University of Maryland embraces fat studies for spring 2025
- The University of Maryland will offer a course on fat studies in spring 2025.
- The course will explore the intersections of fatness, Blackness, and various forms of oppression.
- This initiative aims to address fatness as a social justice issue, culminating in discussions on fat liberation.
In the United States, the University of Maryland announced that it will offer a new course named 'Intro to Fat Studies' during the spring semester of 2025. This three-credit course will focus on examining fatness as a significant aspect of human difference, addressing issues of privilege and discrimination. The curriculum will particularly emphasize the intersection of fatness and Blackness, exploring how these experiences intersect with broader systems of oppression related to gender, race, class, sexual orientation, and ability. The course will be taught by Professor Sydney Lewis from the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, who has a rich background in African-American culture and Black feminisms. The course framework aims to position fatness within the context of social justice, including a culminating examination of fat liberation and its relevance to performing arts and activism, with a strong focus on combating weight stigma, termed fatmisia.