WGSnews Department of Women's & Gender Studies University of South Florida Spring, 2019
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WGS news Department of Women’s & Gender Studies University of South Florida Spring, 2019
University of South Florida
Department of Women’s & Gender Studies
2018-2019
WGS Faculty & Staff: WGS Academic Programs
Diane Price Herndl Undergraduate:
Professor & Chair Major in Women’s & Gender
Studies: 36 hours
Jennifer Ellerman-Queen
Instructor, Graduate Program Second Major in Women’s &
Coordinator, & Office Manager Gender Studies: 30 hours
Kim Golombisky Minor in Women’s & Gender
Associate Professor Studies: 18 hours
Michelle Hughes Miller Minor in Queer & Sexuality
Associate Professor Studies: 18 hours
Sarah Jünke Graduate:
Project Coordinator MA in Women’s & Gender
Studies: 36 hours
David Rubin
Assistant Professor Graduate Certificate in Women’s &
Gender Studies: 12 hours
Tangela Serls
Instructor & Director of *Funding is available for MA
Undergraduate Studies students.
Milton Wendland Contact Info:
Instructor & Internship Director 4202 East Fowler Avenue, CMC 202
Tampa, FL 33620
http://wgs.usf.edu
cas-wgs@usf.edu
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 2
g N e ws l e t t er
Sprin
Contents:
Chair’s Column......................................................5
WGS Spotlights:
Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller.................................6
Sunahtah Jones..................................................7
Cera Shain...........................................................7
Leah Turner.........................................................7
Dr. Tangela Serls.................................................9
Dr. Milton Wendland...........................................9
Yasmine Bazzi...................................................10
Tunisia Riley......................................................11
Vanessa Charles...............................................12
Dr. Aisha Durham..............................................13
Conference Participation......................................7
WGS Grad Student Reflections............................8
Open House & Art Exhibit....................................14
I Am Evidence Film Screening............................15
SEWSA2020 Conference....................................16
Feminist Research Colloquium..........................17
Triota Self-Care Event.........................................17
New Website........................................................18
Social Media........................................................18
Alumni Survey......................................................18
Spring Happenings..............................................19
Recent Faculty Publications...............................20
Donations.........................................................20
Summer/Fall 2019 Courses...............................21
3 / WGSnews / Spring 2019
“Being a WGS major
makes you different,
but it is the kind of different
that I feel this world needs.”
-Yasmine Bazzi, WGS Class of 2019
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 4
Chair’s Column:
Dr. Diane Price Herndl
We’re starting a fund-raising campaign as polished scholars and activists. That
to help our students present their they progress so quickly is a testament
research at conferences. to their strong work ethic and to the
terrific commitment of the faculty in
Every year WGS celebrates our WGS.
graduating MA students with “Talk
and Toast,” a chance for our grads to I had the distinct pleasure in Novem-
present their thesis, internship, or final ber to attend two presentations at the
portfolio to the whole department and National Women’s Studies Association
then to be toasted by us all. I never by current WGS graduate students,
fail to be flabbergasted not only by and I spent most of the sessions
both the high quality of the presen- gloating about what fine work they
Dr. Diane Price Herndl
tations and the work that has gone had done.
into them, but also by the astonishing some insights from Sunahtah, Leah,
growth of our students during the Sunahtah Jones, in “’Ain’t I a Wom- and our other spring grad, Cera Shain,
short two years they are with us in the an, too?’: Toxic Black Femininity, on what they’ve gained from present-
graduate program. Normalized Transphobia, and Black ing at national conferences.)
Trans* Women’s Safety,” explored the
They come in as smart, inquiring, ways that an attitude that favors a par- Presenting at conferences is an im-
diligent, but raw talents and leave ticular cisgendered femininity in the portant component of professional-
Black community proves fatal to many ization for our students, but it is often
transwomen of color. unaffordable. Conference registrations
are often discounted for students, but
Leah Turner, in “The Removal airlines and hotels don’t offer student
of Fatness from Motherhood: rates. And we all know that graduate
Science, Social Policy, and Exclu- student stipends are not exactly luxu-
sion,” connected debates over the rious.
so-called “obesity epidemic” to the
politics of reproductive healthcare to Our campaign to raise travel funds for
examine the ways that health profes- our students can help students become
sionals and systems often discriminate better scholars and activists. Scholar-
against fat women. ships can sometimes be hard to award,
given federal rules governing financial
Not only did the students do a splen- aid, but travel money can go to sup-
did job representing USF, they also port students directly.
had a tremendous opportunity to
meet and hear other scholars and ac- I hope you’ll join me in donating a
tivists. (See later in this newsletter for little bit to the WGS fund to help our
students share their excellent work
with the world! To donate, visit:
https://usf.to/wgs.
5 / WGSnews / Spring 2019
Faculty Research Spotlight:
Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller
Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller’s Her 2017 NSF grant, “Measuring
research focuses on discursive con- the Effects of Academic Climate
structions of motherhood within and Social Networks on Persistence
law and policy, systemic responses of STEM Undergraduates,” is an
to violence against women, and exploratory grant that is investigating
she has recently also been involved the academic climate and networks
with grant-funded research projects within STEM programs, and how
that address questions of diversity these factors affect the success and
within STEM fields. marginalization of LGTBQPIA+
students in STEM. Through inter-
In 2018, she was awarded USF’s views, Dr. Hughes Miller and her
Faculty Outstanding Research co-investigator are building a dataset
Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller
Achievement Award for her re- of LGTBQPIA+ experiences within
search activities in 2017, including Women on College Campuses, includes STEM, which will inform the devel-
co-editing two books: Bad Mothers: contributions from scholars examin- opment of an inclusive survey that
Representations, Regulations, and Resis- ing how college campuses understand can be used by educators to increase
tance and Addressing Violence Against violence against women, how they student success.
Women on College Campuses, as well respond to it, and best practices they
as her work on two successful should implement to better handle it. Currently, Dr. Hughes Miller is
STEM-related National Science The book offers an interdisciplinary continuing her work on her two
Foundation (NSF) grants that totaled approach, including the voices of in-progress NSF grants, has co-au-
more than $500,000. researchers, activists, practitioners, and thored another NSF grant proposal
administrators. for $600,000 to create “enhanced
Dr. Hughes Miller’s co-edited engineering internships” through the
volume, Bad Mothers: Regulations, Dr. Hughes Miller’s NSF grant, integration of ethics training. She
Representations, and Resistance (2017), “Broadening Participation of STEM recently submitted a chapter on the
addresses a gap in the literature on Faculty Through Work Design,” tests “Governance of Motherhood” to a
motherhood. Motherhood studies work design theory and its applicabil- Routledge compendium on mother-
had previously looked at the idea ity to STEM fields. Dr. Hughes Miller hood, and has coordinated a panel
of the “good mother” and treated worked with Dr. Tammy Allen of the on “Regulating Motherhood” for the
everything outside of this idea as an USF Department of Psychology and 2019 American Society of Criminol-
“other.” The essays in Bad Mothers a team of graduate students to gather ogy conference.
argue that there also exists an idea of data on the work/life balance ne-
the “bad mother,” and that this has gotiated by STEM faculty and chairs. Courses She Teaches:
become a trope of punishment that This multi-year grant is in the data
is used to regulate and control the Undergrad: Gender, Crime and
analysis stage, and Dr. Hughes Miller
lives of mothers, particularly their Justice; Women and Social Jus-
is particularly interested in the gen-
interaction with state agencies and tice; and Introduction to WGS
der differences that have emerged in
international aid societies. faculty members’ ability to negotiate Graduate: Gender, Crime and
work/life balance, and how and why Justice; Politics of Motherhood;
Her second co-edited volume from women have less leverage in these Feminist Pedagogy; and Feminist
2017, Addressing Violence Against negotiations. Research Methods
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 6
Graduate Student Research Spotlight:
Sunahtah Jones, Cera Shain, & Leah Turner
WGS Master’s students Sunahtah Leah’s research interests are in the
Jones, Cera Shain, and Leah Turner nascent field of fat studies, which
presented their research on April 26th examines the many ways that fat
at the WGS Talk & Toast event. Talk people are marginalized. She is par-
& Toast gives soon-to-be graduates an ticularly interested in issues relating
opportunity to share their work with to fat women and their sexuality. Her
colleagues and celebrate their success. Talk & Toast presentation looked
at the numerous ways that the fat
Sunahtah studies social issues that sexual body is fetishized, as well as
impact Black LGTB+ and Black the possibilities for body positivity
womxn. The research she presented within the constraints of fat sexual
at Talk & Toast examined the concept fetishization.
of toxic femininity, and how Black
cisgender women (and women in gen- Sunahtah, Cera, and Leah are each
eral) perpetuate violence against Black Leah Turner, Sunahtah Jones, and Cera Shain at Talk & Toast graduating with an MA in Women’s
transgender women. Sunahtah argues and Gender Studies this spring and
that this violence is routinely over- tary Pumping Iron II, a 1985 film summer. After graduation, Sunahtah
looked because normalized misogyny/ about a women’s bodybuilding com- and Leah are planning to take a year
misogynoir ignores transmisogynoir petition. Cera examined the gender off before continuing on to doc-
(and violence from womxn in general) performance of Bev Francis, a very toral studies in Women’s & Gender
as a form of violence. muscular and masculine-presenting Studies. Both are going to continue
bodybuilder, and used this as a lens the research they started at USF.
Cera is interested in media studies, for interrogating how filmmakers Cera plans to continue working as an
with a focus on popular culture. Talk view and portray women, particularly editorial coordinator for Technology &
& Toast gave her the opportunity to subversive women who they see as Innovation, the academic journal of
discuss her research on the documen- unruly or too masculine. the National Academy of Inventors.
Conference Participation Matters!
Should WGS students attend and present Many grad students struggle with but as Cera Shain discovered, it is
research at professional association confer- “imposter syndrome,” but for vital as an “opportunity to grow as a
ences? Yes! Leah Turner, presenting at confer- young academic and professional.”
ences helped her realize she is not an
For Sunahtah Jones, conference par- imposter and that she does “have a Conferences give grad students many
ticipation was important because she voice that can, and should be, heard opportunities for networking and
was “able to be in the same space by others.” growth, but attending can be expen-
as Black womxn revolutionaries that sive. If you would like to donate to
have paved the way for Black queer Presenting at conferences is an support WGS student conference
women academics like me.” important part of grad school that participation, please visit:
makes many grad students nervous, https://usf.to/wgs.
7 / WGSnews / Spring 2019
Graduate Student Reflections on WGS
“WGS is so interdisciplinary that even is what
you do in the future doesn’t directly relate,
the skills you gain certainly will.”
We asked graduating MA students The way that women’s and gender
Sunahtah Jones, Cera Shain, and studies in particular taught me
Leah Turner to reflect on their how to approach the real prob-
time in the WGS graduate program. lems of the world is unlike any
Here are their thoughts: other program that anyone will
ever experience.
Sunahtah: Sunahtah Jones
My time in the WGS department The last two years have been such
has truly been a growing expe- an exceptional period of growth
rience. I’ve learned to challenge and development for me just as
myself and challenge different a human being. I feel like I’m a
concepts. more informed thoughtful, dis-
cerning, citizen than I was even
One thing that I enjoyed the most just literally two years ago entering
about the department is that you the program.
are constantly encouraged to go
outside of your comfort zones. Leah:
If you have an idea that you are not Probably the biggest thing that
completely sure about pursuing, drives me is my passion for help-
professors will work with you to ing people. In our world, which
Cera Shain
hash it out and encourage you to focuses so much on difference,
continue working with concepts I think of women’s & gender
that are new to you. studies as a kind of learning which
aims to unify people. This skill
Education in WGS has helped is so, so important for my future
me grow as a writer, academic, because if I’m not helping people
and an individual, becoming well in some way then I’m not doing
versed in so many topics, some of what I want to do.
which were foreign to me prior to
enrolling in a Master’s program. The professors in WGS are so
wonderfully supportive. Truly,
Cera: I couldn’t have done any of this
My education in WGS taught me without them. And my cohort!
a lot about the inner-workings They saved me from breakdowns Leah Turner
of the world, the structures that multiple times.
cause privilege and inequality, and,
more generally, deepened my own WGS is so interdisciplinary that
abilities to think critically and un- even if what you do in the future
derstand problems from a social/ doesn’t directly relate, the skills
global perspective. you gain certainly will.
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 8
WGS Faculty Teaching Spotlight:
Dr. Tangela Serls & Dr. Milton Wendland
WGS’s Dr. Tangela Serls and Dr.
Milton Wendland attended the
Sunshine State Teaching and Learning
Conference in Daytona Beach this
spring to deepen their teaching skills.
The conference brought together fac-
ulty members and administrators from
colleges and universities throughout
Florida and other states to discuss
current challenges and opportunities
in college teaching, and to share peda-
gogical techniques.
Dr. Tangela Serls Dr. Milton Wendland
Dr. Serls’ Reflections on Teaching: in these sessions will contribute to my I left the conference feeling excited
Teaching is something I feel called to future teaching. that I teach in Women’s & Gender
do. It’s something I’ve wanted to do Studies. I was a little surprised by how
ever since I was a child. To me, teach- Dr. Wendland’s Reflections on many teaching colleagues in other
ing means inspiring and encouraging Teaching: fields were new to issues of classroom
students to think critically about the I want all of my students to gradu- equity and inclusion – especially when
content they consume and to value ate and enter successful careers but it comes to first-generation students,
marginalized knowledges as much as more than that, I want them to see students of color, and LGBTQ
they value knowledges produced with- the world and the people in it from students. In WGS those issues are
in the academy. I encourage students a stance that favors equity and inclu- foundational to what we do as schol-
to use both marginalized and scholarly sion. I want them to be able to blend ars, teachers, and everyday people!
knowledges to deepen their under- theory and advanced research with ‘on
standing of the real-world implica- the ground’ understandings of daily
tions of what we do in the WGS field. life, popular culture, and the everyday Courses They Teach:
world. Dr. Serls teaches Intro to Women’s
For me, teaching means preparing Studies, Literature by Women of
our students to be leaders inside and Sometimes I’m so busy actually Color, Black Feminisms, WGS
outside of the classroom and helping teaching that I don’t have the time to Capstone, and Interdisciplinary
them reach their individual vision of reflect and connect with others about Approaches to Disability Studies.
student success. teaching. More than anything the
conference helped me remember why Dr. Wendland teaches Intro
At the conference some of the ses- I love teaching and that some of the to Women’s Studies, Intro to
sions that were the most useful for me frustrations I face are common to the LGBTQ+ Cultures, Sexualities
were a session on building community profession – no matter what class- Studies, Queer Film & Television,
and solidarity among marginalized stu- es you teach or how many students Careers & Professionalism in WGS,
dents, a session on maximizing class you have. I felt so energized after the and Internship in WGS
participation, and a session on imple- conference, full of ideas to tweak my
menting lateral thinking activities to course designs with a list of new ways For more information about these
add to students’ critical thinking skill- to approach class assignments and courses, visit: bit.ly/ufa2019ug.
set. I’m sure the strategies I learned assessments.
9 / WGSnews / Spring 2019
WGS Undergraduate Student Spotlight:
Yasmine Bazzi
“Having a major in WGS has helped me prepare for my future edly. It has taught me how to deal
with others who may have opinions
in so many ways that I could have never imagined.” that are different from my own. Being
Yasmine Bazzi is major- Wendland a WGS major makes you different,
ing in Women’s & Gender teaching but it is the kind of different that I
Studies and will be graduat- the online feel this world needs.
ing this spring! She is cur- Introduction
rently in the process of ap- to Wom- My favorite WGS class would have
plying to medical school en’s Studies to have been Black Feminisms taught
to start in fall of 2020, and course to by Dr. Serls. Dr. Serls has been my
plans to eventually special- help me teacher for three different WGS class-
ize in both cardiology and make that es. She is without a doubt one of the
women’s health. decision. most influential teachers I have ever
I felt as if had. She reminds me of my teacher in
Yasmine’s Reflections having this high school who first taught me what
on Majoring in WGS:
Yasmine Bazzi
major would not only make me stand it is like to be a feminist and what it
out from the rest of the applicants is like to love being a woman. Her
I took my first WGS course my junior
but would also allow me to grow as a Black Feminisms class was the kind
year of high school and I fell in love
person and have something to offer of class that I couldn’t wait to go to
with it. Every time that I would go to
to the rest of my community. every week. I learned so much in that
class, I would feel safe to express who
course, and it’s the kind of informa-
I was as a person as well as my beliefs.
Having a major in WGS has helped tion I know that I will carry with me
me prepare for my future in so for the rest of my life.
When I first started college in the
summer of 2016, I was majoring many ways that I could have never
imagined. The way the courses were I would most definitely recommend
in Biomedical Sciences and on the
structured allowed me to step out of a degree in WGS, or even just a mi-
pre-med track. It is now 2019, and I
my comfort zone and learn what it is nor. I recommend everyone to at least
am majoring in Woman’s and Gender
like to speak up and talk about things take one course because one course is
Studies with a minor in Psychology
that people normally don’t bring up all you need to spark the passion with-
and still on the pre-med track. After
in conversation. It taught me how in you that you didn’t think you had
completing my first year and a half,
important it was to look at a situation to begin with. Having a WGS major
I did some research and came across
in every possible perspective; it taught teaches you what it means to be an
many articles that said I did not need
me how to think of things in an inter- intersectional human being. It makes
to have a science degree in order to
sectional manner. you realize how important every single
apply to medical school.
aspect of you is and how to use each
Being a physician means willing to and every one of them to create
After having learned that informa-
see things with an open mind. It’s good in the community you reside in.
tion, I decided to change my major
to something that I was passionate about building connections and bonds
about. However, before switching my with everyone that you come into If you are interested in the WGS
major, I decided to take the Intro to contact with. My time spent in every major or minor, or the minor in
Women’s Studies course just to see if WGS course allowed me to learn just Queer & Sexuality Studies,
I would be making the right decision. that. It has prepared me to handle visit: wgs.usf.edu.
It only really took two weeks with Dr. situations that come at me unexpect-
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 10Alumna Spotlight: Tunisia Riley
“We need activists on all front lines,
including in corporations.”
Tunisia Riley graduated with her volved in her community
MA in women’s and gender studies in through volunteering for
2009, and is currently a Digital Strat- nonprofit organizations
egy Senior Associate with the New such as Re:Gender, Wom-
York Life Insurance Company. en’s eNews, the New York
Urban League Young Pro-
Tunisia’s WGS research was inspired fessionals, and the New
by the suicide of her childhood friend York Public Library.
at the age of 19. Her thesis, “From
the academy to the streets: Docu- Tunisia was then hired
menting the healing power of black by the Feminist Press
feminist creative expression,” explored as a Web Editor for their
“how Black women have used creative online Women Writing Sci-
expression to heal, inspire, and mobi- ence project called Under
Tunisia Riley
lize around traumatic events or pain” the Microscope. Tunisia
to do activism and advocacy work in was later recruited through her Linke- ment with our Employee Resource
their communities. dIn profile by New York Life, where Groups (ERGs). I’m active in the
she now works as a Digital Strategy Asian, African-American, and Wom-
For Tunisia, her experience as a WGS Senior Associate. She earned a sec- en’s ERGs. I’ve moderated panels,
graduate student was about healing: “When ond MA degree in Mass Communi- written content, and created an inter-
I came to USF I knew I wanted to cations with a Concentration in Public active group to educate my colleagues
write a thesis that shed light on Black Relations from Kent State University around cultural issues. We need
women and give voice to my friend in 2016. activists on all front lines, including
who didn’t have one. I didn’t realize all in corporations.”
the work I’d have to do internally to Though her day-to-day work is not focused
get to that point. The WGS program on issues related to WGS, she still finds that “I am proud of the work New York
really made the personal political for background useful and incorporates it into Life does in the community and
me and as a result, I was able to honor her job: “In my current role, I manage Continued on next page...
the legacy of my friend who lost her part of our employee intranet. I write
life to the battle with mental health, content and curate content for an
and I was able to heal and also pay employee audience to inspire, educate
homage to the Black women who laid and engage around industry topics,
a path for me through their research. employee announcements and exter-
I also met some great people who nal events that impact our company.”
I’ve remained friends with and who
challenge me to shine my light.” “But I think one of
things I’m most
Tunisia graduated at the height of the proud of and
recession and had difficulty finding can attribute to
employment immediately. But she my background in
made the best of the situation and Women’s Studies,
gained new skills by becoming in- has been my involve-
11 / WGSnews / Spring 2019Alumna Spotlight: Tunisia Riley
...continued from previous page
internally through work with the Health” class with my family and “I value the education I received in
ERGs and I’ve used a lot of what church family when I was head of the WGS program, both in the class-
I’ve learned to creatively post content Women’s Ministries at my church.” room and outside of class because it
around issues of race, class and challenged me to think with an inclu-
gender, for example writing a post “If I had to put it into one sentence sion mindset that I’ve been able to
on intersectionality and Juneteenth I’d say the WGS program taught use in my writing, the images I project
(2 separate stories) for our company me to be my own advocate and by on our intranet, and in my involve-
intranet. Or leading a “mindfulness at being my own advocate I can inspire ment with my job and in my church.”
work” presentation for our Women’s others to advocate for themselves,
ERG Peer Leadership Group.” whether around issues of health, “I want to thank the professors who
race, or gender.” were my mentors and advocates while
Tunisia believes that her education in WGS I was at USF, like Dr. Cheryl Rodri-
has been very valuable: “It has helped “Feminism and womanism is not rel- guez, Dr. Gary Lemons, Dr. Kim
me to not be silent around issues egated just to the walls of academia, Vaz, Dr. Marilyn Myerson, Dr. Sara
of race, class, and gender. And to at the marches, or in the court rooms. Crawley and Dr. Gurleen Grewal.
use wherever I am as a platform to We need allies in every corner. And my sister scholars while I was
ask the questions and raise my hand And, now more than ever intersec- there, Dr. Kendra Bryant, Dr. Robin
when needed. Community wise, I was tionality is key in making this world a Boylorn, and Dr. Alisha Winn and the
able to share a lot of what I learned better place.” many others.”
from my “Feminists Perspectives in
Alumna Spotlight:Vanessa Charles
Since graduating with a BA in Wom- about the financial intricacies of home Vanessa
en’s and Gender Studies in 2013, ownership, and has helped same-sex is already
Vanessa Charles has channeled her couples deal with micro-aggressions planning
passion for feminism and helping such as outdated “husband and wife” a second
women improve their own lives into language in contracts. Vanessa has AMPLIFY
Vanessa Charles
a successful career in real estate. found that overtly embracing femi- conference
nism and “doing something differ- for 2020, and is looking towards ex-
Vanessa began working in real ent” as a real estate agent has greatly panding her work into other realms as
estate soon graduation. Initially, she helped her career. well, with a focus on feminist issues.
worked for others who demanded she
suppress her feminism on the job, In addition to her real estate work, When asked what her education in
even down to removing her “Femi- Vanessa has her eye on empowering Women’s & Gender Studies contrib-
nist” bumper sticker from her car. women on a larger scale and recently uted to her career since graduation,
So, she quit that job, and has been organized a one-day conference in St. Vanessa answered, “everything.” In
blending real estate and the eco- Petersburg, Florida called AMPLIFY. particular, WGS opened her eyes to
nomic empowerment of women The conference brought together just how people interact with and affect
ever since. under 100 women to listen to 7 speak- one another, which helps her to
ers who taught them about how to humanize the real estate business.
She strives to educate women who become more economically successful
are interested in purchasing a home as entrepreneurs.
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 12WGS Affiliate Faculty Spotlight:
Dr. Aisha Durham
Dr. Aisha Durham is an Associate against him. Dr. Durham had hoped
Professor in the Department of Com- to stop the planned performance but
munication, and an affiliate faculty despite community support for the
member of the Department of Wom- protest, Kelly’s performance went on
en’s & Gender Studies. Using the lens as scheduled.
of hip hop feminism, her research
examines the ways that race, class, and Recently, Dr. Durham published an
gender have intersected and shaped article about Beyoncé and critiques of
the experiences of the post-1964 “hip her performances of class over the
hop generation.” course of career. The article traces
how Beyoncé has moved from an as-
This is the first generation of black sumed working class identity that was
Americans to have come of age after Dr. Aisha Durham based in ideas of individual mobility
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which and freedom, to a working class iden-
on paper, implied political, social, and with Hip Hop Feminism: Performances in tity that embraces collectivity.
economic equality. For many of this Communication and Culture, which uses
generation though, that equality never performance-influenced autoethno- Another recent article by Dr. Durham
materialized and the resulting discon- graphic techniques to examine the addresses the concept of intersection-
nect between the promises of 1964 relationship between “home” – the ality and reasserts its original meaning,
and the reality of life for many black memory of the experiences she had which went beyond just multiple iden-
Americans afterwards led to a disillu- growing up in public tities and instead was focused
sionment that was expressed through housing in Norfolk, and on the differential impact of
the new artistic and cultural form of her work in the present power within matrices of dom-
hip hop. as an academic. ination.
Dr. Durham is part of this generation On April 5th, Dr. Upcoming projects for Dr.
and her interest in hip hop feminism Durham performed “Be- Durham include research
derives from her own experiences as tween Us: A Bio-Poem,” on Missy Elliott; a study of
a black woman growing up in public from her book Home with Afro-Brazilian women and hip
housing in Norfolk, Virginia. Since Hip Hop Feminism during hop, which she will complete in
she was young, class has been one the event, “I Matter: Brazil as a Fulbright recipient
of the most “salient” parts of her Autoethnography as Method.” The this summer; and an Ameri-
identity, and this drew her to hip hop event was centered on doing work can Studies Conference retrospective
because of its roots in working-class that is democratizing, brings people panel with scholars Robin D.G. Kelley
communities. She is particularly inter- together, and incites reflection and and Mark Anthony Neal on Tricia
ested in how hip hop has functioned social change. Rose’s 1994 book, Black Noise: Rap
as a vehicle for working-class women, Music and Black Culture in Contemporary
and her research focuses in particular Last semester, Dr. Durham was in the America. Rose’s book was the first
on black women and women of color. news for organizing a protest against cultural studies text to take hip hop
the November, 2018 performance seriously as a cultural form. The panel
These issues are explored by Dr. of R. Kelly at USF because of the will take place at the American Studies
Durham in her 2014 book Home ongoing sexual abuse accusations Association annual conference in Ha-
waii in November, 2019.
13 / WGSnews / Spring 2019WGS Open House & Art Exhibit
WGS welcomed students, affiliate faculty,
and friends of the department to an Open
House event on April 3rd. Guests had a
great time catching up with one another
and meeting new friends, while diving into
the spread of seven types of cheeses, fresh
falafel and hummus, chips, veggies, and
fancy desserts!
During the Open House, WGS also hosted
an art exhibit featuring “MYAFRIKA-ART,”
a series of paintings by Dr. Gary Lemons.
Dr. Lemons is a Professor in the USF De-
Guests Bruce Benidt & Lisa LeFay talk with Drs. Milton Wendland & Kim Golombisky at the WGS Open House on April 3rd.
partment of English, and an affiliate faculty
member of WGS.
Dr. Lemons’ art incorporates “colors, pat-
terns, and shapes found in African creative
expression. A unifying theme in his paint-
ings is the power of movement materialized
through geometric configurations. Lemons
also includes mirrors in many of his paint-
ings, as well as other two-dimensional forms.
Purposefully, he visually employs mirrors
to entreat viewers to see themselves in the
creative multi-dimensionality.”
Artwork by Dr. Gary Lemons on display in WGS. If you missed the event, Dr. Lemons’ art
will be on display in the department until
the summer semester, and one piece, Afrikan
Queen, will stay on-loan in the department.
Come by CMC 202 to see it!
Students Desiree Mora, Kiandra Valladares, Cassandra Garza, & Sweta Modha attend the WGS Open House on April 3rd.
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 14Sexual Assault Awareness Month Event:
I Am Evidence Film Screening & Panel
As part of Sexual Assault Aware- to Florida and the Tampa Bay
ness Month, WGS hosted a film area.
screening on April 9th in the Mar- Suddeth spoke on the technical
shall Center’s Oval Theater of the process of rape kit testing, as well
award-winning documentary, I Am as the response of the Florida
Evidence followed by a panel discus- legislature to the national public
sion moderated by WGS Associate outcry about untested rape kits.
Professor Michelle Hughes Miller. They compelled a survey of law
enforcement in 2015, which even-
I Am Evidence tells the story of the tually discovered more than 13,000 The panel members each had con-
untested rape-kit backlog in the U.S., untested kits in the state. Since then, cluding thoughts regarding the back-
including how the backlog was dis- backlog testing has been ongoing, and log and law enforcement responses to
covered and how activists and mem- Suddeth explained that in the Hills- sexual assault. Dr. Powers pointed out
bers of law enforcement are fighting borough area, all of the FDLE back- that trauma survivors have two main
to end it. It focuses on backlogs in log has been cleared, though testing ways to obtain closure: outcome and
Detroit, Cleveland, and Los Angeles continues in other parts of the state. process. Even if the outcome is not a
and through interviews examines the Suddeth added that Florida passed a conviction, a good-faith effort from
experiences of women who were law in 2016 designed to avert a future law enforcement to obtain a convic-
raped and how they were let down by backlog by requiring that law enforce- tion can also bring a sense of closure.
the legal system. ment submit kits to the lab within 30 Being able to have faith in the legal
days and that labs must test all kits system is important, and the backlog
The film shows that race and class they receive within 120 days. has eroded that faith for many people.
affected whose rapes were taken Pinto reiterated a comment made by a
seriously as “real” by law enforce- Pinto and Dr. Powers discussed trau- survivor in the film – that the system
ment, a factor that contributed to the ma-informed care training, which can should be better than the criminal,
backlog. Over the last decade, as the teach law enforcement what to expect and that trauma survivors should not
untested rape kits were discovered and when dealing with a survivor of a feel defeated by their interactions with
began to be processed, the result has traumatic event. Currently members the legal system. Suddeth referred
been thousands of DNA hits in law of law enforcement are not required to the discovery of the backlog as a
enforcement databases, as well as the to receive this training, which is a “gut punch to the system” that made
identification of many serial rapists. problem because many of the ways people aware of the need for new
trauma survivors act when reporting approaches and new technologies to
Panel members, Dr. Ráchael Pow- to law enforcement go against the not only end the backlog, but stop one
ers, Associate Professor in the USF “common sense” idea of how they from developing again in Florida.
Department of Criminology; Jessica would act. This makes people in law
Pinto, Advocate Manager at the Crisis enforcement skeptical of these sur-
Center of Tampa Bay, and Melissa vivors and affects how seriously they If you missed the event
Suddeth, Crime Laboratory Analyst take their complaints. Pinto and Dr. but want to learn more, visit:
Supervisor with the Florida Depart- Powers suggested that training could www.endthebacklog.org,
ment of Law Enforcement, answered be required for law enforcement, but or check-out I Am Evidence
audience questions about the backlog the people in charge to legislate it on DVD from the
and how law enforcement handles have to want to, so voting matters. USF Tampa Library.
sexual assault, particularly in relation
15 / WGSnews / Spring 2019WGS to Host SEWSA Conference in 2020!
The USF Department of Women’s and gendered embodiment inform students and scholars at all levels.
& Gender Studies is the host of the strategies of disobedience to state
Southeastern Women’s Studies regulation, the criminalization and Session Types and Instructions:
Association annual conference in dispossession of multiply-margin- •Individual presentation proposals:
2020. The conference will take place alized populations, and the ongoing 200-word proposal
March 26-March 28 in St. Peters- upward redistribution of wealth and •Panel presentation proposals: 3-4
burg on the USF St. Pete campus. resources under neoliberalism? presenters, 600-word proposal (We
strongly encourage panel proposals
The theme for the conference is At the same time, the theme invites from graduate and undergraduate
Embodying Disobedience, Craft- consideration of how to better craft students.)
ing Affinities, which figures embod- stronger and more capacious af- •Roundtable proposals: 6-8 presenters,
iment and diverse lived experiences finities between counterhegemonic 10-minutes each (600-word proposal)
as the lifeblood of resistant politics projects, for example, between The •Slow science proposals (works in
and the livelihood of building alli- Movement for Black Lives, disability progress): 3-4 presenters, 600-word
ances across our many differences. justice activism, struggles for in- proposal
digenous decolonization, trans and •Workshops: 2-4 presenters, 600-word
The theme echoes the broader intersex rights, prison abolition, and proposal
mission of the interdisciplinary field intersectional feminist, queer, and
of Women’s and Gender Studies anti-racist research and activism. Proposal submissions will open soon
(WGS). With its distinctive blend of “Embodying Disobedience, Crafting at tinyurl.com/sewsa20, and the dead-
research, programming, teaching, and Affinities,” then, seeks to emphasize line is December 6, 2019.
advocacy, WGS questions conven- the continuing import of multi-issue
tional wisdom, challenges the status politics in efforts to move beyond
quo, critiques intersecting gendered, commodified notions of allyship For More SEWSA Information:
sexual, and racialized inequities and towards relations of radical solidarity
injustices, and strives to create social and mutual interdependence. Website:
change for more equitable, ethical, www.sewsa.net/2020-south-florida
and just futures. We invite proposals that envision and
examine diverse ways of embodying Email:
Our theme invites a wide range of disobedience and crafting affinities sewsa@usf.edu
interdisciplinary critical engagements across a wide range of theories,
with the body politics of disobedi- practices, and contexts. All disci- Facebook:
ence. How, for instance, do differ- plines, methodologies, and styles of fb.me/sewsa2020
ent forms and modes of racialized presentation are welcome, and from
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 16WGS Feminist Research Colloquium
WGS hosted its 8th Annual Femi- Outcomes for Child Sexual Assault The theme for the final panel was
nist Research Colloquium on April Survivors.” Framed by the Media. Berit Van Neste
22nd. This two-hour event gives grad- from Mass Communications present-
uate students in the WGS Feminist The second panel examined Social ed “Gendered News Frames from the
Research Methods seminar an oppor- Movements & Positionalities Past, Present, 2019 Los Angeles Teacher Strike.”
tunity to present their research to the & Absent. Toria Kwan from Sociol- Amber Klee from Africana Studies
USF community. ogy presented “Fragmented Mascu- presented “‘My Son Didn’t Deserve
linities, Marginalized Femininities, & to Go Like This.’ India Clarke & the
The first panel of the evening was Subordinated Sexualities: A Litera- News Production of Transmisog-
focused on Writing and Revising Sto- ture Review of Gender & Sexuality ynoir.” Breanna L. Carter from
ries. Colleen Kolba from English Among Asian Americans.” Kendra Women’s & Gender Studies presented
presented “Revising Our Approach: Spaulding from Humanities & Cul- “Mixed-Up Aspects: How Barack
Rethinking How Revision is Taught tural Studies presented “ Illuminations Obama Was Racially Identified by
in Creative Writing Classes.” Elise in the Book of Hours: Environmen- Four Newspapers across the United
Hummel from Humanities & Cultur- talism in the Middle Ages.” Charlotte States When He Announced his Presi-
al Studies presented “Interviews with A. “Cat” Archer from Sociology pre- dential Candidacy in 2007.”
Women who suffer from Eating Dis- sented “Seeing New Social Movement
orders.’ Jessie Assay from Women’s Theories in Contemporary Social
& Gender Studies presented “Train- Movements.”
ing Frontline Individuals to Improve
Triota Honor Society: Self-Care Event
On April 11th, the Triota Honor As a self-identified “feminist kill-
Society held a Self-Care Event that joy,” Ahmed encourages readers to
had roughly 15 attendees and pizza, construct their own “feminist killjoy
including vegan pizza. survival kits.” Attendees went around
in a circle and shared items they
Triota President Julianne Dressler would include in their own self-care
read passages from Sara Ahmed’s kits, including: specific books (such as
book Living a Feminist Life (Duke Sister Outsider, by Audre Lorde), the
University Press, 2017). In her book, music of Nina Simone, spending time
Ahmed argues that “how we care for in nature, allowing oneself the right to
ourselves becomes an expression of feel angry and also to let go of anger,
feminist care” (237). She then quotes dancing, laughter, and spending time
Christina Schladen and Alicia Kerr at the Triota Self-Care Event
Audre Lorde’s famous claim: “Caring with loved ones.
for myself is not self-indulgence, it
is self-preservation, and that is an act Triota is considering organizing a
of political warfare” (1988, 131).The similar event for the fall. If you are
group discussed their interpretations interested in learning more, visit:
of these powerful arguments. www.facebook.com/pg/triotausf.
17 / WGSnews / Spring 2019WGS is Getting a
New Website!
WGS is very excited to announce that we will be getting
a new website this summer! This is something that the
department has been wanting for a long time!
Soon, it will be a lot easier to find information about the
many undergraduate and graduate opportunities WGS
offers, including:
Women’s & Gender Studies major or minor
Queer and Sexuality Studies minor
MA in Women’s & Gender Studies
Graduate Certificate in Women’s & Gender Studies.
Look for our announcement this summer when the new
website is unveiled.
WGS on Social Media
WGS has a Facebook page that you
should follow! We regularly post informa-
tion to Facebook about courses, faculty Alumni Survey
and student achievements, department
events, as well as news and pop culture
stories that are of interest to WGS scholars and friends. The Department of Women’s & Gender Studies
wants to hear from you!
To follow WGS on Facebook, go to:
www.facebook.com/WGSUSF. If you are a former WGS student, please fill out
our short survey (link below) about your educa-
tion and career.
WGS has a LinkedIn page that you
should follow too! We are adding more Using the survey, you can also indicate your inter-
content to our LinkedIn page starting this est in being a subject of our newsletter Spotlights,
summer. We will be using it to keep in or being featured on the Alumni section of our
touch with our alumni, and to also share website. We are also planning an alumni panel
job postings and career information relevant to WGS event for the fall semester - if you are interested
students and graduates. in being on the panel, please let us know through
the survey.
To follow WGS on LinkedIn, go to:
www.linkedin.com/school/usfwgs. WGS Survey: https://bit.ly/2V4JsMz
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 18WGS Spring Semester Happenings
January: Dr. Milton Wendland presented “Expan- April:
WGS Associate Professor Dr. Kim sive Mentoring: 10 Tips for Mentoring Dr. Milton Wendland was on the orga-
Golombisky was named interim director Beyond the One-on-One Model” at the nizing committee for the 2019 USF
of the Zimmerman School of Advertis- Southeastern Women’s Studies Associa- Lavender Graduation Ceremony for
ing and Mass Communications. tion annual conference in Oxford, MS. LGTBQ+ and Ally Students.
Dr. David Rubin organized the WGS Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller presented Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller was the keynote
spring semester Brown Bag Colloquium “Queer in STEM in the South: Locating speaker at the USF Take Back the Night
Series. Undergraduate Narratives of Inclusion event on 4/2.
and Marginalization” at the Southeastern
WGS hosted Dr. Omotayo Jolaosho’s Women’s Studies Association annual WGS hosted an Open House and Art
presentation of “Why Self-Care is Not conference in Oxford, MS. Exhibit on 4/3.
Enough” on 1/24 as part of the depart-
ment’s Brown Bag Colloquium Series. Dr. David Rubin presented “Transing Dr. Diane Price Herndl was a panel mem-
Negative Affect: How to Do Things ber at the Lambda Theta Alpha Soror-
Dr. Milton Wendland did a poster presen- with Bad Feelings,” and “‘Too Cute to ity’s Women’s Empowerment Panel on
tation, “It’s in the Syllabus,” at the Sun- Be Binary’: Political Affect in Contem- 4/3.
shine State Teaching & Learning Confer- porary Intersex Activism” (invited) at
ence in Daytona Beach Shores, FL. the Southeastern Women’s Studies As- WGS hosted Dr. Naa Dodua Dodoo’s
sociation annual conference in Oxford, presentation of “Partner or Chattel?” on
February: MS. 4/4 as part of the department’s Brown
Dr. Milton Wendland was invited to Bag Colloquium Series.
present: “Beyond Alphabet Soup: An Dr. Diane Price Herndl was a panel mem-
LGTBQ+ Primer,” at the monthly ber at the Disaster and Humanitarian WGS hosted a film screening of I Am
meeting of the Pasco County LGBTA Relief Student Collaborative’s “Inter- Evidence on 4/9 for Sexual Assault
Democrats in Lutz, FL. national Women’s Day: The Fight for Awareness Month.
Rights” event on 3/6.
Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller was the guest Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller co-present-
speaker for Jobsite Theatre’s Othello Jennifer Ellerman-Queen was interviewed ed “Not just the Opposite of Good:
Talkback on 2/3. by WMNF for International Women’s Examples of the Bad Mother Trope in
Day on 3/8. Bad Mothers: Regulations, Representations
WGS hosted Dr. Beatriz Padilla’s presen- and Resistance,” and chaired the Mothers
tation of “Resistance Practices of Brazil- Dr. Tangela Serls was a panel speaker at and Mothering in the Academe panel at the
ian Women in Portuguese Academia” on the USF Housing and Residential Edu- Motherhood Initiative for Research and
2/21 as part of the department’s Brown cation event, “I Was Born to Flex: Mon- Community Involvement annual confer-
Bag Colloquium Series. ey, Friendship, & Community Among ence in Toronto, Canada.
Womyn of Color” on 3/21.
Dr. Tangela Serls led a discussion of Mi- Dr. Kim Golombisky organized the 8th
chelle Obama’s book, Becoming, on 2/28. WGS hosted Dr. David Johnson’s Annual WGS Feminist Research Colloquium,
presentation of “Buying Gay” on 3/21 which was held on 4/22.
March: as part of the department’s Brown Bag
Drs. Kim Golombisky, Milton Wendland, and Colloquium Series. WGS hosted the Talk & Toast graduate
Tangela Serls were panel members for student research presentation event on
“Teaching Through Thorns: An Inter- Jennifer Ellerman-Queen presented at the 4/26.
active Roundtable on Today’s Prickly National Organization for Women at
Classroom Issues” at the Southeastern USF’s “Women’s History Month Cele- May:
Women’s Studies Association annual bration” event on 3/21. Dr. Kim Golombisky was a faculty mentor
conference in Oxford, MS. for the 2019 USF Sisters of the Acade-
my Research BootCamp, May 5-10.
19 / WGSnews / Spring 2019Thank You
WGS Donors!
In 2018-2019, these people generously
donated to WGS: Giving to WGS
Elizabeth E. Bell, Ph.D.
If you would like to support student participation
Diane Price Herndl, Ph.D. at academic conferences, or the work of WGS in
general, you can do so by making a gift to the WGS
Jennifer L. Iceton fund at the USF Foundation.
Shayla D. Johnson
No amount is too small - with a gift of any size
Michelle Hughes Miller, Ph.D. you can make an impact!
Tangela La’Chelle Serls, Ph.D. To make a gift, visit: https://usf.to/wgs.
Milton W. Wendland, J.D., Ph.D.
WGS Spring & Forthcoming Publications
Dr. Kim Golombisky: Kim Golombisky, 143-163. Lanham, Couser. Layman Poupard Publishing,
Golombisky, Kim, ed. Feminist perspec- MD: Lexington/Rowman & Little- 2019 (forthcoming).
tives on advertising. What’s the big idea? field, 2019.
Lanham, MD: Lexington/Rowman & Dr. David Rubin:
Littlefield, 2019. Stamps, Jennifer Ford and Kim Rubin, David A. “Transgender and
Golombisky. “Chapter 11: Woman as Intersex Men.” In Handbook of Men’s
Golombisky, Kim. “Chapter 1: An in- product stand-in: Branding straight Health Disparities, edited by Derek M.
troduction to some big ideas for crit- metrosexuality in men’s magazine Griffith, Marino A Bruce, and Roland
ical feminist advertising studies.” In fashion advertising.” In Feminist perspec- J. Thorpe, Jr. New York: Routledge,
Feminist perspectives on advertising. What’s tives on advertising. What’s the big idea?, 2019.
the big idea?, edited by Kim Golom- edited by Kim Golombisky, 239-256.
bisky, 1-36. Lanham, MD: Lexington/ Lanham, MD: Lexington/Rowman & Rubin, David A. “Provincializing
Rowman & Littlefield, 2019. Littlefield, 2019. Intersex: U.S. Intersex Activism, Hu-
man Rights, and Transnational Body
Golombisky, Kim. “Chapter 7: Mid- Dr. Diane Price Herndl: Politics.” In Women’s Reproductive and
dle-aged women, antiaging advertis- Price Herndl, Diane. “Exploding into Sexual Rights: Transnational Perspectives,
ing, and an accidental politics of the Life, Dorothea Lynch and Eugene edited by Tanya Bakrhu. New York:
unmarked.” In Feminist perspectives on Richards.” In Disability Experiences, ed- Routledge, 2019.
advertising. What’s the big idea?, edited by ited by Susannah Mintz and Thomas
WGSnews / Spring 2019 / 20Summer and Fall 2019 WGS Courses
Undergraduate Courses:
WST 2250: The Female Experience in America WST 4565: Queer Theory
Offered completely online (Fall: CRN 83571) Face to face on TR 11 AM-12:15 PM (Fall: CRN 85402)
WST 2600: Human Sexual Behavior WST 4930: Gender and Science Fiction
Face to face on MWF 2:30-4:50 PM (Summer B: CRN Face to face on MWF 9:30 AM-11:50 AM (Summer A:
50698) CRN 58098)
Face to face on MW 3:30-4:45 PM (Fall: CRN 83570)
WST 4935: Capstone
WST 3015: Intro to Women’s Studies Face to face on MW 11:00 AM-12:15 PM (Fall: CRN
Offered completely online (Summer B: CRN 52265) 87120)
Face to face on MW 9:30 AM-10:35 AM (Fall: CRN
95010) For undergrad course descriptions, visit: bit.ly/ufa2019ug
Face to face on MW 2:00-3:15 PM (Fall: CRN 80572)
Face to face on TR 12:30-1:45 PM (Fall: CRN 93542)
Offered completely online (Fall: CRN 85079) Graduate Courses:
WST 6003: Scholarship and Pedagogy
WST 3324: Women, Environment, and Gender Face to face on T 3:30 PM-6:00 PM (Fall: CRN 87462)
Offered completely online (Summer C: CRN 53231) For more info: http://bit.ly/2019ped
Offered completely online (Fall: CRN 87110)
WST 6560: Advanced Feminist Theory
WST 3311: Issues in Feminism Face to face R 3:30 PM-6:00 PM (Fall: CRN 86267)
Face to face on MW 9:30 AM-10:45 AM (Fall: CRN For more info: http://bit.ly/2019theory
81292)
WST 6936: Politics of Motherhood
WST 3412: Women in the Developing World Face to face W 5:30 PM-8:15 PM (Fall: CRN 88240)
Offered completely online (Fall: CRN 89212) For more info: http://bit.ly/2019mother
WST 3370: Women & Social Action WST 6936: Gender and Science Fiction
Face to face on MW 12:30 PM-1:45 PM (Fall: CRN Face to face MWF 9:30 AM-11:50 AM (Summer A:
95011) CRN 58279)
ISS 3420: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Disability
Studies
Offered completely online (Summer B: CRN 58137)
WST 3602: Intro to LGBTQ Cultures
Offered completely online (Summer B: CRN 58097)
WST 4106: Global and Transnational Feminisms
Face to face on TR 2 PM-3:15 PM (Fall: CRN 95012)
WST 4262: Literature by Women of Color
Face to face on MW 2:00 PM-3:15 PM (Fall: CRN 84453)
21 / WGSnews / Spring 2019You can also read
