2005-2006

SPRING:

April

Annual Women's Studies Spring Brunch--April 30, 2006

(left to right): Women's Studies students Sarah Kunz '06, Jessyca Dudley '06,

Julio Toledo '06 and Fred Braunstein '08.

(left to right): Professor Kate Berheide and her daughter, Sarah Berheide '06,

Women's Studies major; Women's Studies alum Camila Lertora '04, with her mother,

Professor Paty Rubio.
(photos courtesy of C. Golden)

Karen Levin Coburn '63 Annual Endowed Lecture:  Guest lecturer:  Professor Sarah B. Hrdy
Maternal love and ambivalence in the Pleistocene, the 18th century and today
Currently Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Davis, Sarah Hrdy is a
renowned anthropologist/primatologist and author of Mother Nature: A History of
Mothers, Infants and Natural Selection (1999). She coedited a book entitled Attachment
and Bonding: A New Synthesis, which appeared in 2005.

Guest Lecturer:  Dr. Laurel Bossun

China's Missing Daughters
Sponsored by the Asian Studies program

Guest Lecturer: Aviel Barclay
The Saga of the Soferet (the female scribe)
The hand writing of sacred Jewish texts (such as the Torah scrolls found in
every synagogue) is an ancient craft practiced by specially trained scribes. These scribes have
traditionally been men, who learn the many laws of Jewish scribal arts as disciples of a master scribe;
women have been excluded from the profession. We are living in a historic moment: the first Torah
scroll publicly acknowledged to have been written by a woman has been commissioned by Kadima, a synagogue in Seattle. Aviel Barclay is the soferet (female scribe) who is currently writing this Torah scroll.
Co-sponsored with The Chaplain's Office.

Ending Gender/Age Discrimination in NYS through Passage of S3518/A5131
Dr. Cyla Allison, Assemblyman Paul Tonko, Assemblyman Bob Reilly, and County Supervisor Cheryl Keyrouze

March      
Film About a Woman Who. Written and directed by Yvonne Rainer.
Summary: An experimental film in which the director focuses on the re-invention of the narrative in film from a feminist point-of-view. Film About a Woman Who plays with cliché and the conventions of soap opera while telling the story of a woman whose sexual dissatisfaction masks enormous anger.
 
Case Gallery Opening  
An opening for Case Gallery Women's History Timeline Exhibit was held which chronicled women's history in the U.S. through pictures, articles, documents and artifacts.

Barbara Smith Lecture  
Barbara Smith has played a groundbreaking role in opening up a national cultural and political dialogue about the intersections of race, class, sexuality, and gender. As an innovative critic, teacher, activist, lecturer, author, independent scholar, and publisher, Smith was among the first to define an African American women's literary tradition and to build black women's studies and black feminism in the United States.

“This is What a Feminist Looks Like” Day 
Started by the 2005 women's studies senior seminar class, “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” day explores the intersection of feminist theory with other academic and non-academic fields. The day brings together the Skidmore clubs and organizations to explore the many faces of feminism and present them to the Skidmore community.
 
Professor Panel
As a part of the events hosted by the Feminist Action Network (FAN) in celebration of women's history month, a panel of professors discussed their work and experience with feminism.

Seneca Falls Trip
FAN hosted a trip to Seneca Falls, the home of the first Women's Right convention and of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of its leaders.

"The Allusive Nacni: Connecting Life and Performance"
(on dancer-prostitutes in India) by Dr. Carol Babiracki
Carol has been working in the Jharkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, and
Bengal with women who are "public dancers." Their art bridges the divine and the sensual in that they
dance as representations of the goddess Radha while at the same time functioning as mistresses and prostitutes.

Women's History Month Dinner
In conclusion to our events FAN hosted a dinner at the Tang.

February

Gael Murphy of Codepink: Women for Peace Lecture

FALL:

December
Lecture by Fran Hawthorne
"The Rising Power of the Religious Right: The new political pressures threatening the FDA and the future of medicine"
Sponsored by the Office of Campus Life

November

SURVIVING KATRINA
Dale Standifer, Executive Director
Metropolitan Battered Women's Shelter
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

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FIRST WORLD/THIRD WORLD?
A Silent Auction / Reception

Students in Professor Mary Stange's Women's Studies Senior Seminar raised over $7000 for the Metropolitan Battered Women's Shelter in Louisiana.
Read the front-page story about the event in the Sunday edition of the local paper, The Saratogian:
http://www.saratogian.com/site/ news.cfm?newsid=15569650&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=8


October

Prof. Li Zhisheng, Beijing University
Prof. Li Zhisheng from the Department of History at Beijing University will talk about her research on Chinese women.

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Paula England of Stanford, a renowned sociologist specializing in gender studies, made two presentations to the college, along with numerous visits to classes.
On the 17th, she summarized her extensive work on gender equity, and on Tuesday, October 18, she presented data from her brand new study on the "hookup" culture on college campuses. She was joined by a panel which included one of our students who has been working with Paula on this study, gathering qualitative data here last fall and helping to develop a quantitative survey with Paula at Stanford.
Sponsored by the Sociology Department and co-sponsored by Women's Studies.

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The Women's Studies Program and the Mellon Foundation hosted a panel discussion, "Living the Liberal Arts: Life During and After a Major in Women's Studies." Four alums visited from far and wide to participate: Allison Prouty, Ivonne Salazar, Helene Schneider, and Whitley Tucker.

Students chat following the panel. Foreground left to right:  Graham Daley '06 and

Reema Zaman '06.  Visible in the background are (left to right): alumnae Ivonne Salazar,

Allison Prouty, Helene Schneider, and Donna Marino of Career Services.

Skidmore alumna Helene Schneider '92 speaks with

Women's Studies major Jessyca Dudley '06.

Professor Kate Berheide speaks with alumna Ivonne Salazar '04 while

Donna Marino of Career Services looks on.

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Theater performance
TOP GIRLS -- directed by Alma Becker.
"Caryl Churchill's TOP GIRLS begins with a lively dinner party hosted by Marline to celebrate her promotion to Managing Director of the Top Girls Employment Agency in London. It's the 1980s and although Marlene is a modern professional woman, her dinner guests are women from different centuries and countries. These five fascinating women are invited to the party because of their personal stories and the unique paths they followed in their lives. Churchill examines the dual role of women in the work place and in the home. Considered by many people to be among the top ten living playwrights, Ms. Churchill is known for her experiments with theatrical forms, her political and social conscious, and her insightful intellect."

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Lecture
Mike Domitrz, "Can I Kiss You?"
Sponsored by the Center for Sex and Gender Relations. Co-sponsored by Women's Studies.

.

2004-2005

SPRING

May, Graduation 2005

Eleven Women's Studies majors and five minors graduated in the class of 2005.

Graduation 2005 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC).

From left to right: Ashley Goldsmith, Mikki Pugh, Professor Adrienne Zuerner, Program Director,

Leah Goldberg, Stephanie Drahan.  Photo courtesy of Stephanie Drahan '05

Stephanie Drahan and Katie Garcia at graduation.  Photo courtesy of Stephanie Drahan.

Academic Festival May 2005

The students in Professor Mary Stange's Goddesses and Amazons course mounted an extraordinary exhibit

for Academic Festival.

Photos courtesy of Karen Smyth '05.

The student club F.A.N. (Feminist Action Network) sponsored several faculty

panels spring term 2005. 

     March 17:  Susan Kress and Mary Lynn

     April 21:  Mason Stokes and Susannah Mintz

F.A.N. Field Trip to Seneca Falls

The student club, Feminist Action Network (F.A.N.), organized a field trip to the Women's Rights

National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY, which features a museum and tours of Elizabth

Cady Stanton's home.

The following clubs met regularly throughout the semester:

     FAN; SAFER; VOX; SPA

March 24
"The Rising Peril of HIV/AIDS in China: Sex Work, Human Rights and Challenges
to Public Policy"
Speakers included Joan Kaufman, a policy expert from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government,

Sandra Teresa Hyde, a medical anthropologist from McGill's School of Public Health, and

Sara Davis, researcher for the East Asia Division of Human Rights Watch and author of

several reports on human rights and AIDS in China.  Sponsored by the LUCE Chair.

March - Women's History Month

     Her Story Must Be Told:  Women's Voices from the Holocaust -- Art Exhibit

     Pay Equity Bakesale

     Vagina Monologues

     International Women's Day

          Dinner and discussion on contemporary global women's issues

          Catered by little India and Esperantos

     Cheshire Calhoun Pre-Speak

          Open to all students; participation of Professor Bill Lewis (Philosophy), Professor Kate Graney

          (Government) and Professor Natalie Taylor (Government)

     Inaugural Karen Levin Coburn '63 Endowed Lecture in Women's Studies

          Speaker:  Professor Cheshire Calhoun, Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy

                         Colby College

           "Same-Sex Marriage and the Shadow of Polygamy"

     Wynona LaDuke -- April 4

     Sally Blackmun -- April 21

FEBRUARY 2005

The Edwin M. Moseley Faculty Lecture
Speaker:  Mary Z. Stange, Associate Professor of Women's Studies and Religion

Faculty panel with Katie Hauser (sponsored by F.A.N.)

NOVEMBER: LATINO HERITAGE MONTH
One of this year's keynote speakers was Elizabeth Garcia, educator and Latina feminist student advocate, who spoke on "Latina Feminism" A Vision for the 21st Century." Dr. Garcia earned her B.A. from Brown University and her doctorate in Comparative Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Founder of Latino Promotions, an educational resource devoted to Latino history, politics and culture, she is currently Assistant professor in the Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies Department of Hunter College in New York City. Co-sponsored by the Women's Studies Program.

OCTOBER 2004
The student club F.A.N. (Feminist Action Network) sponsored a performance by the Guerilla Girls Wednesday evening October 6. The enthusiastic audience overflowed the Dance Theatre as many in the community turned out to see this group.

The Annual Women's Studies Fall Dinner took place October 12 at the Surrey. Mao Chen, Associate Professor of Chinese and director of the Asian Studies program was the speaker.

 SEPTEMBER 2004

  Faculty from Peking University, Beijing, China, meet with Women's Studies faculty September 2004.

Sitting: Professors Donna Brent, Wang Chunmei, Adrienne Zuerner, Joanna Zangrando, Xinzhi Liu
Standing: Sarah Goodwin Associate Dean of the Faculty, Patricia Rubio, Chair, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and interpreter Gu Xue
Photo courtesy Mao Chen

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2003-2004

MAY
Graduation
Nine Women Studies majors and eight Women Studies minors graduated May '04.

Women's Studies Senior Seminar, Fall 2003

Front row, from left: Whitney Vitale, Kimiko Nakamura, Ivonne Salazar,

Ben Scheim, Noa Glick, and Nicole Zuckerman.
Back row, from left: Laura Johnson, Vicky Peters, and Erika Layfield

April
Annual Women's Studies Spring Dinner
Marie Glotzbach was the guest speaker as we celebrated the achievements of our senior Women's Studies majors and minors.

March—Women’s History Month
Feminist Scholarship/Writing about Women
Skidmore faculty members discussed their research and responded to student questions. Speakers: Kate Berheide (Sociology), Mao Chen (Asian Studies), Kate Graney (Government), Susannah Mintz (English). Students and faculty had a lively conversation, and we plan more events like this one.

Film: "Tough Guise," the award-winning video by Jackson Katz was followed by a conversation with Jeff Segrave, Athletic Director, and Skidmore students Travis Freeman '04, Markland Walker '04, and Julio Toledo '06.

Keynote Speaker: Jackson Katz
Jackson Katz, a leading anti-violence activist, gave a presentation, "More Than a Few Good Men: American Manhood and Violence Against Women."

Activism While Abroad
On March 2, students talked about their activism/research while abroad. Speakers included: Kenne Dibner, Katherine Martinelli, Travis Freeman, Julia Pistell, and Katie Garcia.

Professional Activism
On March 11, staff members of Dwa Famn (meaning "Women's Rights" in Haitian Creole), a women's advocacy group, gave a public presentation in Davis auditorium. Farah Tanis, co-founder and executive director of Dwa Famn, Gemelyn Philogene, MSW, and Manushka Jean-Louis discussed their work with Haitian women refugees in NYC. For more information the organization and its work on behalf of Haitian women and girls, please see the website: www.dwafanm.org

bell hooks
As part of Black History Month activities in February, bell hooks gave a public lecture on campus. Approximately 600 people from the Saratoga and Albany communities attended this Ujima-sponsored event.

bell hooks greets students at a pre-talk dinner in the Intercultural Center.

bell hooks

Seated behind table, from left: Vicky Peters, Erika Layfield, Nicole Zuckerman, Camila Lertora, Rachel Freed, and Noa Glick.