2011 National Women’s Studies Association Conference in Atlanta

Time: November 10-13, 2011
Venue: Atlanta, Georgia
Deadline for abstracts: February 11, 2011

This session will contribute to the 2011 NWSA conference theme of “Women’s Studies Without Walls” by gathering feminist and gender studies scholars who teach lower-division “core” humanities courses for a conversation about strategies for incorporating discussion of gender, sexuality, and feminist politics into those courses.
We are hoping to put together a series of four short presentations on concrete lesson plans and assignments appropriate for lower-division courses in literature and language, composition, history, etc. The bulk of the session would be devoted to a larger conversation between presenters and audience about sharing and brainstorming strategies for teaching lower-division courses. Some sample topics for presentations might be:

» The efficacy of planning a “unit” on gender and sexuality versus dispersing the topic throughout the syllabus
» Negotiating the conflicts that arise in discussions of gender, sexuality, and feminism with the mixed audience of students in required core classes
» Crafting assignments and lesson plans that encourage students to consider social justice and feminist issues while meeting the stated goals of the course
» Experiences getting approval for and publicizing gender-focused lower division courses in humanities departments
» Using new and social media to teach gender/feminism/social justice in the humanities classroom
» The benefits and challenges of being “out” as a feminist graduate instructor, lecturer, adjunct, or assistant professor

Abstracts of 250 words can be sent to laynecraig@mail.utexas.edu (Department of English, University of Texas at Austin) by February 11. Please include your name, institution, email, and a title for your presentation. Each presentation will be around 10-12 minutes, and presenters will be asked to help facilitate the discussion that follows.
We will expect presenters to bring copies of exercises, syllabi, or assignments that might be helpful resources for roundtable participants.