[358] Women Celebrate Academic Success During Scholars Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

WOMEN CELEBRATE ACADEMIC SUCCESS DURING SCHOLARS WEEK
Spotlight on Intellectual Acumen, Quest for Knowledge by Women in Higher Ed

(MURFREESBORO) – The Women’s Studies Program will observe MTSU Scholars Week, March 22-26, with presentations around the theme of “Celebrating Women as Scholars.”
“Women often have a higher visibility for their service in the Academy than they do for their scholarship,” says Dr. Newtona “Tina” Johnson, director of the Women’s Studies Program and English professor. “This is the first time women scholars will be highlighted during Scholars Week.”
The Women’s Studies Program and the President’s Commission on the Status of Women will sponsor a roundtable discussion titled “Integrating Women into the Curriculum” from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Monday, March 22, in Room 100 of the James Union Building (JUB).
“The roundtable discussion is a way to encourage faculty members who are interested in developing Women’s Studies courses and other courses that give serious attention to women’s and gender issues to learn about curriculum integration methods and about curriculum integration grants offered by the President’s Commission,” says Johnson.
Members of the Women’s Studies faculty, including Drs. Gloria Hamilton (psychology), Felicia Miyakawa (music), and Jane Marcellus (journalism) will hold a panel discussion on “Women as Scholars” from 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, in JUB 100.
“We want to show what we do beyond the classroom, especially research, because students need a deeper understanding of that contribution to higher education,” says Miyakawa.
On Wednesday, March 24, it will be the students’ turn to hold their own panel discussion on women and scholarship from 1:15-2:45 p.m. in Room 348 of the Todd Building.
Dr. Jennifer Marchant, assistant professor of English, will speak about “Daring Girls, Sensitive Boys and Everything in Between: Teaching Gender Construction in Children’s Literature,” from 3-4 p.m. Thursday, March 25, in JUB 100. This lecture is the second in the spring 2010 Women’s Studies Research Series.
All “Celebrating Women as Scholars” events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Johnson at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.