WSU Vancouver hosts lectures on culture, gender

The Honors Program at Washington State University Vancouver will present a series of seminars this fall called “World Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality.”

All seminars are free and open to the public. Unless otherwise indicated, they will be held from 7-9 p.m.

The series will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 8 with “Smashing the Ceiling: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and the Arts,” a live music performance and interactive lecture by acclaimed singer-songwriter, artist and cultural activist Magdalen Hsu-Li. As a bisexual woman of color and a person living with Tourette syndrome, Hsu-Li is a popular and inspiring lecturer on the college and university circuit. This event will take place in room 110 of the Student Services Building. For more information on Hsu-Li, visit her Web site at http://www.magdalenhsuli.com.

Upcoming events in the honors lecture series include the following:

The Bio-Sexual Foundations of Our Modern Concept of Gender
Thursday, Sept. 29
Multimedia Building, Room 6
Robert Nye, Horning Professor of the Humanities, professor of history, Oregon State University, (541) 737-1310, nyer@ucs.orst.edu

Gender is a relatively new term that is used more and more frequently in our society to apply to the difference between men and women. But what does it replace and why?

Lustful Luther: Male Libido in the Writings of the Reformer
Thursday, Oct. 6
Multimedia Building, Room 6
Merry Wiesner-Hanks, professor of history, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, (262) 242-1539, merrywh@uwm.edu

For the German reformer Martin Luther, sexual desire was an unavoidable part of human nature, even for the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Adam, Abraham, Lot, Noah and Joseph provide Luther with clear examples of the way lust shaped both earthly and eternal life.

Best Dads in the World, Nipples and Egalitarianism
Thursday, Oct. 13
Multimedia Building, Room 6
Barry Hewlett, professor of anthropology, WSU Vancouver, (360) 546-9449, hewlett@vancouver.wsu.edu

Based on Hewlett’s research, Aka fathers of central Africa were recently voted best dads in the world by a British charity. Hewlett describes gender egalitarianism and sexuality among the Aka and the implications of his research on U.S. perceptions and expectations of men as fathers.

Gendering Research Across the Campuses (GRACe) Conference: The Politics of Movement
Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Oct. 15
(detailed schedule TBA: visit http://libarts.wsu.edu/grace/symposia/2005.html)
Keynote speaker: Grace Chang, author of “Disposable Domestics: Immigrant Women Workers in the Global Economy.” For more information, contact Candice Goucher, (360) 546-9469, goucher@vancouver.wsu.edu

Northwest World History Association Conference
Saturday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Oct. 23
(detailed schedule TBA)
For more information, contact Candice Goucher, (360) 546-9469, goucher@vancouver.wsu.edu

Film: “Dangerous Liaisons”
Thursday, Nov. 10
Multimedia Building, Room 6
For more information, contact Sue Peabody, 360/546-9647, peabody@vancouver.wsu.edu

Seduction, deceit and unscrupulous manipulation amongst French aristocrats. What can this 18th century novel-turned-drama teach us about the ways that gender roles and sexuality are shaped by class and culture?

Working Breasts: Cultural and Psychosocial Factors in Breast vs. Artificial Feeding
Thursday, Dec. 1
Multimedia Building, Room 6
Elizabeth Soliday, associate professor of psychology, WSU Vancouver, (360) 546-9727, soliday@vancouver.wsu.edu

Bottle or breast? Psychologist Elizabeth Soliday discusses recent scientific research about why women choose artificial or natural feeding and their effects on child development in the West.

Islamic Women and the Veil
Thursday, Dec. 8
Multimedia Building, Room 6
Sue Armitage, professor of history, WSU
For more information, contact Sue Peabody, 360/546-9647, peabody@vancouver.wsu.edu.

The practice of veiling, common in Islamic countries, expresses attitudes toward female sexuality which have become uncommon in American and European cultures. Armitage, who teaches a course at the WSU Vancouver campus on women in world history, will focus on the cultural dilemmas Americans face when they encounter veiled Islamic women who describe in positive terms what most of us regard as an oppressive practice.

WSU Vancouver offers 15 bachelor’s and eight master’s degrees in more than 35 fields of study. The campus is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. Parking rules are enforced 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parking is available at parking meters or in the blue lot for $2.

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