Yell!: GRU Women's Studies Newsletter (1.1)

GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

WO M E N ’ S STUDIES PROGRAM

V O L U M E

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Allison Foley

Summer/Fall Course Offerings

2

4

Pussy Riot

6

Triota Induction

7

2013 Women’s Studies

9

Symposium Student Spotlight: Talyssa Tulsie Faculty Spotlight:

10

Dr. McClellandNugent

Loretta Ross Talks Human Rights at GRU

YELL!

12

1 ,

I S S U E

1

S P R I N G

2 0 1 3

N E W S L E T T E R

What does “Yell!” mean to us?

“A cheer of support: a rhythmic word or phrase chanted by a group of people to give support or encouragement.” This elementary four-letter word seems so inadequate when put alongside its synonymic counterparts. Bellow. Vociferate. Holler. Exclaim.

They all sound so dignified, so regal. But Yell! is a word of a very different caliber. Yell! describes our mission in a way that its predeces-

sors cannot.

To us, Yell! means to reclaim women’s voices, not only on the GRU campus but in the community. Yell! means to uplift and galvanize ourselves and everyone we interact with. Yell! is our rallying cry, and we fully intend to embody the vehemence with which it is described here. We are no longer satisfied waiting in the shadows. We will Yell! in solidarity, our mission and our goal.

We are a unified front, ready and willing to step into the line of fire for social justice.

We will approach our obstacles with intrepidness and pugnacity, never being afraid to fail.

Because what is failure but an opportunity to improve?

That is what Yell! means to us here in the GRU Women’s Studies Program. It is who we are, and it is what we do. Join us.

PAGE

2

Women’s Studies Program Director, Dr. Marie Drews

A Word from Our Director

Thanks to the creativity, time, and effort of student assistant, Megan Pugh, we’re excited to get this inaugural issue of Yell! off the ground. We hope to turn this newsletter into a biannual publication that features student writing about women’s and gender issues in the community, along with news about the Women’s Studies Program. Watch for updates about the next issue as fall semester begins.

This year has been one of change, growth, and exciting programming in Women’s Studies. As of January, Augusta State University consolidated with Georgia Health Sciences University to become Georgia Regents University. In our final semester as ASU, the

Women’s Studies Program crosslisted six courses, including Prof.

Karen Klacsmann’s final section of Women in Art History before her retirement in spring 2013. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Allison Foley and Dr. Angela Bratton, the program was able to add two new cross-listed classes to the catalog: WMST/SOCI/CRJU 4336: Gender and Vicitimzation and WMST/ ANTH 3870: Identity: Ethnicity, Gender, and Class—students have a lot to look forward to as these courses enter the regular rotation.

In our first semester as GRU, the program reported its highest number of declared WMST minors in its history! We are looking forward to promising courses and

interactions with students as we prepare for the 2013-2014 school year.

The Women’s Studies Program was also excited to welcome a variety of highly accomplished scholars, writers, and activists during the spring semester programming. Dr. Susan Bordo gave the keynote address at our third biennial symposium; Loretta Ross gave the Sexual Assault Awareness Month Lecture; and, through collaboration with the College of Nursing, the Honors Program, and EFL, the Women’s Studies Program enjoyed hosting renowned detective fiction writer, Sara Paretsky. We look forward to another busy year ahead!

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Allison Foley Dr. Allison Foley

“People tend to think, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so glad that, that doesn’t happen here,’ and I like the fact that we really focus in on what happens at home to be able to show we’re not perfect. There are real issues here.”

YELL!

minor, her advisor told her that she’d graduate earlier if she changed her major to Sociology, so she did. That summer kick started her interest in the connection between poverty and crime [citing an example about the differences in food and gas prices in impoverished areas as opposed to in economically stable areas.] After obtaining a job at a research institute, Dr. Foley got an internship at a drug court which led to employment there.

Interested in why she decided to become a professor, I questioned Dr. Foley about whether or not teaching had After briefly discussing her always been in her plans. “Like pregnancy, about which Dr. many others, when I deFoley expressed both apprehencided I wanted to go to siveness and excitement, we grad school, it was for fidove into her history in Sociolnancial reasons,” she replied. ogy and Criminal Justice. I Dr. Foley didn’t want to be a learned that during her time as practitioner; she wanted to be an undergraduate, Dr. Foley was involved in research. She reinitially a Psychology major with called telling her colleagues a minor in Sociology. Dr. Foley then that she wanted to open a explained that during a summer session in which she was taking research institute at a univermostly Sociology courses, none sity, similar to the one where she’d worked. Even so, she of which would apply to her Recently I sat down with Dr. Allison Foley, Assistant Professor of Sociology who specializes in Gender, Juvenile Delinquency, Juvenile Justice, and Qualitative Methodology, to discuss the Gender and Victimization course (flyer pictured on page 8) that is being offered this upcoming summer and fall semesters. Along with planning the coursework for her variety of Sociology and Criminal Justice course, she was also planning the birth of her first child, a baby girl. At the time of the interview, Dr. Foley was a little over thirty-five weeks along in her pregnancy and couldn’t wait for her little bundle to be born.

began teaching in graduate school and fell in love with it. Dr. Foley then realized that doing research in a university setting gave her more freedom to define and design her research agenda, which wouldn’t have been the case if she’d gone through an external agency. All in all, the decision turned out to be a pivotal moment in her life.

For a moment, Dr. Foley interjected with some information about her recent research project and article in the April issue of the journal, Sociology Compass. She and fellow researcher Tara Opsal wrote a critical literature review pertaining to women’s re-entry into society after incarceration entitled, “Making It on the Outside: Understanding Barriers to Women’s Post-Incarceration Reintegration.” The review outlined barriers that women, in particular, are likely to face upon reentry into society, citing the fact that female offenders who end up in prison warrant some special attention due to mental and physical health problems, substance abuse, the war on drugs—which Dr. Foley Continued on page 4

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

PAGE

3

What have your professors been up to?

At GRU we are very proud of all that our students and faculty accomplish, both on campus and outside. This section of Yell! is especially dedicated to our wonderful faculty members associated with the WMST program and their achievements!

Dr. Gaye Ortiz: Is now the Reverend Doctor Gaye W. Ortiz. Dr. Ortiz was ordained on May 11, 2013 and will be leaving GRU to serve as the new minister at Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta.

Dr. Angela Bratton: Presented “A Reflection on Adaptations of How Snow White Mirrors Contemporary Culture,” at the

Popular Culture Association/American Cul- to the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art for ture Association annual meeting. The paper the publication. used a feminist critique to examine the two Snow White films released in 2012.

Prof. Karen Klacsmann: Authored five articles (“Eliot C. Clark”, “Blondelle Malone”, “The Murphy Family of Savannah”, “Augusta Oelschig”, “A. Catherine Wiley”) included in Vol. 21: The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Professor Klacsmann also did the research for an e-book she will be authoring dedicated to 75 years of art at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. The Por- Klacsmann introduces Mahera Kahleque at ter Fleming Foundation has awarded a grant the Women’s Studies Symposium

(continued)

violence, sexual violence and rape, and victimiasserted, “hit women harder than men, as a zation.

The Gender and Victimization course rewhole”—and pregnancy and motherhood. volves around the field of victimology and its Dr. Foley persisted, “There are policies history, with a focus on gendered types of victhat restrict drug offenders from lots timization, or “the types of crimes and vicof things, housing in particular.” After timization that one gender is more likely grappling with her wording, Dr. Foley states to experience ,” Dr. Foley indicated. The disre-entry literature often predicts offending cussions range from rape and sexual assault to for women more than men, the definition of different types of but doesn’t necessary consexual violence to victim experiences sider victimization as a factor “What, on the and offender motivations.

She also once they are removed from surface, can made it a point to add that males are prison. “Just like there are considered as victims in the course. factors that are better at sometimes seem The course also endeavors to assess predicting women’s offending the benefits and drawbacks of giving in the first place than men’s, like a good thing victims a more “formal voice” and there are some things that predict women going back to and progress being incorporation into the CJ system. The students get at the debate over prison that don’t predict the made, when you whether intimate partner violence is same for men,” she added. something that is perpetrated equally Jumping back into her look at the by men and women and are those career here at GRU, I learned that Dr. Foley teaches a mul- implementation of who experience it as victims just as likely to be men as they are to be titude of courses, including some laws and women. “In the future, we’ll look Social Deviance and Institumore into victims of different gender tional Corrections, and is also policies, don’t and sexual identities, i.e. LGBTQ isthe coordinator the Sociology sues, with regard to gendered victimiand Criminal Justice (CRJU) actually benefit zation,” Dr. Foley added. internships. The Gender and When asked about the geographivictims.”

Victimization course, which cal focus of the issues discussed within was taught for the first time the class, Dr. Foley expressed an inthis past Fall, was created as a way to break terest in examining victimization abroad in the up the Women, Crime, and the Criminal future, but remarked: Justice System course that she and Dr. Davies teach. This was done in an effort to ‘So many of the things that happen in spend more time on topics such as domestic other countries are, in many ways, more

extreme or at least what we hear about them is more extreme […] People tend to think, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so glad that, that doesn’t happen here,’ and I like the fact that we really focus in on what happens at home to be able to show we’re not perfect. There are real issues here.’

Before ending our time together, I inquired about what Dr. Foley hoped students would gain from taking the Gender and Victimization course. She hesitated briefly, seemingly in deep thought, and stressed a desire for her students to think critically about how the CJ system and society operates with regard to victims. “What, on the surface, can sometimes seem like a good thing and progress being made, when you look at the implementation of some laws and policies, don’t actually benefit victims,” she explained. Dr. Foley went on, asserting that the course challenges student to think about society and how they can contribute to some “social change”: “I hope they blame victims less,” Dr. Foley added, “and I hope that they buy into rape myths less.”

After a short pause, Dr. Foley persisted, “This is a place where people should be able to safely have conversations about these things to really be able to work out complex ideas about really sensitive topics.”

I introduce to you, readers, Dr. Allison Foley. She is a multifaceted individual with many different intersectional identities. She wears the hats of professor, soon to be mother, and scholar.

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

PAGE

Summer/Fall WMST Course Offerings

4

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

PAGE

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Cheryl Hopson

Recently I sat down with Dr. Cheryl Hopson (pictured here), Assistant Professor of English who specializes in African American literature, to discuss her new poetry collection entitled Black Notes.

Dr. Hopson has been writing since she was ten years old. She explained that her mother, her role model, was an avid reader of novels, citing authors Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. In order to be more like their mother, Dr. Hopson and her two older sisters began reading, focusing on the works of poets like Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni.

This early introduction to poetry spawned her love of writing and gave her an example of how to do it. As she moved into her older years, Dr. Hopson cultivated her craft, explaining that she only dreamt of becoming a writer. She then recants her previous statement and says, “Well, now that I think about it, I did want people to know me. […] I wanted to be known for something, and poetry was a way to do it.”

Dr. Hopson’s scholarly work, as well as her poetry, revolves around the family. It focuses on mother-daughter relationships and, more broadly, black women’s writing and black feminist generations. Specifically, she writes on authors such as Audre Lorde, Alice and Rebecca Walker, and other black women beyond United States borders. She explained that her interest is really focusing on “southern black femaleness and how black women write that character.” Also, she explores how the mother-daughter relationship and the experience and understanding of family are written in African American litera-

ture. As the interview continued, I couldn’t help but feel how deeply she valued family, especially after learning about her scholarly focus. When asked about her own family, Dr. Hopson expressed that she looks at her teaching as “a way of giving back” and believes that her ideas and her artwork are the things that will live on beyond her, which she already sees in her nieces, nephews and their children.

As we segued into her book, I was curious about the origin of the title, Black Notes. I learned that it came from one of the poems within the collection. The poem describes an experience during her time at Roanoke College in Salem, VA, which she proudly claimed as her alma mater. She had traveled to the Dance Theater of Harlem at Kennedy Center with her professors and was amazed at what she had experienced. In the poem she writes about “black notes in a treble clef” which not only alludes to

that evening, but it also denotes her love of music and her racial and ethnic identities.

The book itself is a collection of poems chronicling Dr. Hopson’s life between her twenty-eighth and thirty-eighth year. During those ten years she went through a plethora of changes, including a five year break after earning her Master’s

degree spent traveling through Europe and the United States, calling it a reintroduction to herself. She says the language barrier while in France caused her to rediscover herself and that the book describes her experiences coming into consciousness as “a black woman with southern roots, just trying to make sense of everything.”

“So what came first: the idea to write a book or your experiences during your time in Europe?” I asked. Describing the process as organic, Dr. Hopson responded, “it all happened at the same time.” She explained that she had no idea she was creating a book until after Finishing Line Press accepted the collection for publication. “But in retrospect, I can see that I was creating this narrative.”

As she told me more, I became drawn into her story, which was her goal behind the way she wrote the collection. “I like to bring people in with me; I like for them to share the experience and the feeling at the center of the poem,” she said. Even amidst the autobiographical elements of the poems, Dr. Hopson expressed a deep desire for her poetry to touch her readers personally.

As my time with her came to a close, I asked Dr. Hopson if she would like to add a final word to our readers and to her students. After a short pause, she said, “If you could put anything additional in the letter, I would really welcome students to embrace African American literature, to sign up for Women’s Studies (I think they go hand in hand), and to recognize just how much beauty and magic is in that. And hopefully they’ll see that in my poetry as well and experience it in my teaching.”

Black Notes is now available from Finishing Line Press.

So there you have it, readers: Dr. Cheryl Hopson, Assistant Professor of AFAM literature, published poet and one of the many hidden gems in our faculty. I hope this spotlight has given you a little more insight into

5

PAGE

6

Dr. Liana Babayan, Assistant Professor of French

“Pussy Riot considers its performances to be an art and political action combined; they describe it as ‘a kind of civic activity amidst the repressions of a corporate political system that directs its power against basic human rights and civil and political liberties.’"

YELL!

How Does One Become Heard If No One Will Listen?: Thinking Globally & Acting Locally With Pussy Riot Originally written by Arianna Vazquez, Staff Writer for Phoenix magazine Feminist punk band Pussy Riot creates an uproar in Russia through artistic protest while also sparking discussion for Augusta State University students and faculty.

According to Marie Drews, Ph.D., the goal of having students at an even such as the Pussy Riot discussion was to showcase one group’s creative and provocative expression and to openly discuss the significance behind their international message.

Throughout the discussion Liana Babayan’s, Ph.D., explained who Pussy Riot was, what they stood for, what some of the current events with the group have been, the meaning of lyrics, how other areas and people have reacted to the band, who they were inspired by and what other protests have similar meaning and style.

According to social work major, Jessica Joiner, who attended the event, Pussy Riot is made up of five to eleven anonymously masked females that create loud, fast and emotionally charged punk-rock music as a form of protest in the areas of Russia.

Babayan described Pussy Riot as an “art collective” because the women create unauthorized aggressive guerilla performances in unusual public places. Their performances are often filmed and spread to the internet with lyrical themes supporting feminism, LBGT rights and opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Babayan also presented many and church in Russia. According to facts and photographs about the the Washington Monthly, Pussy feminist band that created visual Riot considers its performances to and conversational elements for be an art and political action comthe group and Introduction to bined; they describe it as “a kind of Women’s Studies students in atcivic activity amidst the repressions tendance. of a corporate political system that The actions and music of the directs its power against basic hufemale band are an example of the man rights and civil and political feminist art taught in Karen liberties."

Klacsmann’s class and a great way Babayan expressed her interest to see how active art can be. Even in these events and reasoning bea simple protest sign is an ilhind creating a discussion to be lustration of justice art with rooted in her interest in radical real meaning behind it, said feminism. She explained that underDrews. standing some Russian and growing According to Joiner, the mem- up in a similar environment to Rusbers of Pussy Riot are female, use sia helped her to better relate to nicknames and anonymously conthe events surrounding Pussy Riot duct interviews for their cause. and Russian government ties to Their costumes are brightly colchurch. ored and their faces are February 21, masked by equally bright 2012, three of the balaclavas. Balaclavas serve “How does one women from Pussy as a sort of cloth mask that Riot were arrested covers the entire head. become heard for their very conBabayan describes the troversial protest band’s colorful balaclavas performance of and how can as a symbolic representatheir song “Virgin tion of their feelings against we use art as a Mary, Put Putin the black balaclavas of the Away” in MosKGB or secret police of cow’s main catheway to be Russia. dral. The women Inspired by groups were charged with heard?” such as Bikini Kill and hooliganism and Cockney Rejects, the songs severely sentenced of these women are definitely to the work camps of Siberia. politically loaded and trying to According to Drews the disbreak the standards for cussion was a perfect way visibly women image, said Joiner. and verbally to make the ineThe group is one of the many qualities American students that was formed to give voice to hear of around the world more women and shed light on the unpresent locally. Drews also exjust relationship between politics

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

PAGE

arranged 2014 Olympics in Russia if the women do not receive lighter sentences, said Babayan.

Babayan also pointed out that celebrities such as Madonna, Paul McCartney and The Red Hot Chilipeppers have heard the message and have even publicly shown support of the severely punished women of Pussy Riot who were arrested.

Drews explained that Babayan’s campus discussion some weeks ago had a goal of simply bringing students and classes together to get them talking about women and politics. She said that the event was inspired by the interests of students such as Joiner.

Pussy Riot members wearing balaclavas.

Drews said that she most enjoyed connectPhoto credit: David Moirs (of MSNBC) ing with student’s excitement and getting plained how the Pussy Riot actions bring to them thinking. She thought the Pussy Riot discussion was a perfect way to do this bemind questions such as “How does one become heard and how can we use art as a cause it brought up interesting and recent topics that students expressed great interest way to be heard?” It was clear that the band felt a need to take drastic measures in in.

Joiner explained that the more people order to be heard. know of Pussy Riot, the better the outAlthough these events are not local, come of their seemingly unfair punishmany Americans are angered by the band ment and the greater the spread of member’s unfair punishment. There has their message. even been threat to cancel the previously

The students who attended the Babayan’s Pussy Riot discussion got to speak and learn about different methods of activism and how they can be used to show and support new topics. Through publicity, the events of Pussy Riot in Russia were brought from a global to local place for open discussion and knowledge gain.

“Thinking globally” is one of Drews’s main goals in her classes and she considered the event sucessful because it did just that and challenged students to question “what makes these events and actions important to us?” and truly think about artistic means in a sociopolitical context.

Babayan said that she is hopeful that this sort of event will lead to more in the future and that there is even talk of having a sort of “round table” discussion on the recent events that are unfolding for Pussy Riot and other topics as well.

Iota Iota Iota Inducts New Members The closing of the 2012-2013 academic year marked the induction of another selection of outstanding Women’s Studies students into the Iota Iota Iota Honor Society. Triota is a national academic and service-based honor society for Women’s Studies.

Eleven students were recognized for their scholastic efforts in Women’s and Gender Studies, receiving certificates and Triota pins to commemorate their induction. The ceremony, which was held on May 2nd, was hosted by program director, Dr. Marie Drews, and Triota President, Tashera Heights.

A portion of the evening was also dedicated to recognizing Dr. Lillie B Johnson, Professor of English and former Chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages, and Karen Klacsmann, Instructor of Art and Humanities, on their service and involvement in the WMST program.

Congratulations, 2013 Inductees!

Amber Cobern Lauren Clayton Kristen Dunbar Julianna Johnston Richard Ledbetter

Shawna Martinez Ryan McLay Jasmine Smith Iaisha Streetman-Spencer Talyssa Tulsie Ashford Weston

7

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

Gender and Victimization

PAGE

8

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

PAGE

GRU Hosts Third Biennial Women’s Studies Symposium The symposium events stretched over three days, beginning with two events on Thursday, February 28, devoted to discussion about Sickle Cell Anemia. In association with Africa Day, Mahera Khaleque presenting her work at the Gertrude Herbert.

Dr. Ify Osunkwo gave the lecture “Sickle In March 2013, the Women's StudCell Research and Its Relevance to ies Program, the Women's Studies StuAfrican Women”; later that evening, dent Association, and Triota celebrated local playwright and actress La’Veda the third biennial symposium—and the Wallace-Page performed her play Sickle first symposium at the newly consoliCell: Crisis and Courage at University Hosdated Georgia Regents University. pital auditorium, a space which was made This year’s theme, “Our Bodies, available through the support of Anne Ourselves, Our Voices: Health and Ealick-Henry. Friday evening, events Human Rights in the Twenty-First continued with the opening of Mahera Century,” took as its point of deparKhaleque’s exhibit “Restoration,” coture the comprehensive women’s health sponsored with the Gertrude Herbert text, Our Bodies, Ourselves, first published Institute of Art; Khaleque’s work offers in 1970. In the spirit of the book’s misinsight into the plight of women scarred sion, the symposium events offered a by acid attacks in Bangladesh. space for dialogue, presentations, and The day-long research symposium workshops, which celebrated the notion opened Saturday morning, March 2, with that accessing health information via a welcome by Dr. Charles Clark, Dean multiple platforms, inclusive of art, literature, and theater, can strengthen our understanding of the diverse wellness issues our community faces and empower women to become agents of change.

La-Veda Wallace-Page

of the Pamplin College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences. Over the course of the day, forty-three individuals shared their work, including four GRU alums (Ula Gaha, Natalie Lanham, Melinda McKew, Travis Wagner) and nine practicing doctors from the Women in Medicine Group on the GRU Health Sciences Campus. Dr. Susan Bordo, renowned feminist theorist, provided the keynote address, “The Anne Boleyn ‘Diet’: What Young Women Today Can Learn from the Story of Henry VIII’s Second Wife” to a ballroom full of attendees. You can read Ryan McLay’s great profile of Dr. Bordo in the March 12, 2013 issue of the Bell Ringer.

Students presenting at the Symposium.

The Symposium events illustrated the possibilities of collaboration. Support was provided by the Life of the Mind Program, the GRU Humanities Program, Student Activities, the Departments of English and Foreign Languages; Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Work; and History, Anthropology, and Philosophy.

We look forward to beginning to plan for the 2015 symposium later this year!

2013 Symposium keynote speaker, Dr. Susan Bordo

9

PAGE

10

Student Spotlight: Talyssa Tulsie Y!: Why did you decide to declare a Women’s Studies minor?

Ms. Tulsie is a graduating senior, Mathematics major and WMST minor here at GRU.

TT: Having a minor in Women’s Studies and a major in MatheTT: I chose Women’s Studies as matics has assisted me to bea minor after taking the WMST come well rounded and informed about various social 1101 class with Dr. Drews and inequalities in the society and learning about the interdisciplinary aspects which explores the that is apparent in certain professions, like my major. Not societal, cultural and political many females, or individuals issues from a women studies perspective. I was interested to pursue a Math a degree because of the dedication required to learn more about how gender, class, and position influence the complete the work. various forms of activism on Y!: Do you see WS influencing your important issues in the society. work within your major?

Y!: Being a Math major, has adding a WS minor benefitted you?

TT: I see WS influencing the work for my major as seeking to

move into a profession that not many females are entering, especially in a science field.

Y! How do you WS will influence your career?

TT: Upon graduation, I want to be an activist for women entering the science fields. I think that such activism could influence society’s opinion and behavior about gender-specific professions. Thus, more career opportunities would be opened for women who are educated and have the desire to enter these fields.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent

Dr. McClelland-Nugent

YELL!

Recently, I sat down with Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent, Associate Professor of History, to discuss her essay, “The Amazon Mystique: Subverting Cold War Domesticity in Wonder Woman 1945-63,” which was recently published in Comic Books and the Cold War, 1946-1962: Essays on Graphic Treatment of Communism, the Code and Social Concerns, a book that won the Ray and Pat Browne Award for Best Edited Collection from the Popular Culture Association in 2013.

Dr. McClelland-Nugent, or “McNuge” as her students call her, has published essays about Wonder Woman in a variety of books and journals.

Dr. McClelland-Nugent is no stranger to women writers and characters, as she has been researching and writing about Wonder Woman for almost nine years. After doing research

about military women in film, Dr. McClelland-Nugent thought to include a character she’d been interested in since her youth, in her analysis; hence, her research on Wonder Woman began.

In an effort to expand on the body of research Dr. McClelland-Nugent calls “comic book scholarship,” she explained that the field is relatively young, only about twenty years old.

Although Wonder Woman has

been included in the research, there has been a lot more focus on male heroes, like Batman or Superman, for example. Dr. McClelland-Nugent asserts, “There is a lot of room for research into female comic book heroes.” In light of this disparity between male superhero and female superhero centered research, she adds, “Most of what is out there is lacking in feminist analysis.” For this reason, many scholars would assume that the Wonder Woman comic book was intended as pornography for young boys. In actuality, Dr. McClelland-Nugent offers, “The creator of Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston, a guy with a PhD in Psychology from Harvard, wanted it to be propaganda for what he saw as the positive aspects of women’s leadership.” With her interest piqued, Dr. McClelland-Nugent began to ex-

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

PAGE

11

Women’s Studies Student Association GRU’s WSSA had a busy and productive year in 2012-2013.

During the fall, they held successful Love Your Body Events and volunteered at both the Atlanta Breast Cancer Walk and Augusta’s Stop Hunger Event. They sponsored the biennial Women’s Studies Symposium and arranged International Women’s Day thank-yous for faculty and staff. Most recently, WSSA participated in Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The year’s successes could not have been carried out without their excellent leadership: Sabrina

McClelland-Nugent (continued) plore the different contexts in which the Wonder Woman character could be read and understood. Then, the opportunity to contribute to Comic Books and the Cold War arose after the editors observed Dr. McClelland-Nugent’s presentation of her paper, “The Amazon Mystique: Subverting Cold War Domesticity in Wonder Woman 1945-63.” The title is a pun on Betty Freidan’s “The Feminine Mystique,” which contested the myth that women are completely fulfilled by staying home and being domestic.

With this play on words, Dr. McClellandNugent implies that the Wonder Woman character “suggests another way to subvert the feminine mystique.”

After considering the Cold War focus of Comic Books and the Cold War, one might ask, “How does this have anything to do with the Cold War?” Wonder Woman was created in 1941, making her a character of the World War II era. As reflected in Wonder Woman’s character, women were empowered to work and exemplify strength during that time. Think Rosie the Riveter. In stark contrast to this, during the Cold War era (the 1950s) a push for domesticity reemerged in the United States in an effort to diminish the Soviet Union and Communist ideals. In light of this, many scholars have asked, “Where is there room for a character that is a strong, single woman that comes from an all-female civilization?”

Biddle served as president before graduating in December 2012, and Alicia Natasha Perry served as president in the spring.

In an effort to stay abreast of the changes being made following the consolidation, Natasha and WSSA members have been very involved taking advantage of the student orgs workshops. WSSA has already begun learning about how to effectively utilize the new campus organizations website and how to reserve rooms for the fall. It’s

this type of dedication that has kept the WSSA in good business this year.

As Natasha is completing her internship and preparing for graduation, Paxton Gordon and Julianna Johnston are beginning to plan activities for the fall semester— watch for great things ahead from WSSA!

give young girls today an alternative to the “Well, during the 1950s,” Dr. McClelland traditional societal expectations. After a brief -Nugent states, “the writers of Wonder pause, Dr. McClelland-Nugent expressed a Woman attempted to make her more docertain disdain for the incongruity between mestic,” alluding to the budding romance how female characters are presented in comic between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor books as opposed to on television. “Only six that surfaced. “But there is “Where is there percent of writers at DC comics are an underlying tension prefemale,” she remarked, using the phrase room for a sented in the comic be“sex pots” to describe how most female cause if Wonder Woman character that is a characters are presented consequentially. marries Steve,” Dr. Dr. McClelland-Nugent’s research atMcClelland-Nugent contin- strong, single tempts to put an end to the practice of ues, “she can’t work, so woman that comes sexualizing female characters, specifically she never becomes domesWonder Woman, by exposing the comfrom an all-female tic.” In this way, Wonder plexities with which they are created. CurWoman is subverts domesrently, Dr. McClelland-Nugent is working civilization?” ticity. This, along with on a book length project about just that.

Wonder Woman’s origin in the Amazon, an Her work will examine the science behind all-female civilization, created the platform Wonder Woman and the Amazonian culture, for Dr. McClelland-Nugent’s paper. using psychological, anthropological, and even Upon more discussion, Dr. McClellandhealth science-centered texts. She will also Nugent gave a little more insight about draw on Marsden’s belief that there was a time where her love of Wonder Woman origiof matriarchal power that was a Golden Age nated. She told me that during the seventies, on Earth to add depth to Wonder Woman’s as a response to the increased visibility of character. There is no definite date of complethe feminist movement, Wonder Woman tion yet, but Dr. McClelland-Nugent has been was created and promoted as a feminist working diligently to finish the project. character. “Here was this really cool As a self-proclaimed “intersectional comic book that was being promoted feminist,” Dr. McClelland-Nugent conand here was this really cool charactinues to strive for the increased visibilter. And she was pretty and she had a ity of women, even in comic books. She sparkly crown like a princess, but she has seen a need for women’s voices in kicked ass!” she chuckled. I inquired about many areas, including literature, televiwhether or not Dr. McClelland-Nugent besion, and even marketing, and it is clear lieved female comic book characters could that she will not tire in her efforts.

PAGE

12

Loretta Ross Talks Human Rights at GRU

Loretta Ross (photo credit: MAKERS)

“Answering the question, ‘Well, why doesn’t she just leave? Why doesn’t she just move?’

Which, of course, from our safe middle class perspective we had the answer to without really understanding the situation that many women were actually living through.”

With her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and matter of fact attitude, Ms. Loretta J. Ross made quite an impression on GRU students and faculty, after presenting her lecture Challenging Violences Against Women with Human Rights this past April. As the keynote speaker for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Ms. Ross discussed her title topics with an astute analysis, raising the question, “How can we effectively fight violence against women if we don’t know all of the “violences” committed against them?” Loretta Ross has a long history of involvement in women’s rights and safety advocacy in the United States. She was a cofounder and National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and served as one of the first African American directors of the first rape crisis center in the United States in the early 1970s.

Contrary to what it seems, Loretta Ross has not always been as active and involved with the Women’s Rights movement as she is today. Ms. Ross explained that her involvement stemmed from her

napped and violently raped at age went on, elucidating her obvious distaste for the euphemisms of eleven, she was also a victim of incest at the age of fourteen, which violence. Like many, Ms. Ross believes it is imperative that we adresulted in the conception and dress these violent crimes in such a birth of her first child. Ross explained that because of the trauma, way that we do not lose the “hard shocking edge” of what she became “deeply selfhappens to those who have destructive” and attested, “Coming to “Is it better been violated.

Using that as a platform, the DC rape crisis Ms. Ross introduced the center saved my life.” give people term “violences” to the Once she became clean, the illusion audience. She explained Ms. Ross learned that she wasn’t the only of safety or that once women of color began got involved in the woman to endure such movement, they began to terrible acts against her. give people observe and redefine what She also came to the the reality of violence really was to their realization that the same was happening to men the world?” community. “It was our particular standpoint as and young boys, aged people of color that allowed seven to ten, at a disus to really look at all the proportionate number. Stressing different types of violences that our that sexual assault victimization is communities are subjected to,” Ms. not exclusive to women, Ms. Ross Ross said. Listing the common asserted, “We have failed to proexamples like rape, domestic viotect young people in our society, lence, interpersonal violence, etc., and yet we’ve not even made it Ms. Ross then went on to identify safe for them to tell us what’s “state directed violence” as anreally going on in their lives.”

“I think as our movement has other type of violence their communities were subjected to. “We grown up since 1972, we’ve used were having to turn over black more and more clinical terms to describe what’s happening, so now men to a criminal justice system that’s already racist rape and battery and childhood sexual assault is called against them,” she added. This Interpersonal Violence. posed huge problems for African IPV. It sounds like an American women trying to end interpersonal violence without STD,” she chuckled, “when in fact, it’s a adding to the state violence they way of euphemizing were already victims of. Ms. Ross also listed economic violence in her what really should analysis, noting the lack of control be named as the that women have once they are horrible violation that it is.” It was this stripped of all of their economic Loretta Ross, Shannon Nix, Karen Belk, Anne Ealickjuxtaposition of humor resources. Ms. Ross asserted: Henry (RCSAS Director), and Shawntha Gouda meet “We found that if we failed to with sudden sobriety after the ‘Lunch and Learn’ talk. intersect economic violence with that Ms. Ross used to interpersonal violence, we’ve misdiown experiences with sexual ascommand the intense attention of agnosed what was really going on in sault. In addition to being kideveryone in the room. Ms. Ross

YELL!

VOLUME

1,

ISSUE

1

Loretta Ross ‘Lunch and Learn’ event with the OBGYN students and Karen Belk.

the lives of a lot of women. Answering the question, ‘Well, why doesn’t she just leave?

Why doesn’t she just move?’ Which, of course, from our safe middle class perspective we had the answer to without really understanding the situation that many women were actually living through.”

These types of “misdiagnoses” and exclusions are the reason Ms. Ross has continued to fight for a more rounded movement.

While praising its grassroots development and tenacity, Ms. Ross urged that the movement against the sexual victimization of women is severely lacking in other areas, using racial violence against women as an example. “For some of us, until the movement to end violence against women started making itself accountable for some of these other violences, it was still failing to protect women in a holistic fashion,” she added. In light of this, Ms. Ross has been adamant in building a movement that goes beyond just keeping women safe. She went on to state that the movement to end violence against women was never actually successful in ending violence against women, only “bandaging them back up and sending them home.”

Ms. Ross then posed the following question: “Is it better give people the illusion of safety or give people the reality of the world?” Using a personal anecdote about her son asking her to buy condoms for himself and his friends, Ms. Ross condemned the practice of giving the illusion of safety. Ms. Ross’s son turned eighteen during a time when AIDS was running rampant in the Black community, so she felt an intense need to educate him, to empower him to protect himself and others, and to hold him responsible for his sexual decisions. Loretta Ross

PAGE

13

has that same zeal for educating people about served in the language of your choice), our Human Rights. Furthermore, about what and dress. we can do with them and what others can’t Environmental Rights: Rights to clean do because of them.

Air, Water, and Land; No toxic neighborMs. Ross began her discussion on Human hoods.

Rights with the origin of the modern concept.

She explained that Frederick Douglass actuDevelopmental Rights: The rights of ally coined the phrase “Human Rights” in the an emancipated country to control and United States in 1858 when he protested the development their own natural relynching of a black man in New York City. sources.

The actual Universal Declaration of Human Sexual Rights: Rights to reproductive Rights was written in 1948 after World War control, marriage, sexual pleasure, LGBT II, in response to the extermination of Gerrights, freedom from sexual violence. man Jews and other targeted groups and the events that preceded it (isolation, starvation, Ms. Loretta Ross came to enlighten the GRU unemployment, etc.). “Once the Holocaust campus, and that she did. While she was was implemented, the world community, charming and funny, she also presented the through the United Nations, recognized that Human Rights framework with a staunch seriwhat Nazi Germany did, while it was imousness that many, myself included, had never moral, it was not illegal,” Ms. Ross stated. heard. Like Ms. Ross, we in the WMST deIn order to curtail future genocides, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the Human Rights Committee that wrote the original Declaration to “place restrictions on what a government can do to its own people… but also lay out affirmative obligations that a government has towards its people.”

Calling Human Rights “a deal between citizens and their Marie Drews, Seretha Williams, Megan Pugh, Cheryl Hopson government,” Ms. Ross went on to lay out the eight categories and Loretta Ross following the SAAM Lecture. of HR, as follows: Civil Rights: Nondiscriminatory Rights, Equality Political Rights: Freedom of speech, association, and voting (the rights most associated with the Bill of Rights) Economic Rights: Rights to economic management for the needs of the PEOPLE, Living Wage vs. Minimum Wage, Unions Social Rights: Rights to food, healthcare, education, and social support.

(Rights that are born out of human needs.)

Cultural Rights: Right to religion (freedom to practice or not practice), language (freedom to speak and be

partment and campus-wide believe that it is imperative for youth and adults alike to have a fundamental understanding of the rights we were born with. It is common for us, especially in the United States, to be pliant to our government, our elders, our professors, and those who are above us in society’s hierarchal ladder. Now, Ms. Ross has given us the tools to challenge what we’ve been told and what we’ve been accepting up to this point. Are you prepared to use them?

The Women's Studies Program was proud to co-sponsor Ross's visit. Ms. Ross provided her Sexual Assault Awareness Month Lecture with the support of funding from Minority Student Programs, under the leadership of Karen Mobley Belk.

In 1994, a tenure-track position in English with emphasis in Women's Studies was created in the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication (now known as English and Foreign Languages), the first such position on campus. Dr. Sian Mile was hired to fill this position, and in 1996, the Women's Studies Initiative Committee was established to direct interest and head curriculum efforts in women's studies at ASU. Dr. Mile chaired this committee comprised of faculty

Women’s Studies Program

from disciplines across the campus. The Women's Studies

Allgood Hall E227 | wmst@gru.edu 1120 15th Street Augusta GA 30912

The WSSA was very active in gathering signatures in favor of

Student Association, a student-run organization was formed in 1997 to address women's issues both on and off campus. a women's studies program at ASU; the organization collected 400 signatures in favor of establishing a minor at ASU.

Phone: 706-737-1500

In September 1998, a Women's Studies Minor was approved

Fax: 706-667-4770

and established at ASU, and we became one of the almost 20 women's studies program in Georgia. The Women’s Studies Program continues to grow.

Credits: Editor: Megan Pugh

Our minor offers courses from English and Foreign

Contributors: Megan Pugh, Arianna Vazquez, Marie Drews

Languages, Communications, History and Anthropology,

Design and Art Direction: Megan Pugh

special topics courses from Art and Political Science.

Sociology and Criminal Justice, and Psychology, in addition to

Visit us online! http://www.gru.edu/colleges/pamplin/wmst http://www.facebook.com/gruwmst If you’re interested in joining the Women’s Studies Student Association, look us up on Facebook!

The (Unofficial) GRU Women’s Studies Student Association