Women's History Month, March 2008

Challenging Power:
Women, Gender, and Culture

The Women’s and Gender Studies program invites you to participate in our celebration of Women's History month. Activities and events will be posted as they are confirmed. Please contact the Women’s and Gender Studies Program office – (734) 487-1177 – if you have questions or need further information.

Attending events marked by this symbol will earn you credit for the Learning Beyond the Classroom Requirement of the new General Education Program.

Paint the Kiosk Red, White, and Blue
Monday March 3rd, Noon, Pray Harrold Kiosk
Let’s kick off Women’s History Month 2008 by painting the Kiosk outside Pray-Harrold! Join Kate Anderson, the WGSSA Interim President, for a study break of red, white, and blue paint, hot cocoa, and donuts. Let the campus know it's Women’s History Month! Remember to wear old clothes! Sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Student Association.

International Women’s Day:
Gender in global perspective
Friday March 7th, 11am, Porter 301
Women from around the world will speak of their lives through story, song, and symbol.  Refreshments from around the world will be served.

Can or Should a Woman be in the Oval Office?
Monday March 10th, 5pm, Student Center 310A  
Michigan politicians, academics, and community representatives will give an overview of women's political representation in the US and around the world, discuss the relationship between women in public office and the advancement of a feminist agenda in legislation and public policy making, and touch on the political and cultural significance of electing a woman to the Oval Office. Presenters include EMU faculty members Joanna Scott, Elaine Martin, and Lisa Laverty
                                                                                                                                             
Gender and the Criminal Justice System
Tuesday March 11th, 11am, Porter 203
EMU faculty members Marilyn Corsianos, Donna Killingbeck, and Paul Leighton will examine various gender issues relating to the criminal justice system. Areas of focus will include the police, corrections, and victimization

Beautiful Daughters Screening
Tuesday March 11th, 7pm, Student Center Auditorium
Join us for a screening of Beautiful Daughters!  This documentary looks at the lives of four transgender women intertwined with the casting, rehearsal and opening of a V-Day benefit production of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues." Stay for an exciting discussion after the documentary ends! Sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center.

Grandmothers of the World: Gender and Age Across Cultures 
Wednesday March 12th, 9:30am,  Porter 203  
Join us for a panel discussion on the intersection of gender and age, as the so-called “Demographic Revolution” and global aging impact societies worldwide. Highlighting the multifaceted nature of women’s lives, the workshop will include presentations by advanced students from various disciplines moderated by EMU faculty member Marisa Ensor.

Narratives of Incarceration: The Pros of Teaching Cons
Thursday March 13th 6pm,  Halle 300
Whether you are an advocate of restorative justice or retributive justice, you’ll want to hear from both instructors and former students about the impact of courses taught at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility.  Why should we bother reaching out to inmates?  What kind of work do inmates produce?  What do they have to contribute?  How dangerous is it to teach in prison?  Also, breakthrough circle journals from two recent courses will be available for public viewing for the first time.  Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.

Interracial/Interethnic Communication Between Women
Friday March 14th, 10am, Halle 217
Discrimination, prejudice, and racism are constant barriers to friendships between women of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. This workshop, coordinated by EMU faculty member Doris Fields, will focus on the elimination of stereotypes, the creation of racial/ethnic understanding, and effective communication strategies and techniques for developing interracial/interethnic relationships among women.

Women & Islam
Monday March 17th, 11am, Student Center Auditorium
Have you ever wanted to know what life is like for Muslim women? Three geographically diverse Muslim EMU students will discuss their struggles growing up in society and their views on women in Islam. This lecture will cover issues such as women’s rights, women converting to Islam, the Hijab and other Islamic clothing, and polygamy in Islam.

KEYNOTE EVENT:
Women, Girls, Ladies
A PANEL ON INTERGENERATIONAL FEMINISM
Tuesday March 18th, 7 pm, Student Center Ballroom

Four generations of feminists will discuss the changes and common goals within the feminist movement. Gloria Feldt, Courtney E. Martin, Deborah Siegal, and Kristal Brent Zook will address topics such as power, work, sex, motherhood, pop culture, and the future. They will emphasize the need for different "waves" of feminists to engage with their feminist colleagues from other generations as well as with women who do not yet consider themselves feminists.

About the Panelists (click on their names to go to their sites):

Gloria Feldt is a 65-year-old author, commentator, speaker, and “freelance rabble rouser” most known for her 30 years of work with the Planned Parenthood Federation of American and her books, The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women’s Rights and How to Fight Back, and Behind Every Choice Is a Story.

Kristal Brent Zook is a 42-year-old, award-winning journalist and author of three books: I See Black People: Interviews with African American Owners of Radio and Television, Black Women’s Lives: Stories of Power and Pain, and Color by Fox: the Fox Network and the Revolution in Black Television.

Deborah Siegel is a 38-year-old consultant on women’s issues and author of the recent book, Sisterhood Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild.

Courtney E. Martin is a 27-year-old journalist, filmmaker, teacher, and author of the newly released book Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body.

FMG (Female Genital Mutilation)
Wednesday March 19th, 11am, Halle G03 Auditorium
Hodan Said, an immigrant woman from Somalia, will tell her story and explain her view about FGM in her home country, explaining the main reasons why women undergo FGM. This event will identify and describe both the medical and cultural sides of the FGM debate.

Until The Violence Stops Documentary Screening
Thursday March 20th, 7pm, Halle G03 Auditorium—Ticket required
Come to a showing of the V-Day documentary, Until The Violence Stops, which will raise funds for local domestic violence/sexual assault shelters.  There will be tickets sold in advance for the viewing as part of EMU’s V-Day campaign. Sponsored by the Women’s Center.

Contraception and its Advocates in the USA, 1831-1965: A Revisionist History
Tuesday March 25th, 7pm, Roosevelt Auditorium
Dr. Gail Bederman, a leading scholar of women’s history from the University of Notre Dame, will present a lecture on the history of birth control in the United States. Sponsored by Phi Alpha Theta/Student History Association.

Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling: How Women Get and Keep Power Positions
Thursday March 27th, 5pm, Halle G03 Auditorium
EMU faculty members Joanna Scott, Elaine Martin, Lisa Laverty, and Claudia Petrescu will discuss women’s access to and performance in positions of power in business, government agencies, academic institutions, the nonprofit sector, community organizations, and political parties

Philosophy/WGST Swim-In Movie Night:
The Princess Bride
Friday March 28th, 7pm, Rec/IM Club Pool
Have you ever wanted to watch a movie in a pool and talk philosophy? Join the EMU Philosophy Club and the Women’s and Gender Studies Student Association for an exciting night of swimming while watching a cult classic, The Princess Bride.  Stay after the movie for an informal discussion about “inconceivable” logic, the cultural imagery of female and male roles found in Buttercup and Wesley, the realism of fairytales, the possibility of being only “mostly dead,” and more! Food , beverages, and floatation devices will be provided. Sponsored by: WGSSA and the Philosophy Club.

Under One Roof: The Bilals Stand Movie Premiere
Monday March 31st, 6:30pm, Student Center Auditorium
In this classic coming-of-age story, a recently widowed African American mother struggles to support her family through her family’s taxi stand while her son, Bilal, is forced to choose between upward mobility and duty to family. As Bilal embarks upon his journey to college, he struggles to define himself as a man and a Muslim despite the oppositional expectations of his mother. Dessert and discussion with cast and crew will immediately follow the viewing. Sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and Hillel.

If you need additional information about any event or would like to bring an entire class to an event, please contact Dr. Linda Schott, interim Director, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, at lschott@emich.edu or Kate Anderson, Graduate Assistant, at kander23@emich.edu.

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