hella deep insecure season 2 syllabus
inspired by Lemonade Syllabus + A Seat At The Table Syllabus
thank you. insecure Season 2 on HBO took us there. It revealed the parts of ourselves that we don’t want anyone to see. With the pressure to curate our best selves and live our best lives, insecure allowed us to see ourselves as we really are: messy, beautiful, failing, winning, confused and confident. We were offered the opportunity to use fictional characters to discuss our nonfictive lives including topics not limited to equal pay, gentrification, taboo sexuality,and race. This syllabus intends to continue the conversation with works inspired by each episode. Thank you to those who have provide a framework to curate this selection. Thank you to the creators of this brilliant show. Thank you to the contributors. We hope this reflects our gratitude.
Ep 1. hella great Ep 2. hella questions Ep 3. hella open Ep 4. hella LA Ep 5. hella shook Ep 6. hella blows Ep 7. hella disrespectful Ep 8. hella perspectives
hella great “Issa struggles after the break with Lawrence & difficulties with a new task at work. Molly doubts her worth at work, and Lawrence adapts to his new housing situation.�
Sisters of The Yam (black women and self-recovery) PUSHOUT Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships
bell hooks
Monique Morris Amanda Miller & Sharon Sassler
Divided Sisters
Midge Wilson & Cathy Russell
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Charles Duhigg
wine down 1. The Music! 2. How do you feel about the satirical look at the obsession of the slave narritive in media? 3. How do you feel about the layers of Thug Yoda? 4. Does inviting former partners into your space create confusion or closure? 5. Does the appearance of Ahmal make the show more multidimensional for you?
hella questions “Issa tries to make sense of a cryptic encounter; Lawrence considers crucial decisions; after receiving some harsh truths, Molly plots to join the office “boys club”; Issa and Freida encounter a problematic vice principal.”
Pedagogy of The Oppressed
Paulo Friere
How Black Women Can Close the Pay Gap
Serena Williams
For White Folks Who Teach In The Hood
Christopher Emdin
Black women have to work 7 months into 2017 to be paid the same as white men in 2016
Valerie Wilson, Janelle Jones, Kayla Blado, & Elise Gould
wine down 1. Is there a certain way we think our lives should go? Is there a certain way middle class, college educated, corporate Black women think their lives should go? 2. What are your thoughts on the internalized racism of Mr. Gaines? 3. Molly and Black Women’s pay gap...? 4. Should married couples be more open with their single friends about the realities of marriage? 5.What is your take on Tasha not fitting into a the college-educated, middle class mold of the other characters?
hella open “A sexually frustrated Issa explores a new outlook on dating; on a girl’s night out, Molly meets a promising new guy; Lawrence’s new work friends test his commitment.”
The Hand I Fan With
Tina McElroy Ansa
The Fire Next Time
James Baldwin
Life on Mars
Tracy K. Smith
This is How You Lose Her
Junot Diaz
Love, Freedom, Aloneness: The Koan of Relationships
Osho
Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School
Edited by Mica Pollock
wine down 1. What work does Lawrence need to do work out his issues? 2. How do you know you’ve reached a point in a relationship to invite your into your family life? 3. Is it possible to use class mobility to escape the effects of white supremacy? 4. Is therapy 5. Will Tasha’s actions usher in a new confidence that we haven’t seen from women on the show, or is she overreacting?
hella LA “Issa’s confidence is shaken; Molly hangs with a childhood friend; Lawrence has a wild and crazy night.”
Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism
Patricia Hill Collins
More Than Two: Franklin Veaux A Practical Guide to & Eve Rickert Ethical Polyamory Beyond the Black Lady: Sexuality and the New African American Middle Class (New Black Studies Series)
Lisa B. Thompson
wine down 1. What are your thoughts on open relationships? 2. Can open relationships have an ethical approach? If so are Molly and Dro taking one? 3. What are the benefits and side-effects of using dating apps? 4. Does this episode have an accurate portrayal of women’s sexuality? 5. Is Kelly’s character a fresh voice or a caricature?
hella shook “Issa explores casual relationships; Molly learns some new truths; Lawrence stumbles on news.”
Things I Should Have Told My Daughter
Pearl Cleage
The Autobiography of My Mother
Jamaica Kincaid
In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens
Alice Walker
Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships
Tristan Taormino
Qualified Black Women Sylvia Ann Hewlett Are Being Held Back from & Tai Wingfield Management
wine down 1. What are your thoughts on using our parents’ experiences to justify our own? 2. Does the introduction of the characters’ family life add to the layers or attempt to portray their justifications? 3. When is it safe to let people from our past go? 4. How do our family members secrets impact our decisions? 5. Have your thoughts on polyamory and open relationships changed?
hella blows “Finding herself without a car, Issa is met with disappointment as she maintains her roster. Molly frets about an important friendship while embracing something new. Lawrence gets a rude awakening at work after pitching his app.”
Liberating Sexuality: Starting with Black Women
Dorothy E. Roberts
Tell Me More “A Day In The Life: Blacks At The Cutting Edge Of Innovation” Why ‘Insecure’ Is Not Made ‘for Dudes’ or ‘White People’ Credit Card Debt Is Worse for African Americans Credit Scores in America Perpetuate Racial Injustice
Michel Martin
Brittany Spanos Breanna Edwards Sarah Ludwig
Insecure About ‘Hella Blows”? De-Andrea Blaylock ASK A SEX THERAPIST
wine down 1. Are women still having these conversations about oral sex? 2. Who are the appropriate people and where are the appropriate places to receive sexual education as an adult? 3. What are your thoughts on women perpetuating the infantilization of men? 4. What spaces or times are most comfortable to discuss race? Why are people uncomfortable with naming race as a factor in situations? 5. How can we hold white women and non-Black women of color accountable for intersectional racism and feminism?
hella disrespectful “Tensions run high during Derek and Tiffany’s dinner party. Molly rethinks her future after being forced to come to terms with her romantic realities. Issa tries to make things right ...”
The Little Black Book Elaine Meryl Brown, of Success: Laws of Marsha Haygood, Leadership for Black Women & Rhonda McLean How Exceptional Black Women Lead: Unlocking the Secrets to Creating Phenomenal Success in Career and in Life
Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever
Sister Citizen
wine down Melissa Harris-Perry
1. What are your thoughts on Lawrence’s relationship patterns? 2. Who are the appropriate people to invite to shared spaces when relationships and friendship dynamics change? 3. What are the signs you notice when modern colonialism (gentrification) is taking place? 4. What can be done to combat gentrification or change the effects of gentrification? 5. Can Lawrence’s sexism be redeemed?
hella perspectives “Season Two Finale. Over the course of one pivotal month, Issa, Molly and Lawrence face choices impacting their work and personal lives, with each considering whether to embrace a new future or look back to the past.”
Sister Outsider
Audre Lorde
Black Power: The Politics Kwame Toure of Liberation & Charles V. Hamilton BIG HOMIE BETTER GROW UP Frederick Salyers “4:44” Sends an Important Message About Vulnerability Evicted: Poverty and Profit Matthew Desmond in the American City Underground Misha Green for WGN / HULU How to Kill a City: Peter Moskowitz Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Richard Rothstein
The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love
bell hooks
wine down 1.__________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 2.__________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 3.__________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 4. _________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 5. _________________________________________________________
thank you, contributors Kiersten Gibson-Cooper, MSEd
Literacy Educator
De-Andrea Blaylock, MSW, LCSW
Whitney Wade, MSW
Diversity Practitioner & Ceramic Artist
Liz H. Jordan, Esq.
Katie Schmelzer, M.Ed.
Sex & Relationship Therapist
Caitlin Ladd, MA
Academic & Employee Development Strategist
Attorney
Arts Educator
all images property of HBO.
Dave Giles II
Creative Technologist
curated and designed by Jehan Giles, MA
Educator, GSC