![A photographA mural painted on a wall features a body of water in which an African-American boy and a Caucasian girl stand. The image of a woman surrounded by children is next to them. of a pregnant woman, in a blue shirt, holds her belly. A photographA mural painted on a wall features a body of water in which an African-American boy and a Caucasian girl stand. The image of a woman surrounded by children is next to them. of a pregnant woman, in a blue shirt, holds her belly.](/courses/womens-and-gender-studies/wgs-s10-reproductive-politics-in-the-united-states-spring-2013/wgs-s10s13.jpg)
This mural was designed by women imprisoned at Riker's Island, a jail in New York City, and was painted by the women's children on a wall in East Harlem. In addition, the children designed a mural that the mothers then painted inside a building at Rikers. Read more about the project, If Walls Could Talk. (Image courtesy of Matt Green on Flickr. CC NC-BY-SA.)
Instructor(s)
Dr. Rachel Roth
MIT Course Number
WGS.S10
As Taught In
Spring 2013
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
In this seminar, we will explore the significance of struggles over reproductive rights in the United States. Throughout the course, we will ask such questions as: What is reproductive freedom and why has attaining it been so central to women's liberation movements? Why have attempts to regulate reproduction been so prevalent in American politics?