Women's Studies Fall 2009 Events
August 26: Women’s Equality Day, 11-1, Krannert Lobby
Celebrate women obtaining the right to vote in the United States, learn about the suffrage movement, and see what work still needs to be done!
September 14: Welcome Back Party, 2:30p.m, Krannert Faculty Lounge
A social gathering for returning and new WNS majors and minors as well as anyone who is interested in women’s studies. Come join us as we welcome each other back into our fun, open-minded community. Refreshments will be served.
September 14: Film Screening: Generation M: Misogyny in Media & Culture, 6:00, Evans Auditorium
In this important documentary, Thomas Keith looks at misogyny and sexism in mainstream American media, exploring how negative definitions of femininity and hateful attitudes toward women get constructed and perpetuated at the very heart of our popular culture. The film tracks the destructive dynamics of misogyny across a broad and disturbing range of media phenomena: including the hyper-sexualization of commercial products aimed at girls, the explosion of violence in video games aimed at boys, the near-hysterical sexist rants of hip-hop artists and talk radio shock jocks, and the harsh, patronizing caricatures of femininity and feminism that reverberate throughout the mainstream of American popular culture. Along the way, Generation M forces us to confront the dangerous real-life consequences of misogyny in all its forms - making a compelling case that when we devalue more than half the population based on gender, we harm boys and men as well as women and girls. Discussion led by Dr. Susan Logsdon-Conradsen will follow the 54 minute documentary. CE credit.
September 15: Can I Kiss You?, 7:00 pm, Mike Domitrz, College Chapel
Mike Domitrz, a nationally acclaimed speaker on the topic of healthy relationships and sexual assault prevention, presents "Can I Kiss You?" a fun, interactive, and thought-provoking program that focuses on why "asking first" makes all the difference. Domitrz is founder and director of the Safe Date Project, whose mission is creating healthier dating environments, promoting clearer understanding of "consent," and raising awareness on the many issues surrounding sexual assault. CE credit.
September 19: Contra in the Castle, 7:00-10:30, Ford Gym Bring your soft-sole shoes and dance the night away at this Hoppin Harvest Folk Dance. The band is the Cross Town Traffic with caller Janet Shepherd. Sponsored by the Women's Studies program and the Berry Dance Program. This event is free for students with an ID. CE Credit.
September 24-26: Southern Women Writers Conference
This conference recognizes the contributions of southern women to American literature. Scholarly and creative presentations and panel discussions as well as readings and lectures by contemporary authors will explore the ways in which women from the South have used their writing to examine the broadly defined concepts of home and homecomings. The theme for the 2009 conference is “Many Souths: Remembering, Sustaining, Creating.” In recent decades, monolithic conceptions of the U.S. South have given way to more nuanced and particularized ways of understanding and representing the region. Yet even a cursory glance at the literary history of “the South” reveals writing marked from the very beginning by an awareness and appreciation of localized, subregional difference. Women writers have given us indelible images of regions within the region, from the mountain South to the Mississippi Delta, the Low Country to Cajun Country, and the continental-flavored coastal cities to the suburban Sunbelt. Coinciding with these geographical subregions, differences in gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, class, sexuality, and spirituality reveal additional “Souths” within “the South.” This year’s conference theme invites attendees to explore the ways in which southern women have used the written word to evoke these and other Souths, whether through remembering, sustaining, or creating. Visit the Southern Women Writers Conference page for details on the various sessions.
September 24-27 & October 1-4, Getting Out, E.H. Young Theatre
This play written by American playwright Marsha Norman deals with a young woman just paroled after serving an eight-year prison sentence for robbery, kidnapping, and manslaughter. Living in a rundown apartment in Louisville, she is intent on staring her life over and has found strength in religion. But her struggle to find her way in the present is counterpointed by flashbacks of her past. Ultimately the play, like life offers no simple answers – but it conveys, with heartrending honesty and compassion, the struggle of someone fighting for her life against incredible odds. Tickets required. CE credit.
September 30, A Boy, a Girl, a Virus, Shawn Decker & Gwenn Barringer, 8:00, College ChapelHIV education: humorist, author and speakers. “Shawn met Gwenn. They fell in love. Shawn has HIV. Gwenn doesn't. They keep it that way. When Shawn and Gwenn met, they never thought their relationship would be an open book or a tool for HIV education. But that’s exactly what happened when friends encouraged the couple to go public with their healthy attitude towards sexual responsibility. For the last several years, they have spoken on hundreds of campuses, bringing humor and honesty to the sensitive subject of sexual health. Shawn discuses his many years of living with HIV, having been infected as a child, and the two explain how Gwenn remains HIV negative in their relationship” ( shawnandgwenn.com). Co-sponsored by the Peer Educators. CE Pending.
October 5, Film Screening: Dreamworlds III: Desire, Sex, & Power in Music Video, 6 p.m., Evans Auditorium
Dreamworlds 3, the highly anticipated update of Sut Jhally's groundbreaking Dreamworlds 2 (1995), examines the stories contemporary music videos tell about girls and women, and encourages viewers to consider how these narratives shape individual and cultural attitudes about sexuality. Illustrated with hundreds of up-to-date images, Dreamworlds 3 offers a unique and powerful tool for understanding both the continuing influence of music videos and how pop culture more generally filters the identities of young men and women through a dangerously narrow set of myths about sexuality and gender. In doing so, it inspires viewers to reflect critically on images that they might otherwise take for granted. Discussion will follow the 60 minute documentary. CE credit.
October 21, Film Screening: I was a Teenage Feminist, 6:00, Evans Auditorium
Why is it that some young, independent, progressive women in today's society feel uncomfortable identifying with the F-word? Join filmmaker Therese Shechter as she takes a funny, moving and very personal journey into the heart of feminism. Armed with a video camera and an irreverent sense of humor, Shechter talks with feminist superstars, rowdy frat boys, liberated Cosmo girls and Radical Cheerleaders, all in her quest to find out whether feminism can still be a source of personal and political power.
In this enlightening documentary, screened worldwide, Shechter hunts down the answers to questions many women are grappling with about their roles and identities in today’s society: Is feminism dead, hibernating, or trapped below the radar? Have the goals of the ‘70s been accomplished or have feminism’s opponents appropriated and denigrated the movement beyond all recognition? If so, how did this happen? Do you have to be political to be a feminist? And do you even have to be female? With home movies clips of Shechter as a budding feminist, archival materials from old health classes, and music by Ani DiFranco, Lavababy, Gina Young, Moxie Starpark and the legendary Helen Reddy, I WAS A TEENAGE FEMINIST redefines the F-Word for a new generation. Discussion will follow this 62 minute documentary, led by Dr. Christy Snider. CE credit.
November 2, Film Screening: Made in L.A., 6:00, Evans Auditorium
Made in L.A. is an Emmy award-winning feature documentary (70 min) that follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from trendy clothing retailer Forever 21. In intimate observational style, Made in L.A. reveals the impact of the struggle on each woman’s life as they are gradually transformed by the experience. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice. Discussion will follow this 70 minute documentary. CE credit.
November 6 & 7, Ten Thousand Villages Festival, Krannert 10-2.
Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by artisans from more than 130 artisan groups in 38 countries. As one of the world's oldest and largest fair trade organizations, Ten Thousand Villages has spent more than 60 years cultivating long-term buying relationships in which artisans receive a fair price for their work and consumers have access to unique gifts, accessories and home decor from around the world. This event, sponsored by many programs on campus, will bring a global marketplace of fair trade merchandise to the Berry and Rome community. Festival sales are overflowing with intriguing, handcrafted merchandise ranging from folk art to ceramics, textiles, baskets, jewelry and musical instruments.
November 11: No Doormats Here: Contradictions and Complexities among Southern Baptist Women. Dr. Susan Shaw, 4:00, Krannert 217 Dr. Susan Shaw, professor of Women's Studies at Oregon State University, Corvalis and Berry alums, will speak about her recently published book which included interviews of Southern Baptist women of all ages around the country. This event is co-sponsored by the Religion & Philosophy Department and the Religion-in-Life program. CE Credit.
November 11, Film Screening: Poto Mitan & Discussion by Filmmaker Renee Bergan, 6:00, Evans Auditorium Told through the compelling lives of five courageous Haitian women workers, Poto Mitan gives the global economy a human face. Each women's personal story explains neoliberal globalization, how it is gendered, and how it impacts Haiti: inhumane working/ living conditions, violence, poverty, lack of education, and poor health care. While Poto Mitan offers in-depth understanding of Haiti, its focus on women's subjugation, worker exploitation, poverty, and resistance demonstrate that despite monumental obstacle sin a poor country like Haiti, collective action makes change possible. After the 50 minute documentary, join the filmmaker in a discussion. CE Credit.
November 18, Film Screening: The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality & Relationships, 6:00, Evans Auditorium
Once relegated to the margins of society, pornography has emerged as one of the most visible and profitable sectors of the cultural industries, assuming an unprecedented role in the mainstream of our popular culture at the same time that its content has become more extreme and harsh, more overtly sexist and racist. This eye-opening and disturbing film tackles the complexity behind this seeming paradox, placing the voices of critics, producers, and performers alongside the observations of men and women as they candidly discuss the role pornography has played in shaping their sexual imaginations and relationships. Honest and non-judgmental, The Price of Pleasure moves beyond the liberal versus conservative debates so common in the culture to paint a myth-busting and nuanced portrait of how pleasure and pain, commerce and power, liberty and responsibility have become intertwined in the most intimate area of our lives.
Viewer discretion advised: contains violence, nudity, and sexual imagery. To read a review visit http://www.mediamouse.org/news/2009/01/price-of-pleasure.php
Discussion will follow the 55 minute documentary. CE credit.
Women’s Studies End of Semester Party, TBA,
Come join us as we celebrate the end of the semester, wish our graduating seniors good luck, and revel in each others company.