Volume 216 | May 11, 2021

2021 Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Graduation & Awards Ceremony

Join us tomorrow, May 12th at 5PM EST, for our combined undergraduate and graduate awards and graduation ceremony! We are excited to celebrate the many accomplishments of our student community and this year's recipients of the WGSS end of year awards. WGSS graduates and their family and friends should RSVP their attendance.

Events Last Week: India's Second Wave COVID Crisis: Views from the Ground

Amidst growing concern over the second wave of the pandemic in South Asia, Professors Kavita Daiya (Director, WGSS Program) and Deepa Ollapally (Associate Director, The Sigur Center for Asian Studies) co-organized and co-moderated a virtual panel discussion with GW alumni on "India’s Second Wave COVID Crisis: Views from the Ground" on May 7, 2021 hosted by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies in the Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA). This panel featured four CCAS and ESIA alumni currently in India, who analyzed the public health, security, and political considerations of the resurging COVID-19 outbreaks in India: Tanvi Banerjee, Rahul Bhatia, Vaibhav Jain, and Akshaya Sadras. CCAS Dean Paul Wahlbeck attended and gave opening remarks which affirmed solidarity with India, and with members of the GW community who have ties to India. Dean Wahlbeck also affirmed the relevance of the engaged liberal arts which this panel exemplified, showing the urgent and civic relevance of scholarship on politics, public health, and policy. Attended by over 60 members of the GW community, this event illuminated the public health challenges and dire vaccine and oxygen shortages for COVID patients in India. When asked by Professor Daiya how the GW community could help with the crisis, panelists encouraged us to donate to verified organizations doing work directly in local Indian communities. They also suggested that we should call our U.S. representatives and urge them to work toward the U.S. donating vaccines, and to distribute aid to the states directly impacted. Finally, they reflected on the political implications for India’s image and reputation in international relations given the policy failures worsening this pandemic. For more information about this panel, read this article in GW Today!

Faculty Spotlight

Congratulations to WGSS Executive Committee member, Professor Elizabeth Chacko, Associate Provost, who recently published an article, "Our Unwitting Autobiography", that followed protests in 2020. Published in Places Journal, this article articulates the  public yearning macro and micro, near and far, in a summer of protest in Washington, D.C. through pictures of protest signs. Take a glimpse into D.C. during the international Black Lives Matter Protests in 2020 now! Pictured: Professor Elizabeth Chack

Student Spotlight

Congratulations to MA student Vedia Barnett for her paper "Lest We Forget Their Agony: Remembering the Resistance" being accepted for the 5th Global Meeting: Slavery Past, Present and Future, to be held virtually and hosted by Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana! Pictured: Vedia Barnett

Congratulations to MA student Hannah Stein for recently publishing a piece on Women In and Beyond the Global called "Who is a Citizen?" Hannah's poem challenges the recent laws aimed to prevent transgender people from participating in sports, and you can read the powerful piece here.

Pictured: Lindsay Hecox, a transgender athlete and activist referenced in Stein's poem.

Other Upcoming Events

The Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), are pleased to host the 2021 Future Strategy Forum, an initiative to connect scholars who research national security with its leading practitioners from May 10-May 12. The 3-day forum is open to all and a full schedule of events is available. Register for the main forum now! There will also be a virtual war-game simulation for participants to enjoy on May 12 at 1pm. The war game explores the relationship between new technologies, domestic politics, conventional military capabilities, and nuclear threats. Players simulate decisionmaking roles in a national security cabinet and come to the war game as leaders in private industry, government, academia, and the military. Register for the war-game simulation happening on May 12!

Join The Wilson Center on June 14 at 4:00 PM for "For the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality. In a bold rewriting of twentieth-century political history, Dorothy Sue Cobble reclaims social democracy as a central thread of American feminism and shows how global forces, peoples, and ideas shaped US politics and social movements. She follows egalitarian women’s activism from the democracy movements before World War I to the upheavals of the New Deal and the Cold War, to the reassertion of conservatism and the revival of female-led movements today. American women, she argues, pushed the nation and the world toward democracy and greater equality. Register for this event now!

Summer 2021 WGSS Courses

Summer session one starts in less than one week! We hope you will consider enrolling in a few of our wonderful summer courses. Find a full list of our summer courses and other WGSS-related courses this summer our blog site!

Postcolonialism, Race, and Gender in Global Anglophone Literature and Film   Instructor: Professor Kavita Daiya Course: WGSS 2710/ENGL 2710W CRN: 82137 Mode: Online Period: 5/17 - 6/26   This summer, explore how race and gender shaped modern travel in international Anglophone literature and cinema from 1890 to the present. Feminist, postcolonial, and critical race theory, engaged with modern literature, graphic narratives, and film. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement. This course is also being offered in summer session II (06/28/21 - 08/07/21). Register with CRN 83110 for WGSS 2710 and CRN 83111 for ENGL 2710W.

Introduction to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies   Instructor: Professor Cayo Gamber Course: WGSS 2120W/UW 2020W CRN: Session 1: 81529 Session 2: 81853 Mode: Fully Online and Asynchronus Period: Session 1: 5/17 - 6/26 Session 2: 6/28-8/07   This course is designed to give students with diverse backgrounds and disciplines a basic understanding of the debates and perspectives discussed in the field of WGSS as well as the larger theoretical scope of feminism. The course will ask questions such as: What is feminism? What role do gender, sexuality, and intersectionality play in terms of understanding the varieties of human experience? How are issues of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality constructed and defined? In order to answer those questions, we will interrogate our responses/relationships to various texts – including academic arguments, personal narratives, advertisements, films, YouTube videos, celebrities, consumer goods – as they are inflected by our evolving understanding of feminism and social justice.

Women in Islam   Instructor: Professor Kelly Pemberton Course: WGSS 3481/REL 3481 CRN: 81531 Mode: Online Meeting Time(s): Fully online and asynchronous Period: 6/28 - 8/07   This course will investigate gender identity and relationships between men and women in Islam theologically, historically, culturally, and in consideration of political, social, and economic developments. Lectures will investigate how constructions, articulations, and understandings of women in Islam emerge in different aspects of the lives of women and men in Muslim countries and communities around the world.

Other Summer Courses on Gender

Women and Leadership in Africa    Instructor: Professor Liberata Mulamula Course: IAF 6118 CRN: 81377 Mode: Online Meeting Time(s): Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:00 - 1:15PM Period: 5/17 - 6/26   Special topics lecture. Registration is restricted to graduate students only.

Shakespeare on Film   Instructor: Professor Alexa Alice Joubin Course: ENG 3440W CRN: 82667 Mode: Online Meeting Time(s): Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:20 - 3:35PM Period: 5/17 - 6/26 This course fulfills a WID requirement. Learn about race, gender, and fantasy through analyzing films as works of art to identify key components of Shakespeare's plays through film adaptations.

Gender and Development   Instructor: Professor Christie Arendt Course: IAF 6138 CRN: 82318 Mode: Online Meeting Time(s): Wednesdays, 7:10 - 8:30PM Period: 5/17 - 8/21 Special topics lecture. Registration is restricted to graduate students only.

Violence Against Women in Latin America   Instructor: Professor Carla Maenza  Course: IAF 6503 CRN: 82481 Mode: Online Meeting Time(s):  Saturday and Sunday, 10:00AM - 1:00PM Period: 7/10 - 7/18 This course is worth 1 credit hour and meets 7/10, 7/11, 7/17, and 7/18.

Fall 2021 Course Registration

Fall 2021 registration opened on April 15th. Check out the below list of WGSS courses for your Fall schedule! Also, view a complete list of undergraduate WGSS and WGSS-related courses as well as graduate WGSS courses.

This course examines ten great contemporary novels and graphic narratives that explore the aesthetics and politics of gender, race, belonging, and globalization. Authors students will read include Jhumpa Lahiri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith, Patricia Williams, Dina Nayeri, Malaka Gharib, Thi Bui, Judith Butler, and others. This course meets Mondays 4:10-6:00 PM. Register today!

What would a hypothetical 1 million US deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic mean for future mortality rates at the population level? Demographers are well equipped to answer this question, and after taking this course so will you!

Are Asian Americans invisible, or hypervisible? How do the stereotypes of the geisha, the nerd, the refugee, and the model minority translate into stereotypes of dragon ladies, kung fu masters, spies, terrorists, sex workers, and disposable laborers? How do these stereotypes lead to cultural marginalization, political invisibility, and physical attacks? Conversely, how do Asian American scholars, writers, and critics reframe the discourses of America as a land of opportunity or of entrenched racism? Given a space of our own in history, literature, film, and theory, what stories will we tell? Key topics will include gender, sexuality, race, intersectionality, imperialism, migration, exclusion, internment, interracial triangulation, melancholy, and countermemory. Readings and viewings may include Thi Bui, Anita Desai, Jessica Hagedorn, Mohsin Hamid, Cathy Park Hong, David Henry Hwang, Maxine Hong Kingston, Mira Nair, John Okada, Anna Deveare Smith, Jade Snow Wong, and others.  When taken as ENGL 2100, this course fulfills a GPAC Humanities/Critical Thinking requirement and fulfills requirements in the English major and the Asian American Studies minor (pending CCAS approval). For additional information, contact Prof. Chu at pattychu@gwu.edu.

Beginning with the publication of Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (which was written while she was a member of the philosophy department at GW) in 1990 the theoretical impact of Judith Butler’s work within and outside of philosophy has been such that she can be considered as a contemporary philosophical exemplar of what Michel Foucault, in “What is an Author?” refers to as “founders of discursivity” or the creators of new discursive fields. Such “an author’s name” he argued, “is not simply an element in a discourse….such a name permits one to group together a certain number of texts, define them, differentiate them from and contrast them to others. In addition, it establishes a relationship among the texts.” (107)* This proseminar will dive deeply into several key Butler texts from the 1990s through 2020, focusing on each text individually and on the multiple threads that link them together. We will also discuss the theoretical and practical impact of her body of work as this latter has evolved over the last 30+ years. *Michel Foucault, "What is an Author" The Foucault Reader. Ed. Paul Rabinow. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984 If you have any questions or would like to see a syllabus, please email Professor Gail Weiss.  This course is intended for Philosophy juniors/seniors. Open to graduate students and may be taken for graduate credit. Open to WGSS juniors/seniors.

Black Women & the ERA

Join the Waltham Public Library for its "Black Women & the ERA" event on Thursday, June 17 at 7 pm. There is no registration required; you can watch this event on YouTube at Women & the ERA. This event will explore that fact that on January 27, 2020, Virginia became the 38th state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. If passed, the ERA would guarantee equal rights to all Americans, regardless of gender. It seeks to end legal distinctions between men and women in divorce, property, employment, and other areas. What does the ERA mean to Black women? Dr. Mary Phillips of the Lehman College of City University of New York (CUNY) will give an overview of the ERA's implications, its impact on Black women in particular, and what Black feminists - and popular culture - are saying about it.

Survey on LGBTQ+ Friendship

LGBTQ+ sociology student Tess Bolen is conducting a senior thesis on LGBTQ+ friendship to gain insight into how people define LGBTQ+ friendship and understand its role during common LGBTQ+ experiences. If interested, please fill out this survey. It should only take 5-10 minutes, and responses are completely anonymous. If you have any questions about the survey, email Tess.

Latino Student Fund

The Latino Student Fund is an organization that provides various educational opportunities to low income, specifically Latinx, students in the DC area. They are looking for new volunteers who are passionate about working with students and/or the Latinx community. This is a semester long virtual service with different weekly sessions depending on availability. If interested, please fill out this interest form through GivePulse. Please email engagedc@gwu.edu with any questions, or visit the Latino Student Fund's website for more information.

Call For Applications: Essay and Paper Submissions

2022 Northeast Modern Language Association Convention The NEMLA Fifty Third Annual Convention will be taking place in March 2022. The conference will be sponsored and hosted by Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with NeMLA's administrative host institution, the University at Buffalo. The keynote speaker for next year's event will be Professor Judith Butler. Valeria Luiselli, author of the prize-winning Lost Children Archive (the 2022 novel for "NeMLA Reads Together"), will give the opening address.  The session submission deadline for the 2022 Northeast Modern Language Association Convention in Baltimore, MD (March 10-13, 2022) has been extended to May 20, 2021! Please submit your Session Proposals!

The ReVisionist The ReVisionist is an online publication platform, run by Women's History graduate students at Sarah Lawrence College, which actively seeks to promote interdisciplinary work from around the world. Each month, the editorial team selects a theme through which publications may tie together. They publish everything from poetry to research to video content, as well as promote the authors we work with on our social media pages.  Our theme for March is "Womxn's History Month: Faces and Narratives of COVID." Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the month. You can find their submission guidelines and tips on this short page. They also highly recommend viewing a few articles on their website to familiarize yourself with our content. Written submissions can range from 500 to 1000 words and we work collaboratively with audio/visual content creators. Founded by Gerda Lerner as the first Women's History M.A. program in the United States in 1972, ReVisionist scholars continuously work to build a more intersectional and interdisciplinary understanding of women's history. The ReVisionist aims to provide young scholars, activists, creatives, and visionaries with a platform on which to share their knowledge and voices, as well as engage in professional development. Please send all inquiries and submissions to slcwhblog@gm.slc.edu.

Feminist Essay Project - Blog Writing Opportunity The Feminist Essay Project (FEP) is a new blog space that publishes personal essays written by womxn, hoping to inspire intersectional feminism in the scope of our current national situation. The essays focus on a range of topics from mental health to impostor syndrome to disrupting Eurocentric beauty standards. There are no limitations on who can write or what topic can be written about.  FEP is seeking essayists to share their experiences. While the essays function similarly to OpEds, they also rely on creative expression of personal experiences. As FEP is a new website still looking to establish its voice, FEP encourages a lot of creativity in essays, both in content and structure.  For more information, contact the Feminist Essay Project.

400 Year Range This project was started in the aftermath of the brutal murder of George Floyd by the four officers of the Minneapolis Police Department. Black women are not exempt from these extrajudicial murders by the police, as the cases of Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Sandra Bland, Deborah Danner, and others illustrate.  The project aims to bring a diverse set of voices on racism, inequality, police brutality and killing, and the historical processes that produce and perpetuates violence against Black and Brown people. Submissions can include historical and/or modern examples that focus on Black, Brown, and Native American women's experiences, and their representation in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.  COMMENTARIES CAN INCLUDE, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:      * Your reaction to the video and the unfolding events     * A Call for Mama     * White supremacy     * Police brutality and excessive force     * White privilege     * Criminalization of Black, Brown and Native American bodies     * Systematic violence and over-policing of Black, Brown and Native American bodies     * Economic inequalities in Black, Brown and Native American communities     * Militarization of police     * The evolution from slave-catchers to law enforcement (the hunt of Black, Brown, and Native American bodies)     * Use of force against protesters     * Histories of white violence on Black, Brown and Native American people (anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa massacre: the black wall street)     * White women weaponizing their tears to oppress women of color     * White women threats against people of color (recent examples of Amy Cooper, Svitlana Flom, etc)     * Damsel in Distress     * Or any other areas you want to focus on Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis. There is no length requirement. To submit your paper, email it to azuka@africaresource.com with the subject line "Commentary on the 400 Year Rage."

The Al-Raida Journal is accepting academic and non-academic submissions to be peer reviewed and published! Al-Raida grew in size and scope and today is a bi-annual, interdisciplinary journal that publishes a wide range of material including but not limited to academic research, journalistic articles, poetry and prose, conference reports, activist testimonials, and practitioner reviews with attention to gender in the Middle East and its diasporas. To inquire about the submission process and submit your work, contact al-raida@lau.edu.lb.

Job and Internship Opportunities

Lawrence University invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender Studies for the academic year 2021-22. The Gender Studies program at Lawrence is comprised of affiliated faculty from throughout the university. The candidate will be committed to interdisciplinarity and be able to effectively work with colleagues across various disciplines. A successful candidate will demonstrate engagement in an active research program and excellence in teaching. Teaching duties entail five courses over three terms, including Introduction to Gender Studies, Intersectional Feminist Theories, a Research Methodologies course, and a seminar on a topic of the candidate’s choosing. They encourage applications from individuals who will help them create a more inclusive Lawrence by: (1) further diversifying the faculty and/or; (2) demonstrating experience with successful diversity-related initiatives, creative activity or research; and (3) showing interest in developing inclusive pedagogy to address the needs of a diverse student body.  Ph.D. in Gender Studies or a graduate certificate/minor in Gender Studies, though ABD candidates in Gender Studies will be considered. Teaching experience in Gender Studies required. Applicants should submit a cover letter, C.V., a sample syllabus, and separate statements on research, teaching, and diversity; a writing sample and three letters of recommendation may be requested at a later time. Review of applications will begin May 15 and continue until the position is filled. For more information, contact Elizabeth Carlson (elizabeth.carlson@lawrence.edu).

The International Republican Institute is seeking applicants for a Program Officer in the field of Women's Democracy Work. The PO is responsible for designing and implementing a strategy for IRI's programs in her/his countries of assignment. They closely monitors and analyzes political and economic developments in countries of responsibility, develops program ideas, and drafts proposals on a range of democracy and assistance programs. They also identify program partners and develops and maintains close relationships with them and with funders. The PO is also involved in new business development efforts. The application deadline is May 20. Apply now!

The Women's Congressional Policy Institute's Congressional Fellowship on Women and Public Policy is accepting applications the 2022 Class of Fellows! The Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy program places current or recent graduate students in the Washington, D.C. offices of Members of Congress and congressional committees. Fellows work 40 hours per week from January through July as legislative fellows. Following a mandatory two-week orientation on Capitol Hill in January, Fellows meet once a week at issue seminars with women’s advocates, congressional staff, researchers, and lobbyists. The deadline for this opportunity is June 7. Apply now!

The Women's Refugee Commission is filling several roles within its organization. Applicants can now apply for the roles of Associate Director-Research Consultant, Consultant: E-Learning Module Development, US Asylum Campaign Communications Coordinator, and Campaign Manager. Apply today!

GlobalGiving is seeking applicants to their Fellows Program to help further our mission and ambitious growth plans. Fellows will have a unique opportunity to learn how a thriving, international NGO operates through practical, hands-on experience with the nuts and bolts of our operations and ample opportunities to explore the broader field of development. Find out more about this position and apply now!

The Legal Aid of Cleveland seeks multiple Development and Communications Associates, focused on communications/public relations and/or donor relations work. Legal Aid is in a period of growth and seeks to grow its Development and Communications Team to continue that growth. Read more about this opportunity.

Panasonic is seeking for a Social Impact intern for this summer. This position is responsible for supporting the day-to-day activities of the Office of Social Impact & Inclusion (OSII) at Panasonic Corporation of North America. You will join an exciting team that is building out Panasonic’s social impact strategy across its North American business footprint. Read more about this opportunity.

PM Consulting Group LLC USAID is accepting applications for a program analyst position. The USAID Administrator provides overall direction to the Agency in its administration of the U.S. foreign economic assistance programs and the appropriations made available for such purposes under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. This position performs under the Action Alliance for Preventing Sexual Misconduct (AAPSM) Coordinator and participates as a member of the Office of the Administrator’s support team. Learn more about this position and apply now!

Casa de Esperanza| One-Year Service Opportunity   Casa de Esperanza, a non-profit in Houston, Texas, is currently accepting applications for winter, spring, and summer 2021 start dates. Casa de Esperanza provides residential care to children birth through six years old who are in crisis due to abuse, neglect, or the effects of HIV. Care is provided in residential neighborhoods by “Hands of Hope House Parents.” House Parents, most of whom are recent college graduates, join for a year of service (a twelve-month full-time post-graduation service year). Applicants wishing to complete shorter service are considered on a case by case basis. Casa de Esperanza provides on-site housing (House Parents live with the children they are caring for) and House Parents join from throughout the United States to be part of this program. For more information, visit their website or access the application now. Casa de Esperanza accepts and processes applications on a rolling basis. Applicants may indicate their desired start date on their application.

GW COVID-19 Resources

WGSS will continue to follow the University's lead to prioritize the health and safety of all members of GW. Undergraduate classes, and most of graduate classes, will be online for the Fall 2020 semester. For University updates, please continue to refer to the GW COVID-19 website, as this continues to serve as the primary repository for updating the GW community. We hope you are safe at home and best wishes for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year.

Out of care for your health and the safety of your loved ones, we urge all members of the GW community to wear a face covering if traveling outside their homes, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

GW Cares Student Assistance Fund Formerly known as the Ron Howard Student Assistance Fund and managed through the Office of Student Success, this resource can provide grants to students who are faced with an emergency not relating to tuition payments.

GW Mutual Aid Spreadsheet  Created by GW students for GW students, this resource serves as a connecting point for those who are providing or seeking aid. Areas of support include housing, health care, food, transportation, storage, pet/child/plant care, and more.

GW COVID-19 Guide by the Student Association This resource is the official Student Association one-stop-site for everything you need to know about GW's response to COVID-19. This resource will be continually updated as we learn more from administrators.

Check Out the WGSS Blog! Have you checked out our new blog yet? This is your go-to spot for gender related courses, a database of the most recent news digests, and much more! Stay updated with WGSS!

Join Our LinkedIn Network! Our brand new WGSS Alumni page is here! Follow this page to receive the latest updates on alumni news, opportunities, and WGSS events! Connect with our alumni, faculty, and current students. Add us to your network today! Connect with us on LinkedIn. November 2019 WGSS "Envisioning Change" Alumni Speaker Series (left to right): Susan Markham, Gina Chirillo, and Trey Johnston

Contribute to the WGSS News Digest

Would you like your event, announcement, or news to be featured in our news digest? There is a process! Please fill out the below form by Thursdays at 4:00 PM to have your event featured in our upcoming digests. Submit additions to the digest. We look forward to hearing from you!

The Mother's Equal Pay Day Edition

Image Description: A woman facing a laptop with a child in the background writing on a binder Image Credit: Business Insider

May 5th marks equal pay day for mothers, according to the National Women's Law Center (NWLC).This means it would take about four months into 2021, or 125 extra days, for mothers to earn what fathers earned in just 2020.  The overall wage gap between men and women is smaller than the wage gap between mothers and fathers. Women make about 82 cents for every dollar men make, while mothers make 75 cents for every dollar fathers make, according to NWLC's analysis of the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data on median earnings for full-time, year-round workers in 2019. That means mothers lose $15,300 annually because of the pay gap. Learn more about Mother's Equal Pay Day.

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