This workshop draws on bell hooks’ vision of “teaching to transgress” to reimagine the classroom as a space of liberation, connection, and critical engagement. Building on hooks’ call for an “engaged pedagogy,” we will explore how Black feminist principles of intersectionality can shape not only what we teach, but how we teach—through inclusive syllabi, equitable participation, and intentional attention to power and voice. The session opens with a short lecture on hooks’ contributions to feminist pedagogy and practical strategies for integrating intersectional frameworks into course design and classroom practice. The second half will feature a hands-on syllabus workshop where participants revise or develop courses that embody these commitments. Designed for faculty, staff, and graduate instructors, this workshop offers both theoretical grounding and actionable tools for cultivating classrooms that center care, complexity, and transformation.

Dr. Bailey Thomas (they/them) is the Eleanor M. Carlson Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Rhode Island. Their research bridges social epistemology, ethics, and political theory to illuminate how knowledge, power, and care intersect in struggles against structural oppression. A leading scholar of Black feminist philosophy, Thomas’s current book project, Caring Otherwise: Black Feminist Politics and the Ethics of Care, explores care as a radical mode of justice-making. They also direct the annual Roundtable for Black Feminist and Womanist Theory and are involved in organizing URI’s Mellon-supported event series on Black, Latinx, and Indigenous feminisms. Thomas holds a dual-title Ph.D. in Philosophy and African American & Diaspora Studies from Penn State University.