The Black Studies Program is pleased to announce a new course by Dr. Gabrielle Civil in the Spring of 2018. This cross-listed course originating in the Women¡¯s and Gender Studies Program is entitled: Activating/Performance\Activism. Dr. Gabrielle Civil of Detroit, MI is ±Ø²©ÓéÀÖ,±È²©ÓéÀÖÍøÖ· #########¡¯s Laura C. Harris Scholar-in-Residence for the 2017-2018 school year and this class as well as her recent innovative performance on October 3 in the Roost, ¡°Live Art Action,¡± and subsequent ¡°Artist Talk Back¡± later that evening are a part of her residency work throughout the year.

Civil Describes this new course as one that draws upon research and methodologies from Women¡¯s and Gender Studies, Black Studies, creative writing, studio performance and performance studies. The course will guide students to explore: What does it mean to perform protest? How can we activate activism in new creative ways? In this critical/ creative laboratory, students will explore these questions and attempt to harness experimental art strategies for social change. They will research experimental art actions and activists; practice experimental/activist art-making in the classroom, on campus, and in the world; and, connect with local and visiting performers/artists/activists. To culminate the course students will have the opportunity to do deep work related to a social movement or social justice issue.

Dr. Civil graduated from the University of Michigan with high honors in Creative Writing and Comparative Literature and attained her master¡¯s and doctorate in comparative literature from New York University with concentrations in Black Feminist Theory, African-American Literature, and Experimental World Poetry. Dr. Civil teaches classes in the Women¡¯s & Gender Studies department that reflect her work as a black feminist performance artist. She has premiered over 40 original solo and collaborative performance works around the world at events like the Salt Lake City Performance Art Festival and the Hemispheric Institute Encuentro. Her writing has appeared in several publications, including Small Axe, Obsidian, Asterix, and Rain Taxi. She was also awarded a Fulbright fellowship in Mexico to investigate performance art practices. Dr. Civil¡¯s performance memoir Swallow the Fish?was published by Civil Coping Mechanisms Press in 2017. The book combines essays, anecdotes, and meditations with original performance texts to confront audience, motivation, and fears. The book was listed as one of Redbook¡¯s ¡°20 Must-Read Books for Spring 2017.¡±