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"