Every year, the Department of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies hosts and co-sponsors research-backed initiatives and special events that enhance classroom learning for students and the Dickinson community. Below are descriptions of our annual series.
Faculty and Staff Research Lunch Series (FRL)
Held monthly during the academic school year, this presentation series showcases faculty and staff research in any discipline that is grounded in intersectional feminist scholarship or is otherwise connected to the field of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). Co-sponsored with the Women’s and Gender Resource Center, it provides an opportunity beyond the classroom for the Dickinson community to engage in dialogue and discussion about how diverse forms of WGSS scholarship illuminate the world around us. Recent lunches have featured research from fields such as: Africana & American Studies; Art History; Economics; Education; Environmental Studies; English & Creative Writing; Judaic & Middle Eastern Studies; Political Science; Psychology; and WGSS.
Typically occurring during common hour (noon-1 pm), lunch is provided. All Dickinson students, staff and faculty are invited to attend. No RSVP currently required.
Details and updates about this year’s series are available here.
Interested in participating?
Faculty from all departments and administrators engaged in scholarly activity are invited to respond to the May call for self-nominations or email the WGSS department (womstud@dickinson.edu) and WGRC (wgrc@dickinson.edu). Please include a brief description of the topic.
Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality by Students Symposium (ROWGS)
Held annually in April, this symposium showcases the wide range of undergraduate WGSS research being done across the disciplines by Dickinson students. Students from any department who are engaged in WGSS-related research are invited early in the spring semester to submit descriptions of their project. The research often emerges from a senior seminar, an independent study, or a joint faculty/student initiative. Work originating in an elective, a writing in the discipline requirement, or even a first year seminar is also welcomed and regularly featured.
The call for proposal (CFP) announcement is announced in February, and proposals are typically due in mid-March. When released, you can access directions and submission information here. Please contact the WGSS department (womstud@dickinson.edu) with any questions.
Running for well over thirty years, ROWGS is co-sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Resource Center. It is made possible by the generous support of the John F. Rogers Memorial Fund, the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the President’s Office.
2025 ROWGS is scheduled for Thursday, April 24th from 4:30-6:30 pm, followed by a dinner for the presenters, their supervising faculty, and guests.
Information regarding last year’s ROWGS can be found here.
Annual Central Pennsylvania Consortium (CPC) WGSS Programming
The Central Pennsylvania Consortium colleges of Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, and Gettysburg co-plan an annual WGSS-themed conference, workshop or event. This collaboration allows faculty, students and staff from across the three colleges to share research, develop new expertise, and collectively innovate. Indeed, the Dickinson WGSS department was born from a 1987 CPC workshop. In recent years, the three CPC WGSS departments have convened a themed annual conference for undergraduates and faculty to share their cross-departmental WGSS scholarship and learn from a renowned, cutting-edge keynote speaker in the field. Programming has also included workshops collaboratively developing faculty pedagogical, curricular and administrative skills, such as the 2024-2025 workshop on writing for the popular press.
The three colleges rotate hosting the CPC event. More information about current and past WGSS-focused CPC programming, including RSVP and proposal information, is available here.
On Saturday, September 28th 2024, Dickinson will be hosting a CPC-sponsored full-day workshop on Writing for the Popular Press. Facilitated by editors from Ms. magazine, the foremost and oldest feminist publication, the workshop is free and features two tracks. Morning sessions are open to any CPC college student, faculty or staff member interested in translating their research for the popular press. No prior preparation is required. Participants in the afternoon sessions will have the opportunity to workshop their individual pitches or articles with the editors, which they will submit ahead of time after reviewing a series of webinars. Developmental editing of pitches/articles is available by RVSP-only. Space is limited and priority will be assigned to faculty, students who are developing pitches as part of a classroom assignment, and select faculty-or-director nominated students. More information, sign-up details, and RSVP are available here.
Annual WGSS Field Trip, Experiential Learning and Co-Sponsorships
Aided by the generous support of a donation by a trustee and alumna family, the WGSS department brings students, faculty and staff together for in-person events that help build community alongside exposure to new ideas and places. For the past decade we have organized a fall field trip for all WGSS students and select WGSS classes that helps them better understand how geography and space shapes access to resources, justice and knowledge. Over the past ten years, students have: embarked on walking tours exploring women’s rights, immigrant or QLGBT histories of cities; learned from staff at BIPOC-focused QLGBT community resource centers; visited museums with feminist and social-justice themed art exhibits; discussed entrepreneurship with feminist bookstore owners; and attended WGSS-themed plays like The Color Purple and Fun Home. Undergraduates also have attended the National Women’s Studies Association conference when it is hosted in Baltimore, learning more about cutting-edge scholarship and field development.
The WGSS department is delighted to co-sponsor talks and events brought by departments and offices across the college. Please contact the WGSS department (womstud@dickinson.edu) for more information.