Fall 2020 Cohort

About the Program

The 'Staff as Students of Social Justice' (SSSJ) Program(link is external)  is an important expression of the campus’s commitment to staff’s intellectual and professional development, especially around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice. This program is a keystone effort of the university’s work towards Becoming an Anti-Racist Campus(link is external). Piloted in Fall 2020, the SSSJ Program is a unique opportunity to learn first-hand from leading scholars and American Cultures instructors about the intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender; dig into subjects of personal interests; and build connections with faculty, students, and campus colleagues. Previously, SSSJ allowed an opportunity for cohorts of up to 25 campus staff per semester (from the Division of Undergraduate Education and beyond) to audit an American Cultures course and participate in discussions about timely and important topics. Now continuing its fifth year, this program offers a weekly seminar over Zoom, titled “Material Anti-Racisms,” led by the SSSJ Program Director of Pedagogy, David Maldonado. This seminar provides a deep study of abolitionism and higher education, incorporating content from the previous SSSJ lecture series “Aspirations of Material Anti-Racism: What’s Next.” Please take a moment to learn more about the previous fall 2020 online course offerings, and view the final group projects and presentation below. Please email americancultures@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail) if you have any questions.

Final Projects

Participants participated in a final group project and presentation at the conclusion of the semester. Below are the final projects for the Fall 2020 Cohort.

Fall 2020 Final Presentations

Fall 2020 Cohort Final Presentations: Staff as Students of Social Justice Program

Fall 2020 Presentation / Presenter Time 
“Defiant Women: Gender, Power, and Violence in U.S. History,” by Alexandra Calvert, Jessica Bauer, and Michele Rabkin  00:09(link is external)
“The 2020 Election,” by Brianne Tabios, Judy Stern, Krista Meyer, Setareh Sarrafan, and Susan Hagstrom  04:23​(link is external)
“Introduction to Ethnic Studies,” by Georgette Estilo, Indu Tandon, and Paris Cotz  06:01​(link is external)
“Fire: Past, Present, and Future Interactions with the People and Ecosystems of California," by Alex Tan, Jean Cheng, and Sarah Pickett  09:57(link is external)
“Transforming Tech: Issues and Interventions in STEM and Silicon Valley,” by Betsy Greer and Sara Assadi-Nik 11:21(link is external)

Fall 2020 Final Projects