OXFORD, Miss. – The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies hosts the 18th annual Isom Student Gender Conference, with a theme of “Liberty and Justice for All,” this week at the University of Mississippi.
The interdisciplinary conference, which explores the way gender, race and socioeconomic status intersect, was the first on campus to feature undergraduate research.
“Each year it’s gotten bigger and better and that’s exciting to see,” said Theresa Starkey, the center’s associate director. “It a good chance for students to hear their peers and learn about their research and writing interests. It’s a vibrant place for interdisciplinary work.”
Here is a full schedule of events:
Wednesday (April 4)
Feminist and Queer Methods in the World – 2 p.m., The Inn at Ole Miss. Graduate students in English and Southern studies discuss their research in a panel discussion, moderated by Jaime Harker, Isom Center director.
East Asia Study Abroad: Case Studies of Conflicts with Cultural Identities and the American Dream – 3:15 p.m., The Inn at Ole Miss. Modern language graduate students discuss the topic on a panel, moderated by Minjoo Oh, associate professor of sociology.
Memory, History and Symbols – 4:30 p.m., The Inn at Ole Miss. Undergraduate and graduate students from Ole Miss and Millsaps College discuss their research on a panel moderated by Amy McDowell, assistant professor of sociology.
Intersectionality and Institutionalization – 6 p.m., The Inn at Ole Miss. The keynote address about gender, social race, socioeconomic status and experiences of health and disease in the Mississippi State Asylum in Jackson will be delivered by Molly Zuckerman, associate professor of anthropology and Middle Eastern culture at Mississippi State University.
Thursday (April 5)
Creative Writing Panel – 8 a.m., Oxford-University Depot. Undergraduate students will discuss their creative work, led by moderator Melissa Ginsburg, assistant professor of English and creative writing.
Feminism and Affect – 9:15 a.m., Oxford-University Depot. Undergraduate students in theater, English, gender studies and anthropology from UM, Millsaps and Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania will discuss their research, moderated by Jaime Hovey, adjunct instructor in gender studies.
Pop Culture Panel – 10:30 a.m., Oxford-University Depot. UM and Millsaps undergraduates will discuss gender in pop culture, moderated by Starkey.
Space, Objects and Surveillance: Mapping Queer Desire in Southern Gothic Fiction – 11:30 a.m., Oxford-University Depot. UM English graduate students will discuss queer representation in Southern literature, moderated by Harker.
Provocative Porter, Wild Welty: Dignity Visibility and Body Politics – 1 p.m., Oxford-University Depot. English graduate students will discuss the topic, moderated by Annette Trefzer, associate professor of English.
Creative Writing Panel, 2:15 p.m., Oxford-University Depot. English professor Beth Ann Fennelly will moderate a panel of undergraduate English students joined by LaToya Faulk, instructor in writing and rhetoric.
Toni Morrison’s “Sula” and “The Bluest Eye”: Fresh Readings from Generation Z – 3:30 p.m., Oxford-University Depot. Millsaps undergraduate students will discuss Toni Morrison’s work, moderated by Millsaps English professor Anne MacMaster.
Cross-Talk between the Sciences and Humanities: The Case of Human Emotions – 6 p.m., Farley Hall, Room 202. The keynote address will be delivered by Laura Otis, professor of English at Emory University.
Friday (April 6)
Literary Panel – 8 a.m. Oxford-University Depot. Millsaps professors will be joined by a UM English graduate student to discuss gender in literature.
Fear and Phobias: The Intersection of Evolutionary Adaptation and Socially Constructed Fear – 9:15 a.m., Oxford-University Depot. Undergraduate students from Champlain College in Vermont will discuss their research in a panel discussion, moderated by Leslie Delassus, UM adjunct instructor of gender studies.
Sexual Assault: A Discussion – 10:30 a.m., Oxford-University Depot. UM undergraduate psychology students will be joined by a criminal justice graduate student and UM alumna to discuss the topic, moderated by Carrie Smith, instructional associate professor of psychology.
Creative Writing Panel – 11:45 a.m., Oxford-University Depot. Millsaps and UM professors will discuss gender in literature.
Cultural Narratives and Gendered and Raced Methodologies – 1 p.m., Oxford-University Depot. UM graduate students will discuss their research related to the topic, moderated by instructional assistant professor of gender studies Elizabeth Venell.
Re-presenting Slavery: Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Black Cinema – 2:15 p.m., Oxford-University Depot. UM undergraduate students will discuss the topic, moderated by Delassus.
Queering and Feministing the Archive – 3:30 p.m., Oxford-University Depot. UM English graduate students will discuss their research, moderated by Jessie Wilkerson, assistant professor of history and Southern studies.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://isomstudentgenderconference.org.