BU Gender Studies Minor Blog

Have you ever wondered why the month of March is given the title of Women's History Month? Have you ever thought about why there is a whole month dedicated to women? Who made this happen? Why does this happen? Has Women's History Month always been a thing? There are a lot of answers to these questions! I cannot wait to share with our readers this history. Or should I say 'her-story'... :) Figure #1 - Women from Santa Rosa, California having a parade in honor of Women's History Month in 1979. It is true: the month of March is dedicated as Women's History Month. As February is dedicated as Black History Month, and September 15th to October 15th is dedicated as Hispanic Heritage Month, women deserve their own share of national recognition. However, who decided the month of March? The answer is really simple. Since 1975, International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th. The month of March has its roots in celebrating women, so utilizing the rest of M

Figure #1: Promotional poster of Kadida Kenner's to Bloomsburg University. On Monday, March 2nd, Kadida Kenner presents to BU students her "Women's Rights and Empowerment: Why Courts Matter." Kenner highlights information concerning the Trump Administration's deadly practices. Why are their practices deadly? Why are should we be concerned about it? It's clear: their practices are deadly to people who are othered in the United States. These people are the very fibers of USA history (but are not limited to): women, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, the LGBTQA+ community, Native Americans, etc. This administration is electing federal judges that are extreme conservatives. In addition to their extreme political views, many of the elected judges are unqualified to be a legitimate federal judge. They do not have the legal experience, nor the education to effectively perform the duties of a federal judge. Kadida Kenner is simply conveying this information

Figure #1: The front side album artwork for Erotica . Allow me to introduce to you an album that is timeless in its conversations about Gender Studies:  Erotica . I was not born when this album was released back in 1992. Yet, I am densely aware of the Gender Studies discussion this album creates. Anybody who is interested in the subject of Gender Studies should be aware of this album; giving Erotica a listen from beginning to end will definitely showcase this subject-matter!  I am an avid consumer of music. My music taste is expansive and oddly selective at times. I recently discovered Madonna despite her remaining a mainstay in the music industry since her first debut album in 1983. Her wide 14-album discography vehemently speaks to her efforts in the industry. While I am overtly appreciative of all her works, one album of hers is truly unforgettable, especially when considering the time period it was released in. In 1992, nobody was discussing the issues of female sexuality,

With the effervescent holiday of Valentine's Day approaching, I'd like to inform our readers of a few upcoming events relevant to our GSM! As the purpose of the GSM is to study the social, cultural, and historical constructions of gender and its intersections with other constructions such as race, class, nation, and sexuality, these events are critically relevant to our readers: Photo of Dr. Stacey Pearson-Wharton Dr. Stacey Pearson-Wharton: "Mental Health in the Black Community": In honor of Black History Month, Dr. Pearson-Wharton offers expertise and a positive approach for issues surrounding diversity, social justice, inclusion, and mental health to provide hope and healing in difficult times. This will be held on  Tuesday, February 11th, 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. in the Kehr Union Multicultural Center Room 230 . Please consider coming out to learn more about these crucial issues! Getting Juicy with Jake: This workshop series address

Today we are going to be focusing on one of the amazing students in the GSM program! Olivia Minzola is an active student here at Bloomsburg University. She offers unique insight from within the GSM through her experiences and studies. What are your preferred pronouns? Truthfully, I have never specified what my pronouns are to anyone because I have never felt the need to. This is the first time I have ever been asked what my pronouns are. I am a woman and therefore ask to be called she/her. Pictured: Olivia Minzola Where are you from? I am from Drums, Pennsylvania. What is your major? Do you have any minors? Before coming to college, I decided to major in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism. During the fall semester of my freshman year, I took a class called Feminist Reading of Culture with Dr. Christina Francis and this ultimately led me to declaring a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. Are you involved in any other clubs or organizations o

As Lex's final post says, I am Jose Gamboa. I am the new blogger for the BU Gender Studies Minor for the spring 2020 term! I have been active within the minor since I declared it in spring of 2018. Pictured: Jose Gamboa You can expect to see consistent weekly (up to semiweekly) posts from me related to information about events pertaining to Gender & Women Studies on Bloomsburg University campus, and the surrounding Bloomsburg area; more Student Profiles to highlight what our students are accomplishing within the minor; interviews with alumni to see what they have done after completing the GSM program and what the program offered them for their futures; and much more! This post is very short and sweet. I want our readers to know what I hope to accomplish as the new GSM blogger. I refuse to let our readers down! I hope to see everyone here again next week. Always and forever, Jose Gamboa