditions of Black feminism
and postcolonial Latin American thought.

Course requirements
Discussion 20% (10% participation, 10% moderation)
Reading questions 5% by 11:00 every day before class
Short précis 10% twice in the term
First paper (5 pp) 20% 11:59p, Saturday, 17 February
Final paper (8-10 pp) 25% 11:59p, Saturday, 13 April
Class Textbook Project 20% (5% class proposal, 15% individual section) 19 April

Attendance is mandatory, because participating in discussion is a crucial part of your and your
classmates’ learning. If you must miss class for a personal emergency or for a university-
sanctioned event, please write me in advance to obtain an excuse. An inordinate record of
unexcused absences is enough reason to fail the class.

Required Texts
All texts should be read in advance of the lecture. Texts other than the books below are available
through E-Reserves on Canvas.

bell hooks, Feminist Theory from Margin to Center

Patricia Hill Collins, Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of
Empowerment
Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks
Paolo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
Discussion
The participation grade will consist of your contributions to class discussion and your time spent
in office hours. A steady record of high or low participation can make a difference when it comes
to borderline grades.

Each of you will (in pairs) moderate one class discussion. You will be expected to identify the
main arguments of the text, generate discussion questions, and bring in any material (e.g. make a
presentation, show a video, pass around a new article) that is relevant.

Reading Questions
For each reading, submit one clarificatory (e.g. for the purpose of understanding the text) or
open-ended (e.g. for the purpose of critical discussion) question on Canvas by 11:00a before
class. Your questions will be graded for completion rather than quality, though a steady record of
exceptionally or insufficiently thoughtful questions may make a difference to the overall grade.

Short Précis
A précis (pronounced “pray-see”) is a highly condensed summary of a text. It should present the
all the most important ideas that the text contributes to a body of knowledge, such that a person
could intelligently discuss those ideas just by reading through the précis. Note that a précis
should not contain your own critical evaluation. (For tips, visit https://tinyurl.com/WriteAPrecis).
Your short précis should be between 300-500 words long, and you are expected submit two on
readings of your choice, one during each half of the course.

Papers
All papers should be submitted through Canvas. Do not put your name anywhere in the paper!
Save the document using a title that includes your student ID and the number of the question
you’re answering. e.g. “AO634890X_Question5.docx.” You do not need a cover page. Do not
use any nonstandard fonts or formatting. Please number all your pages. Please use at least 2.0
line spacing, i.e. double-space. Note: Detailed instructions will be distributed closer to deadline.

Writing a good philosophy paper is in some ways like writing any other good paper, but there are
certain standards and demands that are particular to philosophy. We will cover some of these
issues in class and I am also available to discuss it with you during office hours. I will not read
drafts of your papers, but I am happy to look over outlines and talk through your ideas. You may
want to consult this handout (https://tinyurl.com/PhilPaperHandout) or make an appointment at
the Writers’ Centre: https://writerscentre.yale-nus.edu.sg/.

Class Textbook Project

You will be asked, as a class, to collectively write a (short!) textbook for the course. A portion of
the project (the book proposal) will be graded in common, but different sections for which you
are responsible will be graded individually. Note: Detailed instructions will be distributed closer
to deadline.
Late Policy
Late papers will be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade for the first day they are late (e.g., A- to
B+), and by 2/3 of a letter grade for each subsequent day (e.g., B+ to B-). Reading questions will
not be accepted late.
Access and Inclusion
If you have any physical, psychiatric or learning conditions that may impact your performance in
this course, please let me know as soon as possible, so that we may arrange for the appropriate
accommodations. If you observe any religious or cultural practices that may interfere with this
course, please also let me know.

The College is committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all
community members regardless of race, religion, nationality, culture, gender identity, sexual
orientation, and socio-economic class. If you or someone you know has been subject to bias,
discrimination, sexual harassment, misconduct, or assault in or outside class, I encourage you to
follow up with one or more of these authorities as appropriate: me (PPT), your faculty advisor, or
your Vice Rector.

Academic Integrity
I will hold you to the highest standards of academic integrity. The library provides examples, tip,
and resources on plagiarism at http://library.yale-nus.edu.sg/plagiarism/. If I suspect any kind of
academic dishonesty, I am required to report you to the Academic Disciplinary Committee. Any
assignment on which that the Academic Disciplinary Committee judges that plagiarism has
occurred will receive zero credit.

If you are in any way unclear as to what constitutes plagiarism, come talk to me before you write
your papers. Ignorance or confusion will not be accepted as excuses for plagiarism or other
academic misconduct.

Health and Wellness

If you are experiencing undo stress or feel you might benefit from private counseling, please
contact the Yale-NUS Health and Wellness Center. You may also wish to reach out to Vice
Rector within your residential College. For more information on this and other kinds of support,
visit https://studentlife.yale-nus.edu.sg/wellness/.
 Schedule of Readings

Week Day Text(s)

(U.S.) Black Feminism:

Intersectionality and Epistemology

1 M o hooks Ch. 2, “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression” (pp. 18-

33)
o Combahee River Collective, “The Combahee River Collective Statement”
o Frances M. Beal, “Black Women’s Manifesto; Double Jeopardy: To Be
Black and Female”
R o hooks Ch. 6, “Changing Perspectives on Power” (pp. 84-95)
o hooks Ch. 12, “Feminist Revolution: Development Through Struggle” (pp.
159-166)
2 M o Collins Ch. 5. “The Power of Self-Definition” (pp. 97-122)
o Collins Ch. 12, “Toward a Politics of Empowerment” (pp. 273-290)
R o Collins Ch. 11, “Black Feminist Epistemology” (pp. 251-273)
3 M o José Medina, “Meta-Lucidity and Epistemic Heroes” 5.1 (pp. 186-206) and
5.3 (pp. 225-249)
R o María Lugones, “Purity, Impurity, and Separation” (pp. 458-479)
4 M o Collins Ch. 10, “U.S. Black Feminism in Transnational Context” (pp. 227-
250)
o Angela Davis, “Women in Egypt: A Personal View” (pp. 116-154)
R o Uwechia Nzegwu, “The Conclave: A Dialogic Search for Equality” (pp.
157-198)
5 M o Nirmala Everelles, “Crippin’ Jim Crow: Disability, Dis-location, and the
School-to-Prison Pipeline” (pp. 81-99)
o Talilah A. Lewis, “Honoring Arnaldo Rios-Soto & Charles Kinsey:
Achieving Liberation Through Disability Solidarity”
R o Cathy J. Cohen, “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens” (pp. 437-465)
o Sylvia Rivera,“Queens in Exile, The Forgotten Ones” (pp. 67-85)
6 No readings

Postcolonial Latin American Thought:

Education and Liberation

7 M o Fanon, “Introduction” (pp. xi-xviii)

o Fanon Ch. 1, “The Black Man and Language” (pp. 1-23)
R o Fanon Ch. 4, “The So-Called Dependency Complex of the Colonized” (pp.
64-88)
8 M o Fanon Ch. 7, “The Black Man and Recognition” (pp. 185-197)
 o Fanon Ch. 8, “By Way of Conclusion” (pp. 198-206)
R o Freire Ch. 1 “The Justification for a Pedagogy of the Oppressed…” (pp.
43-70)
9 M o Freire Ch. 2 “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education as an Instrument of
Oppression…” (pp. 71-86)
R o Freire Ch. 3 “Dialogics—” (pp. 87-124)
10 M o Freire Ch. 4 “Antidialogics and Dialogics as Matrices of Opposing
Theories of Cultural Action” (pp. 125-183)
R o Julius K. Nyere, “Ujamaa – The Basis of African Socialism” (pp. 1-9)
o Che Guevara, “Man and Socialism in Cuba”
11 M o Enrique Dussel, Theses 2-4 (pp. 13-29), 11 (pp. 71-77), 15-17 (pp. 94-113)
o Optional: Margaret Kohn and Keally McBride, “The Philosophy of
Liberation” (pp. 119-141)
R o José Carlos Mariátegui, “The Problem of Race in Latin America,” “Preface
to the Amauta Atusparia,” “Huacho Peasants Defend Their Irrigation
System” (pp. 305-326); “Feminist Demands” (pp. 367-372)
12 M o Rigoberta Menchú, “Farewell to the community: Rigoberta decides to learn
Spanish,” “The CUC comes out into the open,” “Political activity in other
communities,” “Contacts with ladinos” (pp. 180-200)
o A Dream Compels Us Ch. 2, “With One Single Voice: Women's
Organizations of El Salvador” (pp. 75-117)
o Optional, Linda S. Maier, “The Case for and Case History of Women's
Testimonial Literature in Latin America” (pp. 1-9)
R o Adichie, Dear Ijeawele (pp. 1-63)
13 No readings