Women's Studies Events

Spring Semester 2008

Monday, February 11
5:30pm
A1 

Film:  "Tying the Knot"

A look at the debate over same-sex marriage in the U.S.  From an historical trip to the Middle Ages to gay activists storming the Manhattan marriage bureau in 1971 to the challenges contemporary couples face, "Tying the Knot" digs deeply into the past and present to uncover the meaning of civil marriage in America today.

Part of the Human Rights Film Series.  Co-sponsored with the English Department, Student Activities, Spectrum, the Avon Theatre, and the Human Rights Initiative

Tuesday, February 19
7:00pm
MPR

"Happening Now:  The Emergence of New Human Consciousness"
By Fr. Gregory Fruehwirth, a monk in the Order of Julian of Norwich

The bottom line in this discussion is Fr. Gregory's belief in our 'original purpose' as human beings is our care for the life of our planet as a whole. The emphasis during the evening will not be theological debate but a descriptive appreciation for what is already happening across the world.

Co-sponsored with the English Department and the Interfaith Advisory Committee

Tuesday, February 26
5:30 - 7:30pm
MPR

Self Defense Workshop with Women in Black

Learn how to protect yourself!

Capped at 25.  To participate, you must sign up.  Send an email to ingrid.semaan@uconn.edu or stop by the Center for Women's Studies (room 311) to sign up.

Co-sponsored with Student Activities and Administration and External Affairs

Tuesday, March 4 ---- CANCELED
10:00am
Room 259

Minjeong Kim "Beyond 'Mail-Order Brides': Complicating the Victim-Agency Dualism in
Representations of International Marriage Migration."

Thursday, March 20
5:30pm
A1

Film:  "When the Levees Broke"

This heart-rending portrait of New Orleans in the wake of the destruction tells the personal stories of those who endured this harrowing ordeal and survived to tell the tale of misery, despair and triumph. The film will be followed by a discussion with Gayle Riquier and students who will be going to New Orleans over spring break to work on rebuilding efforts.

Part of the Human Rights Film Series.  Co-sponsored with the English Department, Student Activities, the Avon Theatre, and the Human Rights Initiative

Wednesday, March 26
7:00pm
MPR

Beverly Guy-Sheftall "BLACK FEMINIST ACTIVISM:  Remembering Our Foremothers"

Beverly Guy-Sheftall the founding director of the Women's Research and Resource Center and the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies at Spelman College.  She is the editor of  Words of Fire:  An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought, co-author of  Gender Talk:  The Struggle for Women's Equality in African American Communities , and co-editor of  Traps:  African American Men on Gender and Sexuality.

Monday, March 31
5:00pm
MPR

Queer Lives presented by William A. Peniston and Nancy Erber

Eight gay men wrote their autobiographies in French between 1845 and 1905.  The autobiographies will interest readers seeking new views on the lives of ordinary men and women from the past, gay people looking for the roots of their communities, and scholars who are trying to understand the formation of sexual identities at a crucial moment in the history of Modern Europe.

Tuesday, April 1
7:00pm
A1

Comedian Tissa Hami

Comedian Tissa Hami will perform her hilarious comedy act and answer questions. Tissa Hami is one of the world's few female Muslim stand-up comics. Her unique act and fresh perspective on life as an Iranian-American woman leave audiences in shock and awe. From Islamic fundamentalists to white liberals to good old-fashioned racists, no one is safe from her sharp wit. Tissa hopes her comedy will help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and foster understanding between Iranians and Americans.  Another one not to be missed!

Co-sponsored with the Muslim Student Association and Student Activities

Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11
7:00pm
A1

Zero Tolerance presents "The Vagina Monologues"

Contact jephrie.cabral@uconn.edu to find out how to get involved.

Tuesday, April 15
5:30pm
A1

Film:  "Daughters of the Sun"

"Daughters of the Sun" picked up a Best First Feature award at the Montreal Festival of World Cinema. The story centers around the plight of a woman struggling to find work in male-dominated Iranian society. Disguising herself as a boy, she takes a job in a carpet workshop where she does dehumanizing work in an attempt to feed her family.

Part of the Human Rights Film Series.  Co-sponsored with the English Department, Judaic and Middle Eastern Studies, Student Activities, the Avon Theatre, and the Human Rights Initiative

Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25
7:00pm
A1

Student production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It"

Co-sponsored with the English Department