Conference

Breiseth Hall • 570-408-4040 (T) • 570-408-7871 (F) • Email

The WGS conference provides an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and the community to come together to share research, engage in artistic expression, disseminate information, and raise awareness for issues surrounding feminism, masculinity, and sexuality. The conference also provides a venue through which to celebrate women and their achievements. It is meant to raises awareness for and to critically evaluate areas of inequity that continue to exist between women and men. 

All students, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the community are invited to attend the conference. Students who are Women’s and Gender Studies minors and those who are enrolled in Women’s and Gender Studies eligible courses are especially encouraged to attend.  We welcome members of the community who are interested in issues surrounding WGS to partake in conference events.

Students, faculty, staff, and community members who have conducted gender studies research projects, who wish to engage in performance art, and/or who would like to raise awareness about WGS issues are invited to present. Session types include research presentations, panel discussions, video screenings, and performance art (e.g., poetry slam). We also welcome presentations about service learning, community service, and travel abroad opportunities. While sessions do not have to relate directly to the conference theme, they must be tied to a gender-related issue. 

For more information or to submit a proposal, please contact the Wilkes WGS director, Dr. Jennifer Thomas, at jennifer.thomas@wilkes.edu or Dr. Robin Field, King’s College Women’s Studies Director, at robinfield@kings.edu. 

Is there a theme?
Each year, the WGS program selects a conference theme. The theme for the 2013 conference is “Women, Leadership, and Power.” Conference sessions may explore how women and men are portrayed in literature or the media, reasons for differences in the achievements of women and men, constraints on women’s abilities to achieve positions of power, and how women achieve status and power. Presentations may also highlight the lives and accomplishments of female leaders. Questions such as “Do men and women differ in their access to the resources on which power is based?” “How do the sexes compare in the realm of political power?” and “What role does gender play in the distribution of power in organizations and institutions?” may be considered.

When and where will the conference be held?
The 2013 conference will be held on the campus of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Monday, March 25th and Tuesday, March 26th, 2013.