COMS 492: The Politics of Care, Interdependency and Mutual Aid

COMS 492: The Politics of Care, Interdependency and Mutual Aid is a seminar focused on contemporary theories of, and movements for, change centered around social relationships of care and interdependency. Based in collaborative project development, the seminar culminates in public-facing projects that translate what we have been reading and discussing into toolkits, guides, and resources for making needed change, whether interpersonal or collective, or both! You can learn more about the projects below, and access them via the links provided. Projects are being shared with the full consent of the students who made them.

"Bridging the Political Divide" in block letters on yellow background, orange bridge on right side Bridging the Political Divide: A Guide to Help University Students Productively Engage in Conservative Towns by Michelle Marcus and Noah Vaton offers some steps and guidance on how to have conversations across political differences in one’s home community. While the project is geared toward students from smaller hometowns and is motivated by the personal experiences of the authors, the guide is useful for anyone who wishes to have better conversations about difficult topics. As the authors demonstrate, dialogue is the grounds for living in better relation as a community. Check out their project in the PDF icon pdf provided here.

Couple in love, one person sitting in wheelchair and one on their lap, vibrant backgroundDisability Access McGill is a web guide and resource geared towards McGill students navigating disability accommodation and educational access. Created by Alex Byrne, Rain Hye and Catherine Plawutsky, the website clarifies the procedures for accessing services on campus and developing skills for self-advocacy and collective action. Grounded in a critical, social disability framework, this guide is full of advice, student testimonials, and clear instructions on how to collectively transform McGill University into a more accessible university for everyone. Check out this fantastic resource.

Southasian woman in foreground right corner, multiple people in background chattingNavigating the Asian Canadian Experience at McGill is a project by Maggie Chiu and Rosa Lee directed at Asian Canadian students and staff at McGill. Drawing inspiration from UBC’s Asian-Canadian communities and institutional models as well as research on Asian-Canadians at McGill, this is a great resource for finding information, addressing anti-Asian discrimination and hate, and figuring out how to collectively organize on campus. Check out this useful resource.

SlutWalk protest, Berlin 2013, protester holds sign that reads "No Excuses for Rape & Violence"

No More Excuses is a manifesto written by Annie Kitson, Alessandra Madlangbayan, and Danielle Phillips about the student experience of sexual violence response at McGill University. Based on a review of sexual violence policy and the state of student complaints regarding university response and lack of university communication about the problem of sexualized and gender violence on campus, No More Excuses offers some key demands, and tools, for making change. Their powerful manifesto is available PDF icon here as a pdf.

Person standing in front of large orange cookbook, pointing at a page featuring a chefs hat and a fork and spoonSavoury Savings: A Guide for Eating on a Budget is a crucial resource by Sophie Balmer and Mackenzie Mosey. This fantastic project intervenes in the skyrocketing food costs students face on campus, providing advice on how to shop for and prepare healthy and satisfying cheap eats as well as a host of other information. This project is a model for student-to-student information activism that makes a difference. Check out this great resource!

 

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