Upcoming WGSS Event

Join us for our first 50th Anniversary Celebration Panels:

Please join the WGSS community on September 26th from 7-8PM in Phillips room 328/329 or virtually. to hear from distinguished recent WGSS alumni of GWU who have, in the past few years, entered doctoral programs or are teaching in WGSS-relevant fields. This event will feature:

• Sarah Anne-Gresham
• Walker Brewer
• Tatiana Ruiz
• Ashley Atilano



This event will be in person with a remote option for those who would like to join virtually. RSVP to register your attendance! On the RSVP page, indicate if you are planning to join virtually email the WGSS program with any questions!

Faculty Spotlight

Congratulations to Professor Manuel Cuellar who authored the newly released book Choreographing Mexico: Festive Performances and Dancing Histories of a Nation (To receive 25% off and free shipping, use promo code UTXM25). The years between 1910 and 1940 were formative for Mexico, with the ousting of Porfirio Díaz, the subsequent revolution, and the creation of the new state. Amid the upheaval, Mexican dance emerged as a key arena of contestation regarding what it meant to be Mexican. Through an analysis of written, photographic, choreographic, and cinematographic renderings of a festive Mexico, Professor Cuellar examines how bodies in motion both performed and critiqued the nation. To celebrate, Professor Cuellar is having a book launch. Register online today and watch this small excerpt from the preface!

Professor Tambe will speak on Friday, September 23rd at 1:45pm in Lerner 101 (GW Law Moot Court Room) at the research showcase of the Equity Institute Initiative. The event is titled “Collaborate To Create Change: Towards Racial and Socioeconomic Equity in our Scholarship, Research & Teaching” and the WGSS community is invited to register and attend! Dr. Tambe’s presentation is titled "#MeToo In Retrospect: A Transnational Reflection," and calls for reframing the relationship between #MeToo in the United States and in other locations. Commenting on the range of racial, class, and caste identities of those who have used digitally-driven activism against sexual violence and harassment, she stresses the need for elasticity in our critiques of #MeToo to account for its heterogeneous expression around the globe.

Congratulations to Professor Strader, who was quoted by The Washington Post in the article “Women are dancing in solidarity with Finnish PM Sanna Marin.” This article discusses the sexist origins of the criticism surrounding a video of Finnish PM Marin dancing with friends at a private event. In the article, Professor Eiko brings up the impact of gendered social and cultural norms on how women are perceived in political office and says, “We probably still have some decades ahead before we won’t see any more of these cases, but the Sanna Marins of the world should know that we’re right behind them. Dancing.” Read the full article now. Congratulations, Eiko!

We celebrate again the teaching and mentoring awards our WGSS faculty received a few months ago:

Congratulations to Professor Daiya for being awarded the "Award for Excellence in Graduate Faculty Mentoring." This award is given to a faculty member nominated by graduate students. Mentoring and advising are crucial to the intellectual life and career trajectories of graduate students across the arts, sciences and professions. A good mentor is a source of wisdom and expertise, an inspiring role model, a compassionate critic, a sounding board, an advocate and a career counselor.

Professor Sara Matthiesen was selected for the Kenny Prize! This award recognizes a faculty member whose teaching has encouraged students to think differently, allowing them to take advantage of their academic experiences.

Reviewers from the Undergraduate Studies committee were very impressed with Professor Matthiesen's innovative approach to the WGSS introductory course. They commented that her teaching is life-changing for many students.

Congratulations, Professor Matthiesen!

Student Spotlight

Congratulations to MA student Dominique Straughn-Turner, who published an article in the Women's Media Center. The article is titled “It’s Time to Cancel Cancel Culture,” and it discusses how people from all professions and walks of life can be subjected to cancel culture. Turner critiques cancel culture for doing little to educate the people it cancels, saying that it is “ineffective in changing the misconceptions at the root of comments that cause people to be canceled.” Turner introduces alternatives to cancel culture, such as safe spaces and “calling in”. Read the entire article now.

WGSS Travel Funds: Submit Your Applications!

The WGSS program has travel funds for those of you who are interested in attending or will be presenting at conferences this academic year. Apply for funding online to list the conference(s) you plan to attend. The deadline to apply is October 1st. Students who are not presenting are also welcome to apply, but that preference will be given to students who are presenting. 

Feminist Studies Announces a New Special Issue

The journal Feminist Studies commemorates its own 50th anniversary year with a new special issue celebrating the 40th anniversaries of the classic texts "This Bridge Called My Back" and "All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave."

Jobs, Internships, and Calls for Volunteers

Serve Your City, a community-based, black-led organization is launching their virtual tutoring program for the 2022-2023 cycle! They are seeking volunteer tutors to help educate the most under-served populations in Washington DC. The fall iteration of this program will serve close to 200 students. Sign up for this volunteer opportunity now!

Do you have experience working on GBV issues in humanitarian settings? Are you passionate about developing evidence-based programming to better support GBV survivors? GWI is seeking a Senior Research Associate to support an operational research project to better support survivors of violence. The Senior Research Associate will coordinate project implementation, help develop and pilot new programming models in humanitarian settings and document program learning. Learn more and apply for this position.

GWI is seeking a Research Grant Manager who will serve as finance lead for a seven-year research and evaluation project on violence against women and girls (VAWG). The position will be responsible for the financial management of a 7-year, $20m (estimated) commercial contract from the UK government, including quarterly forecasting and annual budgeting, managing multiple international subawards, monitoring spending against budget and for allowability, conducting competitive procurement processes, and working closely with the Program Manager so that financial management works seamlessly with other project management efforts. Learn more and apply for this position.

Consultant at the Mobiles for mEducation Alliance

The Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance is a non-governmental organization focused on the evidence-driven and sustainable role of technology in education to advance quality educational outcomes. Initially formed in 2010, the mEducation Alliance is a unique, multi-stakeholder convening platform for government and donor policymakers, other investors, researchers, and practitioners to work together, particularly in lower-resource, developing country contexts. The mEducation Alliance is recruiting a consultant to support their 2022 mEducation Alliance Symposium event taking place November 1 – 4, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The general theme is “Wondrous Learning is…!” and for which they are inviting non-tech and technology-based presentations which best represent this theme and associated sub-themes. The consultant will be a member of the mEducation Alliance event planning team and directly report to Nicole Carney, the mEducation Alliance’s Director of Engagement. Learn more about this opportunity and apply now.

Data Systems Manager at Collective Power for Reproductive Justice

Collective Power for Reproductive Justice is a national reproductive rights and justice organization dedicated to educating, mentoring, and inspiring new generations of advocates, leaders, and supporters. The Data Systems Manager (DSM) works with the Deputy Director of Systems and Sustainability to lead the overall organizational strategy for effective management of program, communications, and fundraising data. The DSM determines processes for data collection, use, and storage in order to support and optimize work across the organization, and leads evaluation of existing systems and exploration of new systems. Learn more about this opportunity and apply now.

Job Club

The Job Club is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” The focus is on developing strength-led strategies, techniques and goal plans, matching values and strengths and improving self-awareness as approaches to finding meaningful and satisfying employment. The Job Club meets every Wednesday from 6:00PM-7:00PM on Zoom. Find more information and register now.

Research Coordinator at AAPI Women Lead

AAPI Women Lead is seeking a Community-Driven Research Coordinator to work on an exciting 2-year (with possibility for an extension) Community-Driven Research project that focuses on race, gender, sexuality and violence against and within Asian and Pacific Islander communities with particular emphasis on racial, gendered based and/or sexual violence. The Community-Driven Research Coordinator will drive and define the best research processes and methods, facilitate and grow community partnerships, plus execute projects based on goals and requirements. They will co-facilitate and support the community-driven research project and support a cohort of community partners who will collect and share their communities’ stories of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders' experiences with racial and gendered violence across different ages and generations. Check out the full job description and application. 

Researchers and Analysts at The Topos Partnership

The Topos Partnership works on exciting projects with cultural impact to create progressive change. Topos currently has openings for multiple positions: Project Lead and Ethnographers/Analysts. Topos is actively recruiting for researcher/analyst roles for this project (and other research projects). While some researchers/analysts have social science backgrounds, many of the best ethnographers come from community organizing backgrounds. Topos will train folks for these time-limited contract positions paying $30-40/hour. Learn more about this opportunity and apply now. 

Volunteer Tutor for Learn It Together

Learn it Together is a free, online tutoring service run by college students and recent graduates. We’re an educational nonprofit looking to recruit volunteer tutors for this academic year in all subjects. Tutors can set their own schedule (there is no minimum hour requirement), tutor in the subjects they feel most comfortable with, and take part in tutor engagement (game) nights with peer tutors across the country! Learn it Together is a tangibly rewarding way to give back, mentor younger students, and become a part of a community of tutors from all over the U.S. Our tutors and leadership members range from lawyers, writers, teachers, graduate students, to actors and doctors. Apply for this opportunity now. 

Various Open Positions at Planned Parenthood

There are currently various different open positions at Planned Parenthood across the country. There are opportunities for employment in several locations and opportunities for volunteers in all locations. Find more information and apply today.

Multiple Internship Opportunities: Salveo Innovations

Salveo Innovations, LLC is a health tech company founded in Congress Heights that builds solutions to simplify navigating complex health care systems. Salveo Innovations, LLC helps improve health literacy in an effort to aid the community in navigating complex healthcare systems and making sound healthcare decisions. Apply for the Operations Internship, the Entrepreneurship Intern, and/or the Communications Internship Internship.

Every Voice is seeking to have students who are interested in legislative advocacy, outreach, and grassroots organizing join our movement! If you are interested, feel free to fill out this form or check out the website to learn more and become a member. Feel free to email Mathena Jencka with any questions at mathenaj@gwu.edu.

Academic Positions

A WGSS Scholar at the University of Missouri

The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies is seeking a scholar working at the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and feminist environmental studies/climate justice. Areas of expertise may include, but are not limited to, displacements, ecological feminisms, environmental ethics, health, labor, migration, and water/land protections. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work is informed by the theoretical frameworks of global south feminisms and/or Indigenous feminisms, however we welcome applications from all scholars working in the field. This position can transition to a tenure-track position after two-years. Applications are due September 30. 

For more information about the program and the application process see the MU Graduate School website, or contact Linda Reeder.

Assistant Professor in Critical Feminist Data Studies

The Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in critical feminist data studies, with an anticipated start date of September 2023. Tenure-track faculty have an annual service period of nine months (Sept 16-June 15). The successful applicant will be expected to engage in research and teaching that use feminist and related analytics of power to create theories, platforms, and practices that examine and reconfigure how data is figured into asymmetrical distributions of power, and that particularly impact women, trans, intersex, and queer people. They are especially interested in applicants whose investigations of data center the labor, histories, methodologies, and intellectual genealogies of Indigenous peoples and/or people in the Global South, as well as applicants who mobilize transnational analyses.

View the full position description and application details now.

Assistant WGSS Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln seeks an Assistant Professor of Practice to provide quality instruction in our core curriculum and major, with a focus on outreach and experiential learning. Professors of Practice (PoPs) are non-tenure track, multiyear renewable lines with 80% of apportionment dedicated to instructional duties and 20% to service and/or research; PoPs are eligible for promotion to Associate and then Full Professor of Practice and for full benefits. The person in this position will be expected to teach five classes per academic year and to provide instructional leadership in experiential learning and community engagement. The successful candidate will serve as lead instructor of the course Activism and Feminist Communities; teach widely in our program; build community connections for and oversee student internships; and sponsor experiential learning opportunities across the WGS curriculum. 

Review of applications will begin October 10, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. Apply now by clicking requisition F_220163. Click “Apply to this Job,” complete the information form, and submit the following materials: a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and list of references. Please contact Shari Stenberg with any questions.

The Department of Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies (GWST) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) invites applications for a Department Chair, with tenure at the rank of Associate Professor, to begin August 2023. The position is fully located in the Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies Department, with the possibility of teaching courses cross-listed with other campus units. The teaching load as chair is 1/1. The chair is responsible for management of all aspects of the department business and chairing monthly meetings of the core faculty and a Coordinating Committee of Affiliate faculty.

Review of applications will begin October 15, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled. UMBC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Apply for this position online.

Senior Program Manager at Columbia University

Columbia University is recruiting for a Senior Program Manager. Under the direct supervision of the Director of the GATE Program, the Senior Program Manager provides oversight and technical support for multiple program activities including research operations, the management of projects globally and in the USA, partnership building and fundraising. 

GATE is an innovative research and practice program dedicated towards improving the lives of adolescents and women around the world. They are looking for an individual who brings a technical background and aptitude for managing people and who is looking for an opportunity that is aligned with their areas of work, including pubertal health transitions, menstrual health and hygiene, and access to sanitation. The Senior Program Manager will collaborate closely with the larger GATE team of staff and students. The position will involve some international travel. Their body of work frequently intersects with the education and development arenas, and is grounded within the social sciences. Review the body of publications resulting from the GATE team’s collective effort, with examples of their practice focused publications and guidance on the GATE website. Learn more about this opportunity and apply now.

WGSS Instructors at Hunter College

The Women and Gender Studies Department at Hunter College is recruiting instructors to teach their introductory course, Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGS 100), for Fall 2022. 

• All instructors should have an advanced degree and relevant expertise 
• All instructors should ideally have prior teaching experience

Letters of interest and current CV should be sent to Catherine Raissiguier.

Adjunct Professors at the WGSS Program at American University

The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program at American University is seeking adjunct instructors to teach introductory WGSS courses in person in Fall 2022. The courses are “Women’s Voices Through Time” (WGSS 150) and “Gender, Politics & Power” (WGSS 225). Review the course descriptions. Several sections of these courses are offered each semester, so a successful launch could well lead to further teaching opportunities with the WGSS program.

The WGSS program is also seeking an adjunct instructor to teach “Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Theory” (WGSS 400/600) in Spring 2023.  

ABD’s and completed M.A.’s are encouraged to apply, as well as those candidates who have completed their PhD’s. The WGSS program is the largest of six interdisciplinary programs which make up the broader department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies at American University.   

To apply, send an introduction and CV to Dr. Amy Barber, Director of the WGSS Program at American University.

Evolution DC Blog at the GW Textile Museum

The Albert H Small Center for Capital Area Studies, based at the GW Museum, is launching a new blog titled Evolution DC to help share stories from DC history and the collection, the blog will be entirely student written. As blogs become more commonplace in many academic circles they are excited to give students the opportunity to publish! Potential topics and themes are based upon each student’s individual interests, the blog is not limited to any particular discipline or writing style. Their collection holds a variety of prints, newspapers, maps, artworks, and ephemera related to DC history for students to explore and research. They encourage interested students or classes to schedule a visit to the center to explore the collection and discuss their ideas. For more information or to visit the center, please email washingtoniana@gwu.edu.

The Advance Journal: Academic Trauma and Betrayal in Higher Education

The ADVANCE Journal announces a call for papers for a special issue to honor and center the narratives of those who have experienced academic trauma and betrayal in higher education. Freud & Smith (2014) offer, “Institutional betrayal occurs when an institution causes harm to an individual who trusts or depends upon that institution, including failure to prevent or respond supportively to wrongdoings by individuals committed within the context of the institution” (p. 578). For this special issue, they invite contributions from scholars across the board who have experienced marginalization in the academy. They especially welcome submissions from queer, trans, Black, Indigenous and other communities of color in STEM who can speak to institutional betrayal and marginalization in higher education at the intersection of gender, sexuality, race, caste, disability, and other axes of oppression. Lecturers, tenured faculty, administrators, graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, staff, and folx holding different positions in the academy are invited to submit. 

The priority deadline is October 31, 2022. Review and consideration of submissions for the Institutional Betrayal and Academic Trauma special issue will happen following the priority deadline as space allows and for subsequent issues of the ADVANCE Journal. Learn more and submit your proposal now. 

Liberating Temporality and Spatiality

The Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality (GCWS) is hosting their biannual graduate student conference “Liberating Temporality and Spatiality” in Spring 2023. They welcome graduate students in all areas of study to submit their abstracts or synopses of in-progress scholarly papers, dissertation or thesis chapters, article drafts, or in-progress film/mixed media works. Proposals may come in the form of papers, films, art, performance, visual art, or alternate forms not listed above. Time and space, while often seen as linear and confined concepts, can be stretched, altered, and reconfigured. We move through time and space in fits & bursts; some ways of moving and being are deemed normative or “good” and brought to the forefront, while others might be marginalized and cast aside. This conference seeks to look at liberatory conceptions of spatiality and temporality, particularly in the contexts of racial justice, abolition, disability rights, queer/trans ecologies, human development, death studies and practices, embodiment, community building, and more.

Some questions the conference seeks to explore:

• How can the temporality and spatiality of subcultures be used to assess political and cultural change?
• How do space and spatiality construct belonging, community and identity?
• What does access and openness look like in truly liberatory spaces?
• How do crises change our understanding of longevity, liberation, and community?
• What is the interplay between alternative and hegemonic norms of time and space?

Learn more about the conference, download the full CFP, and submit a proposal now. Please be in touch with gcws@mit.edu with any questions. Proposals are due October 31st. 

Gender Equality Starts in the Family

Gender discrimination at the level of the family upholds the inequalities outside of it, including in areas of education, livelihoods, and politics. From denying women's equal inheritance and property rights, to unequal citizenship laws and limitations on women's reproductive rights, the challenges facing gender equality in the family continue to mount. Women's Learning Partnership shares the following film showing women around the globe working for a more just future, starting at the level of the family.

The film draws on expertise from prominent human rights activists and leaders to examine the root causes of discriminatory laws and highlights the pathways feminist activists are taking toward legal reform. Share the film with others, along with the companion "Equality: It’s all in the Family" screening toolkit.

CCAS Career Services

Wendy Wright has joined CCAS as a Career Counselor/Coach. Wendy brings more than 25 years of corporate success working as a senior leader in international financial and development institutions, most notably with the Agency for International Development and the Export-Import Bank of the United States. In addition to earning advanced graduate degrees in political economics and public policy, Wendy is a certified professional coach (ICF PCC and iPEC).  

As the CCAS Career Counselor/Coach she will offer career coaching, interview skills support, and documentation preparation (e.g., resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile) to help students identify and align their talents and interests to create an effective, targeted job search strategy. Schedule a meeting to connect with Wendy.

Online Therapy Resources for the LGBTQ+ Community

Online therapy is a resource that offers a plethora of different types of virtual therapy for the LGBTQ+ community. Online therapy makes it easier to access mental health care and to engage in therapy on your own terms. Find more resources that can be helpful for navigating the coming-out process, strengthening your relationships, and learning how to be true to yourself as an LGBTQ+ individual.

Dr. Theo Gonzalves on scholarship and advocacy

Dr. Theo Gonzalves will give a talk on scholarship in advocacy on October 4th in room 316 at 1957 E St at 2:10PM. Theo is a curator at SI's National Museum of American History, formerly curator of Asian Pacific American History, and has served as president of Association for Asian American Studies. He is a member of the Board of ACLS. He is also a musician and performer. Theo will talk about his career trajectory, and the ways that scholarship, advocacy, and public-facing research inform each other. RSVP by October 3rd.

Using archives, featuring Dr. A.J. Muhammed and Kailee Farber on the Schomburg archives.

On October 18th, join Dr. A.J. Muhammed and Kailee Farber for a talk on zoom at 2:10PM. In the first half of this class, McAlister will introduce how to use digital archives, focusing on the National Security Archives, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the African Activist Archives. Then from 3-4pm, two archivists from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will present materials from their archives. If you RSVP that you plan to attend and have specific research questions, the archivists at Schomburg will try to address those in their presentation. This is an unprecedented opportunity and I hope many of you will join on zoom. RSVP not required but welcomed.

WGSS will continue to follow the University's lead to prioritize the health and safety of all members of GW. 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. 

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. 

The Definition of Family Widened in India Edition

Image Caption: India's Supreme Court

Credit: AFP/File/Sajjad HUSSAIN

On August 29th, India's Supreme Court made a ruling that expanded the legal definition of ‘family’ to include unmarried partnerships, domestic partnerships, and queer relationships. This verdict follows demands of recognition for LGBT marriages, civil unions, and allowing live-in couples to adopt or have children through surrogacy after the decriminalization of homosexuality in 2018. The widening of the definition of family could lead to further recognition of LGBT rights and the ability to receive benefits under social welfare legislation

Learn more about the court's decision and its implications.