Research Interest Groups

About RIGs

CSWS Research Interest Groups (RIGs) are collaborations among faculty members, staff, graduate students, and community members at the University of Oregon. A primary goal of our RIGs is to bring people together for a shared project, idea, or vision around CSWS’s mission: to generate, support, and publicize intersectional research on women and gender.

CSWS initiated the RIG program in 1994. You can read a brief review of the history in this Annual Review article. Find out more:

Goals of RIGs include:

  • facilitating collaborative research and inquiry
  • assisting RIG members in preparing and submitting grant proposals
  • building links between scholars and  community activists
  • supporting innovative thinking about curricula and pedagogy
  • creating opportunities for cross-disciplinary discussion among scholars

Notable outcomes of RIGs include:

As this brief list illustrates, some RIGs have expanded in scope into major partnerships; still others have attracted large research grants and become major program initiatives within CSWS. Some have simply remained RIGs, open to the shifting needs and interests of group members.

RIGs are led by RIG coordinators or co-coordinators who organize and publicize events and activities. RIGs can be multi-year groups or groups that come together around a specific theme or idea.

UO faculty, graduate students (with a faculty advisor), or staff are eligible to apply for CSWS RIG funding. In addition, RIGs receive sponsorship in the form of links on our website, access to the CSWS listserv for publicity and communication, assistance with scheduling rooms, as well as access to the Jane Grant Conference Room and the Acker Conference Room.

RIG Funding

CSWS offers small grants to faculty and graduate students to organize interdisciplinary research interest groups and working groups focused on particular themes for the academic year. Working groups will provide participants the opportunity to discuss readings and share their research. Funding may be used to pay for reading materials, food, and visits by scholars. RIGs are encouraged to use working groups as the foundation for developing conferences, symposia, courses, and publications.

Those interested in organizing a RIG or working group should submit a funding proposal by May 1 for the following academic year.

As a condition of CSWS funding, all RIGs, Special Projects, and Initiatives must report on their activities by the end of the academic year for which they received funding (July 1). Please use this form to report your activities and outcomes. CSWS will share reports through the Annual Review and website.

Publicity Requests

When planning events for your RIG or special project, keep in mind that staff will need adequate advance notice for publicity. Upon request, we can distribute your digital posters and social media posts through our newsletter and other media. Please provide your materials at least three weeks in advance of your event.

If you want CSWS to design and print your vertical flyer or poster, or create horizontal posters for digital displays on campus, please make your request at least one month in advance of when you need to have material in hand. Remember that extra time is required if you want a poster reproduced on poster quality paper by UO Printing Services. Please send accurate information for the content of the poster. Include:

  • Title of event
  • Date / time / location (include room, building address)
  • Speaker(s) name / title / affiliation / website link
  • A high resolution .jpg of the speaker or any other image you want on the display (you are responsible for getting any permissions)
  • A blurb about the content of the event
  • List of sponsors
  • Contact person and email address

Send to Jenée Wilde, CSWS Dissemination Specialist, at jenee@uoregon.edu.