Message from the Director
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 Greeting from Ames!
Campus has been alive with the 2018 midterm political campaign as candidates, rallies, ads, and get-out-the-vote blanket our city and state! According to Dr. Kelly Winfrey, a WGS faculty affiliate and speaker at one of our recent seminars, a record number of women are running for political office this year in what some label a ‘Pink Wave’, ‘Year of the Woman,’ or courageous ‘badass women.’ I am super encouraged by the political activism of our students during this election period. One of my favorite websites to monitor is the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers and #WomenRun2018.
WGS faculty are also on the move as they travel to Atlanta, GA this week to participate in panel and paper sessions at the National Women’s Studies Association annual conference. Faculty, students, and activists from around the country gather at this amazing conference to share research and teaching strategies. (See story below.)
 The WGS faculty were also well represented at the Liberal Arts and Sciences Convocation and Awards Ceremony in September. Four of our faculty were recognized with the Diversity Award (Ann Oberhauser, Sociology), Early Achievement in Research (Michèle Schaal, World Languages and Culture), and Institutional Service Award (Joel Geske, Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and Susan Stewart, Sociology). Congratulate them next time you see them on campus!
The WGS Program is also conducting a national search for a faculty member to join us in 2019. The successful candidate for this position will be someone who teaches in the area of LGBTQ+ Studies, critical race theory, and/or transnational feminism. We will keep you posted about the candidate visits to campus starting early next semester.
Finally, plans are underway for the spring 2019 WGS Student Conference “Transforming Gender and Society.” On April 6th, students from all over the state will travel to Ames to present their research and other projects. Visit our website for more information about this event.
Once again, thank you for your continued support of our program. Now, more than ever, it is imperative for us to stay informed, speak out for social justice, and keep building a strong feminist community!!
Regards,
Ann Oberhauser
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WGS Scholarships for Academic Year 2019-2020
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Linda Gaylon Undergraduate Scholarship
This scholarship is intended to support an undergraduate student majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies at Iowa State University. In order to be considered for this $1,000 scholarship, students must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors, enrolled as a student during Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Selection is based on demonstrated commitment to the field of women’s and gender studies. Financial need will also be considered. To apply for the scholarship, visit Iowa State OneApp and find the Women’s and Gender Studies Scholarship Application under recommended applications. Deadline is March 8, 2019.
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WGS Graduate Student Scholarship
This scholarship is intended to support graduate students pursuing a Masters or a Ph.D. degree and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies at Iowa State University. The scholarship of $750 will provide assistance to students enrolled during Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Preference will be given to students who engage in the field of women’s and gender studies and enhance women’s contributions to the advancement of knowledge. Recipients must demonstrate financial need.
To download the application, click here.
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National Women's Studies Association Conference
WGS faculty, faculty affiliates, and alum will converge on Chicago this month to attend the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) 2018 Conference. Dr. Alissa Stoehr, Dr. Michael Goebel, and ISU WGS alumna Leah Wilson will sit in on a roundtable entitled, "Reimagining Women's and Gender Studies Education: Just Pedagogical Choices for an Unjust World." |
Congratulations to WGS Core Faculty, Michèle Schaal!
Dr. Michèle Schaal and her partner J.P. welcomed their daughter Camille into the world in September. Dr. Schaal will return to the classroom this Spring semester.
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The Writing Gender Learning Community, lead by Sarah Chase Crosby and Christiana Langenberg, met in October to decorate pumpkins. Pictured here are peer mentor Olivia Lehman, Sophia Biasi and Kately Pinkham, and the Official ISU WGS Pumpkin!
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2019 Transforming Gender and Society Conference
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Conference Details
Location: Memorial Union, ISU
Date: Saturday, April 6, 2019
Time: 9 AM - 5 PM
Share this event with friends on Facebook.
Visit the WGS website for more information and to submit your presentation proposal.
This event is open to all undergrad and graduate students, with sponsorship from a faculty member, from any university or college.
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Call for Proposals
This event is open to all undergraduate and graduate students from universities and colleges across Iowa.
Presentations will include original research, creative work, pedagogy, activism, and thematic pieces. Proposals are due by March 12, 2019. Applications can be downloaded from the website.
Iowa State University students whose proposals are accepted will have the opportunity to workshop with Women’s and Gender Studies faculty and faculty affiliates to help prepare their presentations. Date of workshop to be determined.
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Study Abroad: Trieste and the Meaning of Place
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 Join WGS Core Faculty Christiana Langenberg and Dr. Mike Goebel on this interdisciplinary global seminar in a diverse region of northern Italy. This trip will take place May 17 - June 11, 2019. This cultural immersion experience will include:
- an intensive, 3-week Italian language and cultural class (3 credits of Italian which transfer to ISU)
- afternoon/evening excursions to experience cultural, literary, historical, culinary, sociological, and artistic expressions of "place" as defined by the Italian people of this region (3 credits of INTST 395B)
Eligibility Requirements: 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA.
Estimated Program Fee:
- $3800 program fee, which includes airfare, all lodging, transportation on-site, and excursions
- $1210 ISU tuition and fees
- TUITION AWARD of $750 given to all participants, regardless of major/college
- Additional scholarships are available for LAS primary or secondary majors
Additional Information: 1 credit, 2nd half Spring 2019 course is required to prepare for cultural immersion. Visit abroad.las.iastate.edu for more information and to apply.
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Student Spotlight: Caedyn Krahling
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 For Caedyn Krahling (WGS major, senior; they/them), the path to Women's and Gender Studies began after they finished their degree.
"I intended to graduate with my Bachelor's in Anthropology and then be finished with school," Caedyn explained. "Instead, as I was sitting in an office in Texas late last year, I realized that the best part of my position as team leader was helping educate those around me on issues of gender and sexuality. I also realized that if I wanted to continue doing that, I would have to go back to school."
Caedyn returned to ISU this fall to pursue a second major in WGS in order to reach their career ambitions.
"I can't say there was one particular moment that made me see the value in this program, but a lot of little small ones," they explain. "It was the moments when something would click while reading or during discussions, and it felt like a thing I had been struggling to understand and articulate my entire life was finally clear. It was finally getting to have engaging and interesting conversations about society without being dismissed or having issues trivialized."
The value of WGS means different things for different people, but no matter what brings our students into the Program, we're thankful for the contributions each one will make in our society when they graduate.
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Alumni Update: Lauren Cates
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 As many know, the WGS Program underwent major changes in the past few years, not the least of which included our change from Women's Studies to Women's and Gender Studies. Long ago, our program didn't even have a major--it was only a minor! Lauren Cates (they/them/theirs) graduated from ISU with an English degree and WS minor in 1998, and their experience in the program was much different than the experience of WGS students today.
Lauren moved around a lot after they graduated from ISU. They lived in Austria translating technical manuals, returned to Iowa to work as a special events coordinator, then made the move to Washington, D.C., working different jobs until they found themselves at a massage school orientation.
"To this day, I can't say what led me to that orientation, but on the first day of massage school, I knew I had found my reason for being on the planet," Lauren explained. "I graduated from massage school in 2005 and have focused my career providing massage therapy to people affected by acute, chronic and serious illness."
After spending time in the industry, Lauren recognized that fundamental problems persist among clients and massage therapists. "I was a founding director and president of the Society for Oncology Massage and I founded Healwell, an Arlington Virginia-based non-profit in 2010. I still maintain a small private practice, but I spend the majority of my time fulfilling my duties as Healwell's Executive Director."
Looking back, Lauren said that the Women's Studies Program at ISU is where they learned how to write. "My instructors in that program encouraged me to be clear in my expression and to see how often there was a threat of injustice or basic unseen-ness in our stories and how important it is to continue to shine a light on that."
"My work at Healwell is all about exposing and softening the injustice and unseen-ness that are inherent in the experience of illness in America," Lauren continued. "My WGS studies supported me in feeling empowered to continue to see and work to change these aspects of human experience."
"It's hard to know 20 years down the road as I am now, if it would have made a difference, but my own self-development and self-exploration have had a lot to do with finding my way with regard to gender in our often-binary world," Lauren went on to explain. "In retrospect, 'Womens Studies' was a limited way to look at the world. I suspect I would have benefitted greatly from a curriculum that invited me to feel that my own non-binary existence was legitimate."
We hope that our program has developed our curriculum to meet the needs of all gender identities here on campus, and we welcome feedback from students of our courses on areas where we can improve! Thank you to Lauren for their input and the impact they are making at Healwell!
For more information on Lauren and their work at Healwell, they have provided a recently published article about their work, available on the WGS website.
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Featured WGS Staff: Kimberly Hope
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 We are delighted to introduce Kimberly Hope as our new WGS Program Assistant. Kimberly started in this position in May 2018 and has been a super addition to the WGS team. She is also working with Leadership Studies and Communication Studies, so her days are full and busy.
Kimberly graduated with a BA in Political Science from ISU in 2008. After graduation, she worked for a local non-profit organization, Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS), for a few years. But she soon developed a travel bug and moved to Busan, South Korea where she taught English at a high school for three years. This was a fabulous opportunity to live in a very different culture and try some amazing food! When asked about gender roles in South Korea, Kimberly noted that it is difficult to generalize, yet she found that women are often treated as lower status than men in the workplace. However, women also have generous benefits with up to ten years maternity leave and a guaranteed job when they return to work.
Upon returning to Iowa, Kim worked at IRIS as the Operations Manager. She was happy to return to ISU in 2018 and take advantage of some of the perks of working at the university. Kim’s top three reasons for liking her job are the chance to
- be creative and to promote the LDST, Comm St, and WGS Programs,
- conduct research and develop evidence-based materials, and
- work with three different programs in some of her favorite fields. She especially loves attending Feminist Friday at the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center and the SPARK Program in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.
Kimberly lives in Ames with her three year old daughter and partner. Stop by and visit Kim in #357 Carver Hall or contact her at khope@iastate.edu. She would love to meet you and share more of her interests and background.
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- WGS 160 Gender Justice Dr. Michael Goebel, Alexia Angton (TA)
- WGS 201 Intro to Women's & Gender Studies Dr. Alissa Stoehr, Deborah Burns (TA), Cori Hyde (TA), Mary Harrison Joynt (TA) / Rebecca Haroldson (online)
- WGS 201H Honors Intro to Women's & Gender Studies Dr. Alissa Stoehr
- WGS 210 Gender and Sexuality in American Pop Culture Dr. Mike Goebel
- WGS 301 International Perspectives on Women & Gender Dr. Ann Oberhauser
- WGS 320 Ecofeminism Dr. Danielle Wirth
- WGS 323 Gender & Communication Dr. Maggie LaWare
- WGS 327 Sex & Gender in Society Dr. Amy Popillion
- WGS 333 Women & Leadership Dr. Maggie LaWare
- WGS 344 Human Reproduction
- WGS 346 Psychology of Women Dr. Karen Scheel
- WGS 374 Sex, Gender, and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean World Dr. Rachel Meyers
- WGS 387X U.S. First Ladies
- WGS 402 Feminist Research in Action Dr. Ann Oberhauser
- WGS 450 sec. 1 Human Trafficking Dr. Alissa Stoehr
- WGS 450 sec. 2/WGS 550 Contemporary Feminist Manifestos Dr. Michèle Schaal
- WGS 450 sec. XW Special Topic Dr. Calli Theisen
- WGS 502 Advanced Seminar in Feminist Research Methods Dr. Ann Oberhauser
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