Contemporary Issues in Feminist Research – Winter 2022

EWU Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies presents for winter 2022 Contemporary Issues in Feminist Research, featuring faculty and staff presenting research in their disciplines from a feminist perspective.

Contemporary Issues in Feminist Research

All events will be held virtually via Zoom.

Feminism in the Sciences

Thursday, Feb. 10th

Science is not a static collection of facts. It is an evolving, dynamic process that requires evaluation and critique. In order to make progress toward solving some of the most complex challenges we face today as a society, the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) must be examined. This talk will utilize feminist theory as a framework to show how challenging some common paradigms and incorporating diverse ideas, perspectives, and approaches can open new pathways for progress within the sciences. Current diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the College of STEM and pedagogical approaches that utilize this framework within the sciences will also be discussed.

Close Listening with Audio in the English Classroom: a tool for teaching rhetoric, developing empathy, and introducing critical conversations about social power

Tuesday, Feb. 15th

Careful consideration of the sounds and silences around us can lead to critical conversations about social power by introducing concepts such as voice-over, audio manipulation, and questioning why particular voices have been historically silenced or amplified, especially in terms of gender, race, class, age, and ability. In this talk, I will discuss some of the reasons for incorporating close listening and audio recording into my English Composition classes. Like reading and writing, the act of listening requires students to think critically about what is being produced, who is producing it, how it is manipulated, who is listening, whose voices are amplified, and what social and political context exists.