[342] WOMEN’S STUDIES CONFERENCE EXAMINES TOPIC OF SEXUALITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 3, 2009EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Newtona “Tina” Johnson, 615-898-2705

WOMEN’S STUDIES CONFERENCE EXAMINES TOPIC OF SEXUALITY
Feminist Speakers, Scholars, Workshop, and Theater Part of Two-Day Event

(MURFREESBORO) – “Sexuality” is the theme of the 2009 Interdisciplinary Conference in Women’s Studies at MTSU, which is slated for Thursday and Friday, March 26-27 in Cantrell Hall in MTSU’s Tom H. Jackson Building. Learned scholars from across the country, as well as the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, responded to the call for papers. They will present research on topics representing the vast panoply of perspectives on sexuality, including biology, culture, and sexuality; sex trafficking; feminism and sexuality; and gender construction and sexuality. In addition, undergraduates will gain valuable experience in presenting their own research and obtaining feedback from conference participants. “I am very pleased that an undergraduate research forum is included in the conference program this year,” says Dr. Diane Miller, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. “This event supports MTSU’s effort to develop a campus culture that fosters and celebrates student research activities. I hope that faculty will attend the conference and encourage their students to attend.”
“At MTSU we have an inclusive definition of diversity,” says Dr. Kaylene Gebert, Executive Vice President and Provost. “The Women’s Studies Program and this conference give the campus and the community an opportunity to hear national speakers and scholars who focus on contemporary issues.” The keynote speakers for the event will be Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner, co-founders of Soapbox Inc., a feminist speakers bureau. Richards, who also is co-founder of the Third Wave Foundation, is co-author with Baumgardner of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future (2000) and Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism (2005). Baumgardner was the youngest editor at Ms. Magazine from 1993-1997. She has written investigative pieces for Harper’s and The Nation and commentaries for NPR’s “All Things Considered.” In 2003, the Commonwealth Club of California hailed Baumgardner as one of six “Visionaries for the 21st Century.” Richards and Baumgardner will address the conference at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 27. Another primary speaker, Peggy McIntosh, will conduct a workshop in partnership with the MTSU National Women’s History Month Committee at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 26. McIntosh is the associate director of Wellesley College’s Centers

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for Women and director of the Gender, Race, and Inclusive Education Project. She is noted for her work in identifying privilege as a factor in gender and race dynamics. As a community outreach initiative, the Women’s Studies Program is collaborating with the Domestic Violence Program of Murfreesboro to present “The Vagina Monologues” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26. Benefit productions of the Obie Award-winning play by Eve Ensler since its debut in 1996 have helped raise more than
$50 million for women’s anti-violence groups. A container will be made available for donations for the Domestic Violence Program.
“This academic conference brings together esteemed scholars and MTSU students for a learning experience that will take a holistic, multifaceted approach to the subject,” says Dr. Newtona “Tina” Johnson, director of the Women’s Studies Program and professor of English. “None of our sessions will be conducted simultaneously to allow everyone to participate in each session and to foster a greater sense of community.”
All events will be in the Tom H. Jackson Building. The conference is free for all MTSU faculty, staff and students. The advance fees are $80 for non-students and $40 for students other than MTSU students, the unemployed and the underemployed. These fees go up to $90 and $45, respectively, on-site. Fees for each day’s lunch are $10 with a vegetarian option available.
For more information and for a printable registration form, go to www.mtsu.edu/womenstu and click on the link on the right side of the page, or contact the MTSU Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.


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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For jpeg photos of Amy Richards, Jennifer Baumgardner and Peggy McIntosh, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.