Welcome

The Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research offers an interdisciplinary forum for the study of gender, its function in cultures and societies, and its intersection with race and class. Students may choose from three areas of concentration within the BA program: General Concentration, Concentration in Theories and Politics of Sexuality, Concentration in Gender and International Development. A minor in Women's Studies and a minor in Theories and Politics of Sexuality are also available. The Center offers master's and doctoral students the Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies in conjunction with (other) degree programs. Graduate students may choose a thesis or non-thesis Master of Arts degree.  For more information on specific programs, please refer to the Undergraduate or Graduate pages.

News and Announcements

Gender Conversations

An Open Forum for Research Discussion
Brown Bag Lecture Series
Ustler Hall Libary, 3rd Floor

The Gender Conversation Series aims to increase dialogue about gender and sexuality issues in the UF community by creating an informal space for sharing insights drawn from research, activism, and pedagogy, both inside a
and beyond the university. As the title suggests, presenters should spark discussion about gender and sexuality not only in the university but also in the larger world beyond. Everyone is welcome - local community members as well as UF faculty, staff, and students. So bring your friends, students, classmates, - and a brown bag lunch!

This year's theme is "My Central Questions About…" through which the presenters will explore the fundamental problems, inquiries, approaches, theories, viable solutions, and possible answers to their questions about gender in research and practice.

Please be sure and mark your calendars for the following scheduled 2008 Gender Conversations:

•  Friday, April 18
• First Year Graduate Student Panel:  Kathryn Turner, Desirae Krell, Tanya Faublas, Tatiana Falcon, Michelle Phillips, Lola Bovell, 12 noon -1:30 pm

Presentations vary in their level of formality because this series aims to bring people together across a range of disciplines. Talks are geared to a non-specialist audience and short enough to leave ample time for questions and discussion. If you have any questions about the Gender Conversations series, please contact Dr. Stephanie Evans.

A Spring Luncheon

Here is a special invitation to students and faculty of the Center: 
You are cordially invited to celebrate the end of the academic year and the graduation of the majors, minors, and graduate students of the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research.

Please join us on Friday, May 2nd at noon in the Atrium of Ustler Hall for a light lunch gathering and reception.

RSVP to Ms. Donna Tuckey at tuckey@ufl.edu by April 25th if you are attending. If you are graduating this year, please let us know how many guests will be joining you.

We look forward to seeing you there!

UF IN  INDIA at Navdanya Farm

Study Abroad Summer 2008

Location: Navdanya Farm, Dehra Dun, India

Two 3‐credit courses (undergraduate or graduate)

UF in India:
Rethinking Globalization: Gender, Communities, Representation
WST 4956, Sec 0235

WST 6957 SEC 0239

Course Highlights:
•Live in an organic farm community
•Daily yoga instruction
•Dormitory housing (double occupancy)
•3 locally grown, organic meals/day included
•Excursions to nearby pilgrimage sites
•Workshops on indigenous plants and traditional medicine
•Trekking in the Himalayan foothills

Instructors: Anita Anantharam (UF Women’s Studies), Travis L. Smith (UF Religion) Visiting Instructors: Vandana Shiva (Navdanya), John Campbell (Columbia University), and Pavlos Georgiadis (University of Hohenheim)

Water, Gender and Equity in India -
Symposium and Lecture Series

Funded by the Water Intitute at the University of Florida

Dr. Anita Anantharam, Assistant Professor, Women's Studies Department
Dr. Vasudha Narayanan, Distinguished Professor, Religion Department; Director, CHiTra (Center for the Study of Hindu Religions)
Dr. Whitney Sanford, Assistant Professor, Religion Department

This symposium and lecture series will address the critical problem of Gender, Water and Equity in India during the academic year 2007-8.  It will bring eminent scholars to the University of Florida to participate in symposia and discussions on the general topic of water and society and, more specifically, how these issues emerge on the Indian sub-continent. This series will 1) educate scholars in the about the role of gender, religion and social hierarchy in water disputes, and 2) lead to innovative interdisciplinary collaborations and build on existing partnerships within the International Working Water Group.

"Water in the Karakorum"

Dr. Hermann Kreutzmann, Geography, Free University, Berlin
April 21, 2008
120 Pugh Hall

Water is a vital issue in Central and South Asia, being both a factor in conflict and dispute. In this lecture Dr. Kreutzmann will present a case study from the Hunza Valley in the Karakoram. He suggests that investigating water use practices can serve as a key to understanding a society’s conflict and cooperation processes. Furthermore, by introducing an holistic approach to irrigation and water management, Dr. Kreutzmann will illustrate the impact of hydraulic resources for survival strategies in the Karakoram. For more information, please visit this link.

Hermann Kreutzmann holds the Chair of Cultural Geography and DevelopmentStudies and is director of the Institute of Geography at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany.

This lecture is sponsored by the Water Institute, the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, Department of Religion, and the Center for the Study of Hindu Traditions (CHiTra).

Kathryn Chicone Ustler Hall

Built in 1919, the structure fell into disuse in 1979 but was saved from demolition in 1988 when it was granted protection under the National Register of Historic Places. A generous donation from sociology alumna Kathryn Chicone Ustler in 2000 allowed for the vacant gym to be transformed into a 14,700 square-foot academic treasure. The restoration process began in 2004, and Women’s Studies moved into the facility in July, 2006.

Ustler Hall is the only freestanding campus building in the United States devoted solely to Women’s Studies. The renovated three-story hall includes classrooms, seminar rooms, and faculty and administrative offices for the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research. This building is the first one on the UF campus renamed to honor a woman.