Kids & Capitalism [Online]
Full Tuition: $320 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Campoamor | 5 Weeks | Wednesdays | March 6 - April 3 | 7:00 - 9:00 PM ET | ONLINE
Within capitalism, children are often figured as symbols of the future, or the raw material upon which we can inscribe our visions for the future. This happens both on the political right (think: banning books in public schools) and on the left (using children as tokens for addressing crises such as climate change). But what can we learn when we stop thinking of children as objects or symbols, and instead take them seriously as actors struggling within and often against capitalism? In this class, we will explore how the social construction of childhood has been linked to the development of global capitalism. Drawing from feminist discussions of social reproduction—which links the reproduction of human life and labor power to the reproduction of capitalism—we will examine concepts like emotional labor and care work, analyzing how patriarchy works to exploit women and children alike through institutions such as the nuclear family. Children are often figured as objects of women’s un- or undervalued labor within feminist discourse—that is, feminist arguments have tended to focus on mothers rather than on children. But what happens when we center children as subjects in such discussions? In other words, how can centering the concept of generation, along with gender, deepen our critique of how capitalism works through social reproduction? Studying how institutions like the school and the family have served as conduits for the intergenerational transmission of capitalist values will open up space for us to think collectively about how to disrupt oppressive forms of social reproduction and for us to learn from children involved in projects of social transformation. In this class, you will study with an instructor writing their own book about social reproduction and childhood. Possible authors for the course will include: Firestone, Tallbear, Bhattachary, Zelizer, Engels, Foucault, Althusser, Katz, Rosen & Newberry, Castaneda, and Edelman. No previous knowledge of social reproduction theory is necessary to take this course.
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Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.