GENDER & WOMEN'S STUDIES DEPARTMENT

CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY

 This year, Gender & Women’s Studies (GWS) is marking its 40th year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a display of faculty accomplishments in the Main Library, visits from recent alumni, a “Feminist Fridays” discussion series, a celebratory reception, and a film screening and public lecture on April 3 and 4 by Professor Trinh T. Minh-ha, renowned feminist theorist, filmmaker, artist and alumna of UIUC.

 The history of GWS as a formal academic unit began in 1978, when the Office of Women's Studies was established.  It launched a newsletter, a feminist scholarship lecture series, and a number of groundbreaking national conferences, featuring then-new scholars who would become luminaries in the field, including Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Lourdes Torres, and Ann Russo. Under the leadership of Professor Marianne Ferber (Economics), who became the director in 1980, the Office of Women's Studies was moved to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the program began to develop its own curriculum. The third director, Professor Berenice A. Carroll (Political Science) oversaw the creation of an official Women's Studies Program and the approval of a Women's Studies Minor.  The number of faculty and courses steadily increased over the years and, in 2003, under the direction of Professor Kal Alston (Educational Policy Studies), the Program changed its name to Gender and Women's Studies.

 Today, GWS boasts an award-winning faculty and a department that offers several degrees, including an undergraduate major, two undergraduate minors (GWS and Queer Studies), and two graduate minors. Many of the core faculty hold joint appointments with other departments, demonstrating the wide reach of interdisciplinary inquiry in feminist, queer, and transgender studies throughout the campus as a whole. Smaller, participatory classes with wonderfully creative students are hallmarks of the GWS course experience.

 “We are academics with activist callings,” said Associate Professor Terri Barnes. GWS faculty research and teaching are deeply connected to histories of social justice movements, and to the philosophical arguments that animate political and cultural disputes in the present, including migration, systemic racism, environmental justice, social media, indigenous sovereignty, surveillance technologies, reproductive rights, and access to education. GWS faculty and students are not only researchers, but vital participants in activism and advocacy, both in the Champaign-Urbana area and beyond. 

 The link between GWS classrooms and communities is also demonstrated in the department's internship course, created and guided by Associate Professor Karen Flynn as a result of conversations with students. Now in its third year, the internship course gives students the opportunity to gain experience working with a local organization, such as the University of Illinois Press, the offices of elected representatives such as Carol Ammons, and the LGBT Resource Center, to name a few. These internships provide students with not only a wealth of experience, but the opportunity to translate GWS theories and perspectives into practice. 

 "Over the last forty years, the field of gender and women's studies has changed profoundly and it's exciting to imagine the new directions it will take in the years ahead," says Associate Professor Siobhan Somerville, Chair of Gender and Women's Studies.  "Our department and campus are very lucky to have such nationally renowned faculty in feminist, transgender, and queer studies and such dedicated staff.  We hope to build on our strengths by continuing to grow and develop new undergraduate initiatives and potential graduate degree programs.  We're constantly inspired by the ways our students take what they learn and imagine news ways to repair, invigorate, and transform the world around them."

 The importance of gender studies and feminism is increasingly visible in the U.S. and throughout the world. In recent U.S. electoral politics, an unprecedented number of women from diverse backgrounds were elected to Congress and the next presidential election will feature more women candidates than ever before.  Calling for acknowledgment of and accountability for sexual harassment and assault, the #MeToo movement has gained momentum as survivors and their supporters have challenged the widespread silence and complicity around such abuses in industries and institutions ranging from Hollywood to sports to the Supreme Court. Transgender and non-binary people are pushing for recognition and respect, including equitable access to basic services including healthcare. Women are leading the ongoing wave of teachers’ strikes for fair salaries and increased funding, and avowed feminists are also behind movements for Black Lives Matter, prison abolition, domestic workers' rights, and environmental advocacy, connecting feminism to a broad vision of racial and economic justice. All these factors point to the need for continued attention to the perspectives, issues and debates that GWS faculty, staff and students work with on a daily basis.

 To learn more about GWS, visit www.gws.illinois.edu , or call us at 217-333-2990.

 

 

GENDER & WOMEN'S STUDIES DEPARTMENT

CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY

This year, Gender & Women’s Studies (GWS) is marking its 40th year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a display of faculty accomplishments in the Main Library, visits from recent alumni, a “Feminist Fridays” discussion series, a celebratory reception, and a film screening and public lecture on April 3 and 4 by Professor Trinh T. Minh-ha, renowned feminist theorist, filmmaker, artist and alumna of UIUC.

The history of GWS as a formal academic unit began in 1978, when the Office of Women's Studies was established.  It launched a newsletter, a feminist scholarship lecture series, and a number of groundbreaking national conferences, featuring then-new scholars who would become luminaries in the field, including Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Lourdes Torres, and Ann Russo. Under the leadership of Professor Marianne Ferber (Economics), who became the director in 1980, the Office of Women's Studies was moved to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the program began to develop its own curriculum. The third director, Professor Berenice A. Carroll (Political Science) oversaw the creation of an official Women's Studies Program and the approval of a Women's Studies Minor.  The number of faculty and courses steadily increased over the years and, in 2003, under the direction of Professor Kal Alston (Educational Policy Studies), the Program changed its name to Gender and Women's Studies.

Today, GWS boasts an award-winning faculty and a department that offers several degrees, including an undergraduate major, two undergraduate minors (GWS and Queer Studies), and two graduate minors. Many of the core faculty hold joint appointments with other departments, demonstrating the wide reach of interdisciplinary inquiry in feminist, queer, and transgender studies throughout the campus as a whole. Smaller, participatory classes with wonderfully creative students are hallmarks of the GWS course experience.

“We are academics with activist callings,” said Associate Professor Terri Barnes. GWS faculty research and teaching are deeply connected to histories of social justice movements, and to the philosophical arguments that animate political and cultural disputes in the present, including migration, systemic racism, environmental justice, social media, indigenous sovereignty, surveillance technologies, reproductive rights, and access to education. GWS faculty and students are not only researchers, but vital participants in activism and advocacy, both in the Champaign-Urbana area and beyond. 

The link between GWS classrooms and communities is also demonstrated in the department's internship course, created and guided by Associate Professor Karen Flynn as a result of conversations with students. Now in its third year, the internship course gives students the opportunity to gain experience working with a local organization, such as the University of Illinois Press, the offices of elected representatives such as Carol Ammons, and the LGBT Resource Center, to name a few. These internships provide students with not only a wealth of experience, but the opportunity to translate GWS theories and perspectives into practice. 

"Over the last forty years, the field of gender and women's studies has changed profoundly and it's exciting to imagine the new directions it will take in the years ahead," says Associate Professor Siobhan Somerville, Chair of Gender and Women's Studies.  "Our department and campus are very lucky to have such nationally renowned faculty in feminist, transgender, and queer studies and such dedicated staff.  We hope to build on our strengths by continuing to grow and develop new undergraduate initiatives and potential graduate degree programs.  We're constantly inspired by the ways our students take what they learn and imagine news ways to repair, invigorate, and transform the world around them."

 The importance of gender studies and feminism is increasingly visible in the U.S. and throughout the world. In recent U.S. electoral politics, an unprecedented number of women from diverse backgrounds were elected to Congress and the next presidential election will feature more women candidates than ever before.  Calling for acknowledgment of and accountability for sexual harassment and assault, the #MeToo movement has gained momentum as survivors and their supporters have challenged the widespread silence and complicity around such abuses in industries and institutions ranging from Hollywood to sports to the Supreme Court. Transgender and non-binary people are pushing for recognition and respect, including equitable access to basic services including healthcare. Women are leading the ongoing wave of teachers’ strikes for fair salaries and increased funding, and avowed feminists are also behind movements for Black Lives Matter, prison abolition, domestic workers' rights, and environmental advocacy, connecting feminism to a broad vision of racial and economic justice. All these factors point to the need for continued attention to the perspectives, issues and debates that GWS faculty, staff and students work with on a daily basis.

To learn more about GWS, visit www.gws.illinois.edu , or call us at 217-333-2990.