International Women’s Day is celebrated each year around the world in order to recognize the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. This is a list of suggested activities to commemorate this day, curated by Randolph-Macon Faculty and Staff.
Events
Randolph-Macon Gathering: Fountain Plaza 10-2.
Rev. Grimes, Randolph-Macon Chaplain: “Bold Women of Faith.” Stop by the Fountain Plaza anytime between 11am-1pm to play a game about key female figures from various faith traditions.
Prof. Dominguez, Physics: Children’s Books about Strong Girls and Bold Women. Read a book to your little one about girls and women who have made a difference in the world. Or stop by and read one yourself! Fountain Plaza 12-2.
Prof. Rodman, Anthropology and Women’s Studies: “Socializing Spouses in Gabon: The Women of The Petroleum Wives’ Club of Port-Gentil,” a talk by Dr. Lisa Shutt from the University of Virginia at 6 p.m. Brock Commons, Dollar Tree Community Room.
Anthropologist Lisa Shutt examines the lives of French and American spouses of oil executives in Port-Gentil, Gabon and how the women, as members of the Petroleum Wives Club, constructed a Western identity for themselves in a Central African setting.
News
Dr. Walker, Institutional Research: Statements and news from the UN about International Women’s Day, and gender equality: http://womenwatch.unwomen.org/
Readings
Prof. Girdner, Philosophy and Islamic Studies: Sa‘diyya Shaikh. “Transforming Feminisms: Islam, women, and gender justice” in Progressive Muslims, ed. Omid Safi, Ondeworld: Oxford, 2003 (article)
https://gormc-my.sharepoint.com/personal/scottgirdner_rmc_edu/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?docid=17e780e37cfc8482abbf5de6efa1ce3d4&authkey=AU-mEGpjGmZjKuTukX8aZ-E
Prof. Waters, History: Malgorzata Fidelis, “Equality through Protection: The Politics of Women’s Employment in Postwar Poland, 1945-1956,” Slavic Review 2 (2004)
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy2.rmc.edu/stable/3185730
Prof. Waters, History: Katalin Fábián, “Open Societies? Connections between Women’s Activism, Globalization and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe,” The International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities, and Nations 9 (2010)
http://ezproxy2.rmc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=50282992&scope=site
Prof. Fenster, Environmental Studies/Geology: “Women Scientists Who Changed the World” (Science Photo Library Feature Stories)
http://www.sciencephoto.com/static/features/1108-Women-scientists.pdf
Prof. Fenster, Environmental Studies/Geology: Jill Schneiderman, “Rock Stars, A Life of Firsts: Florence Bascom,” GSA Today, 1997. [About the first woman geologist in the U.S.]
http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/8/7/pdf/i1052-5173-8-7-8.pdf
Prof. Eve Torrence, Mathematics: Biographies of Women Mathematicians:
https://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/women.htm
Prof. McLeskey, Engineering and Physics: “Mildred Dresselhaus, ‘Queen Of Carbon’ And Nanoscience Trailblazer” (article with video clip) http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/24/517004254/mildred-dresselhaus-queen-of-carbon-and-nanoscience-trailblazer-dies-at-86
Prof. McLeskey, Engineering and Physics: “Mildred Dresselhaus: Queen of Carbon Science” (biography with short video)
http://www.makers.com/mildred-dresselhaus
Prof. McManus, Computer Science: Admiral “Amazing Grace” Hopper, pioneering computer programmer
http://www.amazingwomeninhistory.com/amazing-grace-hopper-computer-programmer/
Prof. Jefferson, History and Black Studies: Maulana Karenga, “Black Women’s History: Celebrating Miracles, Wonder and Struggle,” Los Angeles Sentinel, 03-02-17, p. A6.
https://folios.rmc.edu/racheledominguez/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2017/03/Black-Womens-History-03-02-17.pdf
Prof. Lim-Fong, Biology: Fanny E. Hesse (nee Fanny Elishemius), “The Forgotten Woman Who Made Microbiology Possible”
http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/ladybits/forgotten-woman-who-made-microbiology-possible
Prof. Lim-Fong, Biology: Lynn Margulis, “R.I.P. Lynn Margulis, Biological Rebel” https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/r-i-p-lynn-margulis-biological-rebel/
Prof Gubbels Bupp, Biology: “XY Bias: How Male Biology Students See Their Female Peers”
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/02/male-biology-students-underestimate-their-female-peers/462924/
Prof Gubbels Bupp, Biology: “Barbara McClintock” https://www.famousscientists.org/barbara-mcclintock/
Prof Gubbels Bupp, Biology: “Nettie Stevens”
https://www.famousscientists.org/nettie-stevens/
Prof. Terrono, Art History: Katherine A. McIver, “Lavinia Fontana’s ‘Self-Portrait Making Music,’” Woman’s Art Journal,Vol. 19, No. 1 (Spring – Summer, 1998), pp. 3-8.
A short reading on Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), a very successful female artist from Bologna, Italy. Fontana understood well the gendered parameters of her existence, but went on to challenge them; she earned a doctorate at the University of Bologna, was one of the most learned women of her time, and competed very successfully with male artists even gaining papal commissions for large scale works.
https://folios.rmc.edu/racheledominguez/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2017/03/McIver-Fontana.pdf
Films
Prof. Dominguez, Physics Department: “The Path to Nuclear Fission: The Story of Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn.” You can stream it through the R-MC library service Kanvas here:
http://rmc.kanopystreaming.com.ezproxy2.rmc.edu/video/path-nuclear-fission-story-lise-meitner-and-
Prof. Labadie, Modern Languages Department: “Ouvrir la voix”: le documentaire qui donne la parole aux femmes françaises noires. This documentary film by French filmmaker Amandine Gay about black women’s experience in France came out in December. The full film is not yet available to stream but you can watch some excerpts on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbQnIFhNsyY1sOJ1NfpJ3xluuBsfRg3SR
The first video here has an excerpt with English subtitles: http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/ouvrir-voix-documentaire-qui-donne-parole-aux-femmes-noires-427475.html
Prof. Bordera, Modern Languages Department: Libertarias (1996) by Vicente Aranda (available at our library DVD collection). This film is crucial to understand some of the issues, challenges and troubles women in the liberal side of the Civil War (the left formed by anarchists, socialists, communists, liberal republicans) were facing when trying to take agency in the war business, “traditionally” construed as a men’s world. Their male counterparts within the same ideological spectrum adopt a much more conservative attitude towards them, as these women attempted to have a more active role in the conflict and insert themselves in a world dominated by men. Some excerpts of this film can be found in youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXNoFZHJx30
Prof. Hulme-Lippert, Modern Languages Department: (video not directly related to discipline): TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “We should all be feminists”: https://youtu.be/hg3umXU_qWc