40th Anniversary

“Agents of Change” CSWS 40th Anniversary Celebration

November 7–9, 2013
University of Oregon Erb Memorial Union
1222 E. 13th Ave.
Symposium registration: guestli.st/164928

In fall 2013, in collaboration with the ASUO Women’s Center and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, the Center for the Study of Women in Society presents “Agents of Change” – a three-day celebration of feminist research, activism, and creativity at the University of Oregon. The event opens on Thursday, November 7, by honoring the legacy of feminist research and leadership through special guests and a new documentary film on the founding of CSWS. On Friday, November. 8, the symposium “Women’s Stories, Women’s Lives” explores important personal and political moments from four decades of change, progress, and challenges in feminism. On Friday evening, the celebration moves into feminist visions of the future – “Worlds Beyond World” – with special guest Ursula K. Le Guin. Feminist utopian thought continues on Saturday, November 9, with a symposium that explores the role that feminist speculative fiction has played in helping us think about brighter and less oppressive futures.

PDF of Event Schedule (subject to change):

“Agents of Change” Opening Celebration—Thursday, Nov. 7

To inaugurate this three-day celebration, speakers and special presentations honor agents of change at the University of Oregon and their legacy of feminist research, teaching, and activism.

2-5 – Registration desk (Ballroom lobby)

2-3 – Organization and Vendor Room set-up (Maple/Oak)

3-5 – Opening celebration and “Agents of Change” documentary film screening (Gumwood)

5-6 – Reception (Fir)

“Women’s Stories, Women’s Lives” Symposium—Friday, November 8

Presentations in this symposium explore forty years of feminist research and activism through the themes of women’s rights, violence against women, women’s health, activism and policy, and education and employment. Instead of formal papers, however, presenters will share narratives, visual illustrations, and dialogue together to illuminate some of the local, cultural, and global issues at stake across the last four decades.

8:30-1 – Registration desk (Ballroom lobby)

8:30-5 – Organization and Vendor Room (Maple/Oak)

9-10:30 – Session 1, “The 1970s” (Gumwood)

10:45-12:15 – Session 2, “The 1980s” (Gumwood)

12:15-1:30 – Catered luncheon (Fir)

1-1:30 – Luncheon Reading with Molly Gloss (Fir)

1:45-3:15 – Session 3, “The 1990s” (Gumwood)

3:30-5 – Session 4, “The Twenty-First Century” (Gumwood)

Sally Miller Gearhart “Worlds Beyond World” Symposium – Nov. 8-9

In this symposium, authors and cultural critics explore feminist creative production and the roles of speculative fiction and utopian ideas in imagining feminist futures.

Friday, Nov. 8, 6:30-9 p.m. – “A Conversation with Ursula K. Le Guin” (Ballroom), followed by book signing with Le Guin and Molly Gloss (Maple/Oak)

Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. – “Worlds Beyond World” Symposium on Feminist Utopian Thought

9:30-1 – Registration desk (Ballroom lobby)

9:30-4 – Organization and Vendor Room (Maple/Oak)

10-11:30 – Session 1, “Feminist Visions in the Archives,” highlighting the papers of feminist science fiction authors housed in Knight Library Special Collections (Gumwood)

11:30-12:30 – Lunch (on own) and book signing event (Maple/Oak)

12:45-2:15 – Session 2, “Creating Utopia: Feminist Science Fiction,” featuring Molly Gloss, Andrea Hairston, Alexis Lothian, L. Timmel Duchamp, and Helen Merrick (Gumwood)

2:30-3:45 – Session 3, “The Future of Feminist Science Fiction,” concluding address with Helen Merrick and Q&A with Session 2 panelists (Gumwood)

4-6 – Reception and exhibit, “Women’s Stories, Women’s Lives” (Focus Room and Papé Reception Hall, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art)

“Agents of Change” event location: All events are in UO’s Erb Memorial Union, unless otherwise noted. Ballroom, Gumwood, Maple, and Oak rooms are located on the EMU second level (top of stairs from main entrance); the Fir room is located on the EMU main level (northeast corner). Note: in the event of large attendance (<120), Gumwood sessions will be moved to the Ballroom.

Registration: All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required (coming soon).

Organization and Vendor Rooms: During the celebration, author book sales and table displays for non-profit organizations and agencies will be located in the EMU Maple and Oak rooms.

Related exhibitions: During the fall, images, documents, artwork, publications, and other historical materials related to four decades of feminist research, teaching, activism, and creativity will be on display in several locations, including the Knight Library, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Erb Memorial Union, and Eugene Airport. These exhibitions will highlight materials provided by the Knight Library Special Collections and University Archives, the permanent collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, the ASUO Women’s Center, and the Center for the Study of Women in Society.

Sponsors: Sally Miller Gearhart Fund, ASUO Women’s Center, Center for the Study of Women in Society, Robert D. Clark Honors College, Department of Women’s and Gender Studies