Have a Happy and Safe Holiday Break: From GWS!

GWS Student Spotlight: Lizzie O'Hara!

Name: Lizzy O'Hara

Year in school: Freshman

Majors and minors: Undeclared, Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to: Italy

Favorite GWS class: Gender in the World

Why do you study GWS/why is it important to you? 

I decided to study GWS because I believe it is important to learn the ways that patriarchal systems affect every single person’s life on a day to day basis, and I hope that with this knowledge I can work to help groups of people negatively affect by these systems in the most severe ways.

GWS Faculty Member Valerie Joyce gives a TEDx Talk!

Check out this TEDx Talk given by GWS Steering Committee member Valerie Joyce. Below is a description of the presentation by TEDx Talks.

"African-American women, from colonial times through the early nineteenth century, found ways to make bold choices within the confines of their situations. Why don’t we know more of their names? What are their stories? To recuperate the lost lives of these eloquent, inspirational, and heroic women, we must dig deep, because too often they only remain as traces left in the records written by others. In order to conjure their genuine voices, to embody their actual experiences, we need to value imagination as much as evidence, in order to begin creating an American history that embraces the whole of history.

Valerie Joyce is an Associate Professor in Villanova’s Theatre Department with a PhD in Theatre History and Performance Studies from University of Maryland. She has published and presented her research, which cuts across race, genre, and historical period, centering on cultural constructs of gender and the theatre’s role in shaping American womanhood, in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences internationally. Her current book project examines African-American women before Emancipation through her play, I Will Speak for Myself, which mixes performance texts and primary historical artifacts to illuminate African American women’s lost experiences from the Colonial period through the Civil War.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community." 

Call for Papers: 27th Annual Gender and Women’s Studies Student Research Conference

27th Annual Gender and Women’s Studies Student Research Conference Call for Papers

Deadline for Submission: Friday, February 12, 2016 
       To Be Presented on: Thursday, April 7, 2016

Each year the Villanova Gender and Women’s Studies Program hosts a student research conference.  It is an exciting opportunity to showcase your work, discuss your interests with other students and faculty, and see the broad range of intellectual disciplines Gender and Women’s Studies encompasses.

Submit your paper to compete for a CASH AWARD in one of the following three categories:

1.      Papers or creative works by first year undergraduates (4-10 pages)

2.      Papers or creative works by sophomores, juniors, and seniors (5-20 pages)

3.      Papers or creative works by graduate students (12-30 pages)

The Barbara Wall Award for Feminist Praxis may be given to a paper that demonstrates a commitment to practical applications of feminist theory.

Eligibility

 
Essays and creative work must engage gender, sexuality, or feminist theories; a biographical or historical account of women or a woman is not sufficient. For example, a paper might: critically explore actions and reactions caused by gender prejudice or discuss how gender functions in some aspect of society; analyze a text using elements from feminist theory; or report an empirical study that engages gender. All papers must have been written during Spring or Fall 2015 or written specifically for the conference.

We encourage submission of alternative forms of scholarship, including but not limited to original scripts, poetry, or films that engage gender analysis. If the feminist or gender analysis is not overt in the creative work itself, the work should be accompanied by an essay that explains the theory's application.

Submission Guidelines 

·         Essays should be formatted in Word, using 12 pt. Times New Roman font with 1 inch margins, and page numbers.

·         Outside sources, documented in a bibliography or reference section, are strongly encouraged.

·         Include a cover sheet with the following information: student’s name, major or program and year of graduation, mailing and email addresses, phone number, and the name of the course and professor for which the paper was written (if any).

·         Marks of identification, except for the work’s title, should not appear anywhere else in the paper.

·         Please email the paper as a Word document to ecs.villanova@gmail.comby February 12, 2016.

All papers will be presented at the conference on Thursday, April 7.

Attendance at the conference constitutes an excused absence from classes.

Questions? Email us: gws.villanova@gmail.com or call 610-519-3815

GWS Student Spotlight: Aimee Lee Russell!

Name: Aimee Lee Russell

Year in school: Junior

Majors and minors: Psychology and French and Francophone Studies, Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies

Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to: London, England and Paris, France (I love them both equally)

Favorite GWS class: Philosophy of Women and Muslim Women, Sexuality and the Veil (they are both AMAZING, with WONDERFUL professors)

Why do you study GWS/why is it important to you? 

I think GWS is important because it is another way in which to approach global issues of social justice. I believe that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities in life. Gender and sex should not be factors that eliminates choices for a person. I feel that Gender and Women's Studies push a person to get outside of their comfort zone and see the world through a new lens. It can be daunting at times to see and explore the world through another point of view but it helps you to be a well-rounded individual as you can acknowledge a concern from a perspective that might not be dominant in the discourse. 

Final GWS Event of the Semester!

Dr. Heidi Rose’s Voice and Diction class and Dr. Shauna MacDonald’s Performance Art class will be presenting a final performance “Experiments in Voice and Body: Performing Positions, Perspectives, and Power.” This will be a performance created and presented by students. The event is free and open to the public.

This performance will be presented on Friday, December 4 at 5:00 PM in Garey Hall, Communication Studio.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Gender and Women's Studies program!

For some holiday reading, check out this article from About News, "Women, Thanksgiving and Gender Roles - The Thanksgiving Gender Divide" here.

And remember....

SAVE THE DATE: VU Women in Tech

On Saturday, January 30, a number of VU colleges and programs are organizing a half-day series of seminars and sessions highlighting women in various technology fields. Registration is limited, so I encourage you to register now (or sooner rather than later), if you plan to attend. Lunch will be provided, and the 15 or so speakers (soon to be finalized - almost all are confirmed) are most excellent. This will be a good opportunity to learn about and explore all sorts of tech career possibilities. All are welcome, even those with little to no tech experience but who want to learn more.  

For more information, check out this link: http://www.vuwomenintech.org/

GWS Student Spotlight: Kendall Connolly!

Name: Kendall Connolly

Year in school: Freshman

Majors and minors: Major in Nursing, Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies

Hometown: Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to: Puerto Rico

Favorite GWS class: Since I am only a freshman, I have not taken a course yet but I am looking forward to taking Gender in the World during my Spring semester of 2016.

Why do you study GWS/why is it important to you? 

I study GWS because I want to represent my gender in the fight for equal rights. Being a woman means being strong, not emotional, it means being passionate and powerful, not dramatic and weak. In today's society, women are masculinized whereas men are not feminized. I want to be able to be a woman and not have to be compared to a man, and because of that, I strive to educate myself to the best of my ability about gender and women's studies.

GWS student Spotlight: Brittany Flippen!

Name: Brittany Flippen

Year in school: Junior

Majors and minors: Major in Sociology & minor in Gender and Women’s Studies

Hometown: Philadelphia

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to: Florida

Favorite GWS class: Sociology of Gender

Why do you study GWS/why is it important to you? 

I study Gender and Women’s Studies because it is interesting to learn about gender and its history of where expectations and roles surrounding men and women emerged. These expectations guide the way in which people view one another and thus allows me to study and analyze the reasoning as to why certain behaviors are viewed the way they are. GWS is also interesting because I learn of the struggles endured by women, but most importantly the rise and of women’s rights to a variety of things such as jobs and the continuous achievements in today’s society. Therefore, gaining knowledge about gender and how society continues to dictate expectations and roles of every human being is essential which is why I study Gender and Women’s studies.

Buzzfeed Article: Volunteering At An Abortion Clinic Made Me Lose Patience With The Abortion Debate

Take a look at this Buzzfeed article written by a woman who volunteers as an escort at an abortion clinic. She discusses her experiences shielding women entering abortion clinics from aggressive, often times cruel, pro-life protestors.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kayetoal/what-i-wish-everyone-knew-when-they-talked-about-abortion

"Sex is a Funny Word"

A revolutionary children's book called "Sex is a Funny Word" is “’the first trans-inclusive book for kids,’ but it also uses inclusionary language and diverse representation across race, ability, gender, and sexuality, to hone in on the most important aspects of discussing sex and bodies with kids aged 8-12.”

Below are some illustrations pulled from book and the link to the Buzzfeed article where you can read more about it is here. 

GWS Student Spotlight: Sophie Sitar!

Name: Sophie Sitar

Year in school: Sophomore

Majors and minors: Undeclared Major, but heavily leaning towards psychology. Minoring in Gender and Women's Studies!

Hometown: Chatham, NJ

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to: The summer before freshman year at Villanova, my two best friends from high school and I spent a month backpacking Europe. We stayed in hostels and slept together on a single twin bed every night. We lived on nothing while experiencing everything. My favorite place of the trip had to be Interlaken, Switzerland. The water, the mountains, the people, the food- just all of it felt surreal.

Favorite GWS class: I actually just declared my minor a few weeks ago and recently transferred from the nursing school to the college of arts, so I have not taken classes yet. I am set to take Gender and the World as well as Sports and Society in the spring so I am very excited.

Why do you study GWS/why is it important to you? 

Growing up I was raised in a socially liberal home where I was constantly pushed to be independent and self-reliant. My parents have always supported my endeavors but they have taught me how important it is to pursue your ambitions and be able to rely on yourself to live the life you want. Women generally are not pushed to follow this simply because they are often seen as a more "sensitive" or "weaker" sex. While this stereotype is constantly evolving, many women are not striving for their potentials because society limits their goals and degrades their abilities. I am studying GWS because I want to help other women become independent and not relent on others. Everyone deserves an equal chance and should push themselves to reach their goals. Limitations based on sex need to stop being so apparent in today’s society.

GWS Documentary Film Screening: "The Empowerment Project"

GWS Event: Perspectives and Experiences of Women in Engineering: A Panel of Recent Graduates

GWS Student Spotlight: Marisol Rosado-Perez

Name: Marisol Rosado-Perez

Year in school: Senior

Majors and minors: Psychology Major, GWS Minor

Hometown: New York City

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to: Amsterdam and Barcelona

Why do you study GWS/why is it important to you? 

Gender and Women's Studies have always been apart of who I am. I was raised by a single mother who made the best decision for my education and put me into an all girl institution that nurtured the womanist within me at an early age. When I entered college and learned that there is a whole field of study dedicated to my passion I knew I had to get involved. At its core GWS is important to me because it validates the fact that every human has dignity and deserves respect. This message has changed who I am as a person and has helped me develop throughout my time at Villanova.

GWS Event: The Unbearable Whiteness of the Women's World Cup, 2015

The GWS Spring 2015 Course Listing is Here!

COURSE NUMBER	COURSE TITLE	INSTRUCTOR	TIME
AAH 3001-001	Women in Art	Jeanne Brody	TR 8:30-9:45
ECO 3118-001	Women and the Economy	Cheryl Carleton	MWF 1:30-2:45
ENG 4690-001	Detecting Gender American Fiction	Jean Lutes	TR 2:30-3:45
ENG 2045-001/ CST 4100-001	Pop Cultures and Everyday Life	Karyn Hollis	MW 3:00-4:15
ENG 4691-001	Reading Sexualities in American Lit	Travis Foster	TR 10:00-11:15
GWS 2050-001	Gender and the World	Jean Lutes	TR 1:00-2:15
GWS 2993-001	GWS Internship	Lisa Sewell	TBD
GWS 5000-001	Recent Feminist Lit	Heather Hicks	TR 2:30-3:45
HIS 1075-100	Global Women  and Daily Life	Gina Talley	MW 6:00-7:15
HIS 1150-001	Gender and Conquest in the Atlantic World	Catherine Kerrison	MWF 12:30-1:20
HIS 4528-001	Women in Modern Science & Tech	Jeffrey Johnson	MW 1:30-2:45
NUR 2200-001	Healthy Lifestyles and Human Values	Maryann Cantrell	M 5:00-7:45
PHI 2410-001	Philosophy of Sex  and Love	Chaone Mallory	TR 4:00-5:15
PHI 2410-001	Philosophy of Sex  and Love	Chaone Mallory	R 6:00-9:30
PHI 4140-001	Philosophy of Contemporary Music	John Carvalho	MW 4:30-5:45
PJ 2800-001	Race, Class, and Gender	John Patrick Schultz	R 6:10-8:50
PSY 2450-001	Psychology of Gender	Katina Sawyer	TR 4:00-5:15
SOC 2300-001	Sociology of the Family	Donna Shai	MWF 12:20-1:30
SOC 3500-001	Sociology of Gender	Melissa Hodges	TR 1:00-2:15
SOC 4200-001	Sports and Society	Rick Eckstein	MWF 8:30-9:20
SOC 4200-001	Sports and Society	Rick Eckstein	MWF 9:30-10:20
HON 4951 SOC/PJ	Intercollegiate Athletics	Rick Eckstein	MWF 10:30-11:20
THL 4250-001	Global Poverty and Justice	Suzanne Toton	MW 3:00-4:15
THL 4250-002	Global Poverty and Justice	Suzanne Toton	MW 4:30-5:45