BECAUSE MENSTRUAL HEALTH IS A HUMAN RIGHT

Global Gathering to Explore Reproductive Justice and the Menstrual Cycle www.menstruationresearch.org

Experts from around the world will travel to Boston in June, 2015, to attend Menstrual Health and Reproductive Justice: Human Rights Across the Lifespan, the 21st biennial conference of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. The conference will bring together researchers, clinicians, artists, performers, educators, policy analysts and social entrepreneurs to explore how menstrual health is central to women’s ability to lead lives of dignity and well being in every society in every part of the world.

The conference takes place at The Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights, Suffolk University, Boston, on June 4-6, 2015. Keynote speaker Loretta Ross is one of 12 women who developed the concept of “Reproductive Justice”—which intersects social justice and reproductive rights, or as Ross puts it, “brings human rights home by looking at the totality of women’s lives.”

Conference highlights include:

• Kick-off flash plenary showcasing dynamic short talks that make the menstrual connection
• Making Menstruation Matter award presentation to 2015 award winner, Boston-based Our Bodies, Ourselves • Plenary on Menstrual Hygiene Management campaigns around the globe
• Film screenings, including Menstrual Man, Things We Don’t Talk About: Women’s Stories from the Red Tent, and

NED: No Evidence of Disease

• International menstrual art exhibit and artists’ panel: Widening the Circle
• SMCR’s 2nd Menstrual Poetry Open Mic
• Comedy show featuring Canadian duo The Crimson Wave (sponsored by Lunette)

Chris Bobel, conference co-chair, said of the conference theme: “Viewing the menstrual cycle through human rights and reproductive justice frames allows us to see more clearly the social practices and institutional structures that compromise health, especially those related to race/ethnicity, class, and gender identity. Including menstrual health in visions of social justice also leads to more effective strategies for women’s well being and empowerment across the lifespan.”

Without menstrual health other core rights remain in jeopardy. The UNDP and UNICEF have highlighted menstruation as “the single most important factor affecting school drop-out among girls” (2007), impeding the educational attainment that would facilitate social empowerment and financial independence around the globe. Yet, menstrual health is rarely respected, protected, or fulfilled as a human right, and has rarely been recognized or theorized as a reproductive justice issue.

To register for the conference, go to www.menstruationresearch.org.

For more information contact: Chris Bobel, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Tel: +1 781 325 2838 Email: chris.bobel@umb.edu or Amy Agigian, Suffolk University, Director of the Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights, Tel: +1 617 573 8487 Email: aagigian@suffolk.edu

Motherwork in the Age of Austerity

The 17th Annual Women's History Conference at Sarah Lawrence College Worn Out!

Motherwork in the Age of Austerity

Sarah Lawrence College

Bronxville, NY (20 minutes north of Manhattan)

Friday - Saturday March 6-7, 2015

Free and Open to the Public

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than 60% of mothers of preschool children are in the paid workforce, and for mothers of school-age children, that figure nears 80%. If paychecks were all it took to liberate women, we would be well on our way. Instead, we're exhausted, and while this problem is hardly unique to the United States, the American system of long hours on the job and scant provision for public welfare makes the challenges of motherwork all the more acute. It's not hard to figure out what brought us to this pass: wage stagnation, increasingly lengthy workweeks, proliferating numbers of single-parent households and two-income couples, gaping holes in the social safety net, erosion of labor unions, mounting violence against our children by both civilians and the state, and diminished public spending on youth recreation, daycare, afterschool programs and other services crucial to working families. The question is: what can we do to turn things around? This conference will explore answers to that question.

Sponsored by the Women's History Graduate Program at Sarah Lawrence College

Co-Sponsored with the Diversity and Activism Programming Subcommittee of Student Life (DAPS) and Sister to Sister International Inc.

Registration is required (free): http://www.slc.edu/womens-history/conference/registration.html

 

Psychology's Feminist Voices

March is Women's History Month! To celebrate, every day in March we will have a great post about amazing women and feminists in psychology's past and present. These will range from quotes, to "Most Wanted" posters so you can help us find information on some of the women missing from our project, to links to some fun stuff that we have been up to with our partners in the Psyborgs Digital History of Psychology Laboratory. To start, can you name the women pictured here? ‪#‎womenshistorymonth‬

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Psychologys-Feminist-Voices/242091169169844

Carolyn Wood Sherif Award

The Society for the Psychology of Women invites nominations for the annual Carolyn Wood Sherif Award.

The Carolyn Wood Sherif Award is the highest award conferred by the Society for the Psychology of Women (APA Division 35). It is given to a senior individual based on sustained and substantial contributions to the field of the psychology of women as a scholar, teacher, mentor, and leader. Thus, selection requires evidence of excellence across research and scholarship, teaching and mentoring, and professional leadership. The recipient receives a cash prize and is invited to deliver the Sherif Memorial Lecture at the following APA convention. The winner also chairs the award committee in the year following the lecture. Previous award winners are listed on the SPW website. Nominations are due by March 17, 2015.

Inquiries and nominations should be submitted to Stephanie Shields (sashields@psu.edu).

How to Apply

To nominate someone for the award, send all materials to sashields@psu.edu:

·         A nomination letter (including the nominee's phone number and email address)

·         The nominee's curriculum vitae

·         Copies of two or three selected publications

·         Two additional letters in support of the nominee (only three letters are considered).

Janet Hyde Graduate Student Research Grant

Janet Hyde Graduate Student Research Grant

The Hyde Grant Committee welcomes proposals for the Hyde Graduate Student Research Grants. These grants, each up to $500, are awarded to doctoral psychology students to support feminist research. The grants are made possible through the generosity of Janet Shibley Hyde, Ph.D. Past recipients of Hyde Graduate Student Research Grants are not eligible to apply. Because the purpose of this award is to facilitate research that otherwise might not be possible, projects that are beyond the data analysis stage are not eligible.

Please send all application materials attached to a single e-mail message to the Hyde Award Co-chairs at the following addresses by March 15th (for the spring deadline) or September 15th (for the fall deadline):

Dr. Clare M. Mehta, Mehtac@emmanuel.edu and Dr. Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter, MooreheadO@parkschool.org  

Requirements:

1. Cover page with project title, investigator's name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail address

2. A 100-word abstract

3. A proposal (5-pages maximum, double-spaced) addressing the project's purpose, theoretical rationale, and procedures, including how the method and data analysis stem from the proposed theory and purpose. References are not included in this 5-page limit.

4. A one-page, double-spaced statement articulating the study's relevance to feminist goals and importance to feminist research.

5. The expected timeline for progress and completion of the project (including the date of the research proposal committee meeting). The project timeline should not exceed two years. 

6.  A faculty sponsor's recommendation, including a statement on why the research cannot be funded by other sources. This letter should be attached to the e-mail with the application materials. Please do not send it separately. 

7. Status of the IRB review process, including expected date of IRB submission and approval. Preference will be given to proposals that have already received approval. 

8. An itemized budget (if additional funds are needed to ensure completion of the project, please specify sources).  Funds cannot be used for tuition, living expenses, or travel to present research at a conference.

9. The applicant's curriculum vitae 

 All sections of the proposal should be typed and prepared according to APA style. Please use 12-point font, and one inch margins.

Applicants should submit no more than 2 files, one with the letter of recommendation and one with all other required materials

Proposals that fail to meet the guidelines described above will not be reviewed.

Review Process

A panel of psychologists will evaluate the proposals for theoretical and methodological soundness, relevance to feminist goals, applicant's training and qualifications to conduct the research, and feasibility of completing the project.

Other Requirements

Only one application will be accepted per student, for each application deadline.  Applicants who are involved in multiple projects that meet the submission requirements should choose the project that best fits the evaluation criteria (see “Review Process”).

Within 24 months of receipt of the grant, recipients are expected to submit to the Hyde committee co-chairs a complete and final copy of the research document (e.g., a copy of the thesis, dissertation or journal manuscript based on the sponsored research), along with a 500-word abstract for publication in Division 35 newsletter.  In addition, grant recipients shall acknowledge the funding source in the author's notes in all publications. Hyde award winners will be announced at the APA convention during Division 35 Social Hour. The names of the Hyde award winners may also be posted in Division 35 newsletter as well as on Division 35 web page and listserv.

Request for Abstracts from previous Hyde Award Winners 

Brief abstracts of the work conducted by previous award recipients are printed in the newsletters. Previous award winners are highly encouraged to contact Dr. Clare Mehta, Hyde Award Co-chair, at mehtac@emmanuel.edu to submit a 500 word summary of their Hyde grant-funded research for consideration of publication in the Feminist Psychologist.

Questions and other communications may be sent to the committee co-chairs: 

Clare M. Mehta, Ph.D., Co-Chair, Phone: 617-975-9362, E-mail: mehtac@emmanuel.edu and Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter, Ph.D., Co-Chair, Phone: 617-414-4646, E-mail: MooreheadO@parkschool.org.

 

Call For Papers Queer Speculations The Eighth Annual DC Queer Studies Symposium

Reminder: Deadline for submission of materials is January 16, 2015

Call For Papers
Queer Speculations
The Eighth Annual DC Queer Studies Symposium
University of Maryland, College Park
Friday, April 17, 2015

What if? And what then? The time and space of gender, sexuality, race, and =
empire are shaped by acts of speculation: both financial speculation on "fu=
tures" markets and the speculative imaginaries that invent, theorize, imagi=
ne, and enact different kinds of worlds. Queer theory, politics, and life h=
ave always engaged in speculative practice, demanding we attend to forms of=
 kinship, politics, gender, sex, and sociality that exceed the logics of as=
similation. In recent years, attention has turned both to the ways in which=
 some queer formations can reinforce the logics of speculative capital, and=
 to the work of speculative cultural production in imagining different, dev=
iant worlds.

We invite proposals for presentations at QUEER SPECULATIONS, the 8th Annual=
 DC Queer Studies Symposium at the University of Maryland. The symposium wi=
ll be a daylong series of conversations about the various speculative pract=
ices queer theory, politics, and life engage, and the kinds of queer specul=
ations about queer bodies, objects, feelings, pasts, futures, utopias, dyst=
opias, and transformations that are emerging. Events will include paper ses=
sions featuring faculty and graduate students, a buffet lunch, and a plenar=
y session featuring Ramzi Fawaz (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and Shan=
t=E9 Paradigm Smalls (St. John's University), whose work is expanding the f=
ield of scholarship on queerness and race in speculative cultural productio=
n.

The day will culminate with a keynote address by Juana Maria Rodriguez, Pro=
fessor of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berke=
ley. Rodriguez is author of Sexual Futures: Queer Gestures and Other Latina=
 Longings (NYU Press, 2014) which speculates about the world-making practic=
es of queer of color femme intimacies and embodiments. Her other publicatio=
ns include Queer Latinidad: Identity Practices, Discursive Spaces (NYU, 200=
3) and numerous articles related to her research in sexuality studies, quee=
r activism in a transnational American context, critical race theory, techn=
ology and media arts, and Latina/o and Caribbean Studies.

The 2015 symposium marks the coming-together of Women's Studies and LGBT St=
udies at the University of Maryland College Park, a moment to inspire creat=
ive speculation about possible futures for transformative knowledge product=
ion within the university.


We welcome proposals for presentations on topics including but not limited =
to:

    *    Queer speculative cultural production in media and literature
    *    Speculative worldmaking in queer communities and social movements
    *    The relationship of queer politics and culture to speculative capi=
tal, risk, and debt
    *    Queer currents in speculative materialism / the philosophical spec=
ulative turn
    *    Speculative uses of emerging technologies for queer bodies and wor=
lds
    *    Queer interventions into global, imperial logics of speculation
    *    Speculative queer ecologies of the human and nonhuman
    *    Speculation as queer knowledge production in the academy and beyon=
d

Proposals for 15-minute presentations should include name, affiliation, e-m=
ail address, title of paper, a 250-word abstract, and a 1-2 page CV. We als=
o welcome submissions for 45-minute panels, but we may reorganize speakers =
due to the demands of scheduling. If you submit a panel, please include a p=
anel title and a brief explanation of the panel rationale. Please send mate=
rials by e-mail attachment (Word or PDF only) by January 16, 2015 to DCQS@u=
md.edu<mailto:DCQS@umd.edu>. Put "Submission for Queer Speculations" in the=
 subject line of your message. For more information, contact JV Sapinoso at=
 sapinoso@umd.edu<mailto:sapinoso@umd.edu>. Selected participants will be n=
otified by February 20, 2015.

All symposium events are free and open to the public. More details will be =
forthcoming at http://ter.ps/DCQS15


Dr. JV Sapinoso
sapinoso@umd.edu<mailto:sapinoso@umd.edu>
Assistant Director
Department of Women's Studies
University of Maryland
2101 Woods Hall
College Park, MD 20742
301-405-6827
Pronouns: He/Him/His

Call for Papers: Feminism & Psychology Special Focus 2016/2017

Call for Papers

Feminism & Psychology Special Focus 2016/2017

Functionalism, Darwinism, and the psychology of women forty years on: reflections, implications and empirical work

Editors: Hale Bolak Boratav, Helen Clegg and Lisa Lazard 

Stephanie Shields’s (1975) paper Functionalism, Darwinism, and the psychology of women is seminal in its consideration of the gendered social myths operating in mainstream psychology. It pays homage to the foremothers of feminist psychology, and honors the works of Leta Stetter Hollingworth and Helen Thomas Wooley, two of the pioneers of research on gender and feminist psychology. Their meticulous empirical research served to refute problematic assumptions about women’s lives.

Shields traces the study of the psychology of women from the late 19th century through the first third of the 20th century, focusing particularly on claims about sex differences in the brain, the variablity hypothesis and the expression of the maternal instinct. Each topic is discussed in relation to evolutionary theory and its impact on the way science was carried out in the 19th century. From a perspective rooted in the history of science, Shields demonstrates how androcentric values in research in the late 19th century produced neurological explanations for the subordinate status of women.  

Shields considers how axes of difference represent dimensions of privilege/disadvantage, and how the study of ‘difference’ should be connected with an analysis of power and inequality. This reasonates with contemporary discussions of potential misuses of claims about biologically-based gender differences. For example, in the late 20th century, arguments emerged for the ‘less specialized female brain.’ Shields warns against neurosexism whilst also arguing that feminists should be engaged with and involved in neuroscience research. This engagement has begun in burgeoning work that reconciles/integrates feminist theory with biological and evolutionary perspectives.

We invite contributions that engage with issues/questions as raised in Shields’s (1975) classic paper. These may include but are not limited to the following:

·       In psychology, what are the highlights of the debates in the last 40 years around the study of women? This could include consideration of contemporary challenges to ‘scientific myths’ and heteronormative assumptions in psychological theory.

·       How has the relationship between feminist theory and evolutionary theory evolved, particularly in relation to the study of sex differences (for example, social, behavioral, neurobiological) and the dichotomization of nature and nurture?

·       How is ‘maternal instinct’ understood today in psychology? How does psychology theorize the relationship between notions of ‘family’ and challenges/choices that women face in contemporary societies?

Contributions may draw on research, theory, practice and/or personal reflections. They may include original articles (up to 8000 words), observations and commentaries (500 to 2000 words), and brief reports (up to 3000 words). For further details, consult the manuscript submission guidelines at http://fap.sagepub.com/. Submissions will be subject to the usual review process.  The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2015. Queries can be sent to Hale Boratav (hale.boratav@bilgi.edu.tr), Helen Clegg (helen.clegg@northampton.ac.uk) or Lisa Lazard (lisa.lazard@open.ac.uk) .

Reference

Shields, S. A. (1975). Functionalism, Darwinism, and the psychology of women: A study in social myth. American Psychologist, 30, 739-754.

Call for Papers: Academic book on yoga, the body, and an intersectional feminist analysis.

Melanie Klein, Beth Berila, and Chelsea Jackson are co-editing this collection. Some context: Rowman and Littlefield recently approached Melanie about an academic monograph on yoga. Because this would be the first academic book on the topic, Melanie proposed an anthology and they agreed it was the best course of action to explore the conversation on yoga in academia. This call for papers is the first step towards creating that anthology.

DETAILS:

  • We are looking for a total of 10 - 12 essays, not including our own contributions, which allows us to accept 7 - 9 submissions for this collection.
  • The essays need not be based on your own original empirical research. This book will take a "Humanities" approach.
  • Essays will hinge on the broad axis of yoga and the body (not body image per se, but the body, allowing room for a variety of angles and approaches).
  • The book and all essays should take on an intersectional feminist analysis.

If you're interested in being considered for a contribution to this volume, please submit a 500-word abstract describing your angle with a possible title and a bio that includes your degree/s, discipline/s and institutional affiliation, if applicable by January 9, 2015. Ideally, we hope you'll be able to provide two possible options of different angles and an order of preference, so we can better imagine how the essays might all fit together. Please submit your proposals to all three of the editors (klein_melanie@smc.edu<mailto: klein_melanie@smc.edu>, bethberila@hotmail.com,yogaislife.chelsea@gmail.com)


TIMELINE:
We will review all submission and notify individuals by the end of January, early February.
If accepted to this volume, contributors are expected to complete their essays by August.

We look forward to your reply.

Warmly,

Melanie Klein, Beth Berila and Chelsea Jackson

About Chelsea: http://www.chelsealovesyoga.com
About Beth: http://www.bethberila.com
About Melanie: http://www.shesource.org/experts/profile/melanie-klein

We are all active members of the Yoga & Body Image Coalition, of which Melanie is a Co-Founder. Learn about our work here: http://ybicoalition.com

Beth Berila, Ph.D.
Director, Women's Studies Program
Professor, Ethnic and Women's Studies Department
Registered Yoga Teacher
http://www.bethberila.com

<http://bethberila.squarespace.com/feminist-yogini-blog/>

2015 Annual Conference of the Association for Women in Psychology

Registration is now open for the 2015 Annual Conference of the Association for Women in Psychology. The conference will be held March 5-8, 2015 at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway. 


Early bird registration ends January 31, 2015. Register now for the lowest registration fee. View complete information and register at http://awpsf2015.com/event-details/registration/.

Event Highlights: The conference will open with an address by the founding member of Critical Resistance and distinguished scholar and social justice advocate Angela Y. Davis delivering the keynote address. Saturday will open with a remembrance of Sandra Bem and continued discussion of Restorative Justice with Janetta Louise Johnson of the TGI Justice Project and representatives from the Insight Prison Project.

The 2015 Conference Theme is:
REPAIRING, RESTORING, AND REINTEGRATING: FEMINISM AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE 
Through exploring the meaning of restorative justice within a feminist psychological context, we will examine the ways feminists can help heal and rebuild communities through therapy, research, advocacy, and social change. We recognize that people are driven to engagement in activities that can harm others, communities and society. However, in the spirit of feminist psychology, we also recognize that systems of oppression related to gender, race, among other areas of difference can impact people’s access to economic, socio-emotional and psychological resources, and that a lack of resources drives increased interaction with the criminal justice system. We will explore how collaborating with one another, learning from multiple perspectives, challenging privileges, and leaning into tensions fuels this work.
REGISTER NOW

Full details are available at our website (www.awpsf2015.com) including resources for financial aid, volunteering, and hotel registrations. Full conference program will be posted in Mid-January.

From International to Transnational: Transforming the Psychology of Women - Submission Deadline 1/15

International Summit before APA Convention in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. August 4th & 5th 2015.

Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2015

 The goal of this International Summit is to foster new directions in the psychology of women through exploration and awareness of international perspectives. The Summit’s programming will include speakers, work groups, and a poster session social hour. What makes this Summit unique is its action-oriented approach—Work groups comprised of women in different stages in their careers will be formed to develop specific products (e.g., a book,  special journal issue, undergraduate and graduate curriculum, policy, best practices guide, etc.) and long-term goals that promote the transformation of the psychology of women.

  •       Deadline for Proposal Submissions: January 15, 2015
  •       Notification of Acceptance or Rejection of Proposals: March, 2015
  •       Announcement of Work Groups: May 2015
  •       Online Registration Begins: May 2015

Call for Proposals  -  Conference Website  - Submit a Proposal 

Become a Sponsor!

 For details about submitting a proposal, visit the Summit website: www.intlpsychwomensummit.com

Questions? Contact intlpsychwomensummit@gmail.com

 

Development & Research Intern Choices in Childbirth

Choices in Childbirth (CiC) envisions a world where every mother has access to maternity care that is safe, healthy, equitable, and empowering. Our mission is to improve maternity care by providing the public, especially childbearing women and their families, with the information necessary to make fully informed decisions relating to how, where, and with whom they will give birth. Our goal is to promote evidence-based mother-friendly childbirth options through public education, consumer advocacy, and pioneering policy reform efforts.

This is a wonderful opportunity for a candidate who is highly passionate about women’s health and wants to learn more about the field in addition to public health and non-profit operations. The intern will collaborate with all departments and focus on a range of projects, including longer-term and day to day/immediate tasks assigned by the team.

REPORTS TO: Program Manager

RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         Research funders in Sexuality, Gender & Women’s Studies, Women’s Health, etc.

·         Support the team with various strategic projects and ongoing initiatives

·         Writing assignments for the CiC blog

·         Collaborate on special events, volunteer schedules, and activities including our monthly Healthy Birth Choices Workshops

·         Communicate to Mother-Friendly providers for our online directory

Details:

  • The internships will be begin in January 2015 and run through May 2015
  • Approximately 8 hours per week

·         Days and hours are flexible, according to your academic scheduling needs

·         This is an unpaid position but we will help secure academic credit if applicable. Travel reimbursements for public transportation will be available as well.

 CONTACT:

Clare Friedrich <clare@choicesinchildbirth.org>

 

Get It On! Fearless Talk About Sex, Sexuality, and Culture on November 24 from 6-8pm

Join Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Fund, Cosmopolitan, Planned Parenthood Generation Action, and Baruch College for

Get It On! Fearless Talk About Sex, Sexuality, and Culture on November 24 from 6-8pm. RSVP here AND be entered to win a fabulous raffle prize!

Details:

Monday, November 24 from 6-8pm

Baruch College Performing Arts Center

The Rose Nagelberg Theater

55 Lexington Avenue, NYC

Planned Parenthood Generation Action and Cosmo Magazine have joined forces, and to launch this great relationship, PP Gen and Cosmo are travelling the U.S. on a college tour! Join us in NYC for a panel on sexual and reproductive health and advocacy. Featuring special guest Amanda Seales.

Come out for a fun and fearless open dialogue about your sexual health. Pose questions to Generation Action organizers, Cosmo editors, sexual health experts, and fellow students.

#GetItOn #BeFearless

Co-Sponsored by (list in formation): Baruch College Health & Wellness, Undergraduate Student Government of Baruch College, Nonprofit Leadership Alliance at Baruch College, CUNY, The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Society at Baruch - GLASS, and Peers Advocating Wellness Services (P.A.W.S)

Please help us spread the word among college students, student groups and networks, and professors.

*The event flyer is attached.

*Click here to share the Facebook event.

 

THE AWP/SPW 2015 ANNUAL STUDENT PRIZE FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON WOMEN AND GENDER

THE AWP/SPW 2015 ANNUAL STUDENT PRIZE FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON WOMEN AND GENDER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE = APRIL 15, 2015

The Society for the Psychology of Women (SPW) of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP) seek research manuscripts for the 2015 Annual Student Prize for Psychological Research on Women and Gender.

Research Topics: Manuscripts should focus on women’s lives and concerns, or more generally, on gender ideologies and behavior from a feminist perspective. 

Eligibility: Jointly-authored papers are eligible if the first author was a student at the time the research was conducted. Entries should be of journal length and in APA style.  Eligible papers include unpublished manuscripts as well as papers that have been submitted or accepted for publication.  Published papers are also eligible as long as they have a publication date of 2014 or 2015. 

Submission Material: 1) Cover letter indicating that the first author was a student at the time the research was conducted, specifying when and from what institution the first author obtained the degree, the name of the faculty who supervised the research, and the department of the supervising faculty.  2) De-identified Manuscript. Papers should be submitted in manuscript form, not as pre-prints or prints, in MS Word, with all identifying information removed. Include the title page, with author information removed. Name the file with a short version of the title, NOT with author or publication information. Information about authors as well as submission and publication status should be in the cover letter. If identifying information is included in the manuscript, it will not be reviewed.

Evaluation: Submissions will be judged on feminist theoretical grounding, methodology, clarity, quality of writing, and the social importance of the research questions and findings for a psychology of women and gender.  Research papers that address intersectionalities will be given higher consideration.

Award: A $250.00 prize will be given to the author of the best paper. First Prize and Honorable Mention winners will be announced at the 2015 meeting of the American Psychological Association and receive one-year free memberships to both SPW and AWP. They are also invited to present their award-winning paper at the 2016 AWP Conference and to serve as reviewers for the prize in the upcoming year.

Submission Procedure:  Please email a cover letter and attach a copy of the paper (deidentified, in MS Word, short title used for the filename) to the chair, NiCole T. Buchanan, Ph.D. (nbuchana@msu.edu), by April 15, 2015. Please put AWP/SPW 2015 Annual Student Prize Submission in the subject line.

Choices in Childbirth announces their "Doula Care in NYC" report

Choices in Childbirth launches “Doula Care in New York City: Advancing the Goals of the Affordable Care Act”

Click here for full report and toolkit

~Report Addresses ACA ‘Triple Aim’ with Ten Key Recommendations for Policymakers~ 

(NEW YORK) October 29, 2014 – Choices in Childbirth (CiC) announces the release of their report “Doula Care in New York City: Advancing the Goals of the Affordable Care Act.” The report identifies the value of doula support in achieving critical improvements in maternity care, in line with the priorities identified in the Affordable Care Act.

The 50-page white paper explores the evidence and benefits of doula support such as reduced cesarean rates, shorter labors, less need for epidurals, and improved patient experience. The report examines the landscape of birth in NYC including an investigation of health disparities based on race, ethnicity, and income, as well as challenges for doula work. CiC outlines ten key recommendations to increase access to and improve the effectiveness of doula care.

The Affordable Care Act’s “triple aim” emphasizes changing the way that care is delivered in order to 1) improve health outcomes for all, 2) improve the patient’s experience of care, and 3) reduce the cost of care. Research demonstrates that doula care has the potential to address each of these “triple aims” and should be recognized as an essential strategy to enhance the way that maternity care is provided.

“The ACA opens the door to re-envisioning maternity care options,” said Executive Director Elan McAllister. “Supportive care practices have the potential to improve the health of mothers and babies and increase birth satisfaction; all while decreasing expenditures for preventable interventions. It’s time to take significant action.”

In 2012, there were 123,231 births in New York City, more than in 41 out of the 50 U.S. states. The city’s high rates of maternal deaths and complications, racial inequalities, and increasing cost of childbirth care signal the immediate need for system-wide improvements.

Report author and Director of Policy and Research, Nan Strauss said, “Doula care has been identified in the medical literature as an underutilized, evidence-based strategy to improve health outcomes. We need to foster collaborative relationships with providers, assess current hospital policies, and remove barriers to access, such as cost.”

The Cochrane Collaboration’s systematic review of the medical literature found that doulas reduce cesarean rates by an average of 28%. If all births in NYC in 2012 had been attended by doulas, spending on cesareans could have been reduced by approximately $43 million for Medicaid and $41 million for private insurance. Together with savings generated by other benefits of doula care, this would balance the cost of paying for doula care. Currently, doulas attend only an estimated 5% of births in New York City.

About Choices in Childbirth

Choices in Childbirth (CiC) is a non-profit organization focused on ensuring that all women have access to maternity care that is safe, healthy, equitable, and empowering. Their mission is to promote evidence-based, mother-friendly childbirth options through public education, consumer advocacy, and pioneering policy reform. They seek to improve maternity care by providing the public, especially childbearing women and their families, with the information necessary to make fully informed decisions relating to how, where, and with whom they will give birth. Their advocacy and policy work is directed towards supporting implementation of evidence-based care practices that will result in better health outcomes for women and their babies, greater patient satisfaction, and increased engagement of women in their own care. For more information, visit: www.choicesinchildbirth.org


CALL FOR PAPERS: themes related to the intersection of masculinities with sexuality, race, gender, and ethnicity

Morgan State University Program in Women’s and Gender Studies Presents:
The Biennial Intersections Symposium: Sexuality, Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
2015 Theme: Masculinities
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Baltimore, MD 

Keynote speakers: Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of African and African American Studies, Duke University; and Mr. Kylar Broadus, Founder, Trans People of Color Coalition

CALL FOR PAPERS
The program in Women’s and Gender Studies at Morgan State University invites papers on themes related to the intersection of masculinities with sexuality, race, gender, and ethnicity. The fluidity of gender and sexual identity is a critical point of consideration in academic and cultural venues; however, it is even more critical when considered within the context of communities of color. Broadening our definitions and conversations on this fluidity, especially as it relates to Black masculine identities and sexuality, is a primary aim of this year’s Intersections Symposium. The Symposium seeks to engage overlapping and intersecting notions and presentations of masculinities in the contexts of identity politics, social change and queer identities as they disrupt the normative and oppressive status quo.

We invite submissions in a variety of academic disciplines that address the intersections of sexuality, gender, race, and ethnicity. We encourage panel submissions of 4 presenters as well as individual submissions in the following areas:

  • Trans Issues
  • Female Masculinities
  • Communities of Color
  • Global Contexts
  • Queer Theory

Submission guidelines: Send 250 word abstract for individual papers and panels in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, Rich Text format, and include the following:
a. A cover page with author’s name, title of submission, institutional affiliation, contact information (email phone number and mailing address)
b. Area of submission
Send materials by November 15th to:
Intersectionssymposium@gmail.com
Notification of acceptance: December 5th

Following the Symposium, presenters are invited to submit conference proceedings for publication consideration in a special edition of the peer reviewed Journal of Men’s Studies.

Claudia Leight, MS, LCPC, NCC
Counselor, Morgan State University Counseling Center
Faculty Advisor, S.O.U.L. (Students of Unified Love, LGTBQ student organization)
Member, University LGBTQA Advisory Council
Affiliate, Women's and Gender Studies Program
Carter Grant Wilson 202
1700 E. Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21251
(443)885-3130

Feminist Spaces Call for Papers

Feminist Spaces Call for Papers

contact email: feministspacesjournal@gmail.com

Feminist Spaces is now accepting student submissions for its second issue to be published in March of 2015.

Feminist Spaces invites undergraduate and graduate students from universities worldwide to submit academic essays, creative writings, or multimodal/artistic pieces that adhere to this issue’s theme of women and technology throughout history and across cultures. These pieces may investigate, but are not limited to, the following topics:

--The professional presence of women in technology-driven enterprises
--Women’s role in the advancement of emergent technologies
--Women’s scholarly participation in technology-related discourses within and outside of the academy
--Technologies that have aided or further complicated women’s health in a variety of contexts (i.e. physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, etc.)
--Digital feminisms and the social impacts of trending hashtags that concern women
--Technological mediations of race and/or class specific to women’s experiences
--Medical and recreational technologies that concern LGBTQI communities
--Creative works that explore women’s relationship to advancing technological theories, media, or devices

Please ensure that all written submissions adhere to the guidelines and conventions set forth by the Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition. Standard essays must be emailed in .rtf, .doc, or .docx form, and should not exceed 3,000 words, single-spaced at a 12 pt font. All artistic submissions must be submitted electronically in universally compatible formats.

Deadline for submission is Friday, February 6th, 2015, with a tentative release date scheduled for early March.

Please forward all works and inquires to feministspacesjournal@gmail.com, or http://feministspacesjournal.org/submissions.

Assistant Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies – LGBT, Queer, or Sexuality Studies (Tenure Track)

Position Summary:
Gettysburg College invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the rank of Assistant Professor in the interdisciplinary Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program beginning August 2015.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate must have graduate training in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a specialization LGBT, Queer, or Sexuality Studies. Teaching experience is encouraged. We are open to a variety of theoretical and disciplinary approaches to the area of specialization and have an interest in candidates prepared to teach a course in the psychology of gender. We also welcome candidates with expertise in global sexualities to apply.  Candidates must have a commitment to teaching and advising in the liberal arts tradition, be engaged in a strong research program, and are encouraged to involve undergraduate students in their research.  The successful candidate will teach introductory Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses to majors and non-majors, as well as upper level courses in their area of specialization and contribute to the College's First Year Seminar program. A Ph.D. is required at the time of appointment.

Application Details:

Applicants should apply online here.  A cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a statement of teaching philosophy must be submitted.  The statement of teaching philosophy must include the candidate's experience, ability to design and assess learning outcomes, and research goals.  In addition, applicants should enter the names and email addresses of three professional references.  After the applicant completes their on-line application, the professional references indicated will be contacted by Gettysburg College via email to submit letters of recommendation electronically.  At least one of the reference letters should be able to speak to the candidate's teaching effectiveness. Applications received by November 7, 2014 will be given fullest consideration.  Letters of recommendation must be received by November 14, 2014.   Inquiries can be addressed to Professor Lidia HwaSoon Anchisi Hopkins at hanchisi@gettysburg.edu.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective liberal arts college located within 90 minutes of the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area. Established in 1832, the College has a rich history and is situated on a 220-acre campus with an enrollment of approximately 2,600 students. Gettysburg College celebrates diversity and welcomes applications from members of any group that has been historically underrepresented in the American academy. The College assures equal employment opportunity and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, and disability.

Event: Gender Equality and Islam

Rights and Religions:
Islam and the Fight for Gender Equality

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Kairos: The Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice
at Union Theological Seminary
3041 Broadway
5th Floor, James Chapel Tower
New York, NY 10027

info@kairoscenter.org
www.kairoscenter.org

We invite you to a conversation with Dr. Ziba Mir-Hosseini on the fight for women's equality and Islam.

This is the first public event of our new "Rights and Religions" Program, which is focused on studies and ongoing discussions on the impact of religions on the fight for human rights and social justice in different parts of the world. At a time when political, economic, and social systems are breaking down, inequality, injustice and repression are on the rise, and social justice advocates are increasingly and necessarily grappling with the power of religion for good and bad, we believe an effort to look critically at the role of religion in social movements is urgently needed.