ETSU program aims to produce critical thinkers focused on civic engagement
Newly renovated and inviting, the living room space within the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program office in Gilbreath Hall is the purposeful site of a string of events this semester at East Tennessee State University.
For program director Dr. Stacey Williams, the reason is straightforward: the office is intended to be a space for refuge and belonging.
Three gatherings – a book club in which ETSU faculty, staff and students work through “Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad” by Pennsylvania State University associate professor and former assistant director of ETSU’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, Dr. Hil Malatino – will happen there between now and the semester’s end.
“The whole campus community is invited to participate,” said Williams.
Such a spirit of close collaboration and critical research drives Williams, a respected scholar whose work has spanned a range of issues, including the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community in Appalachia, stigma and health.
The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, known around campus as WGSS, has an academic minor program for students through which WGSS faculty work to equip students to be accomplished critical thinkers focused on civic engagement.
WGSS also facilitates conversations and convergences on a range of topics for the whole campus community. There’s a long-standing lecture series, dubbed “WGS on Wednesdays,” that promotes the scholarship of faculty, staff and graduate students at the institution.
As the campus and nation celebrate Women’s Equality Day on Aug. 26, Williams invites all who are interested in participating in WGSS at ETSU.
“WGSS has had an important presence and impact on campus for decades,” said Williams. “I am honored to be directing the program, to continue our mission of engaging students in issues of gender and sexuality in the Appalachian South, nationally and globally.”
Get the latest news and information from WGSS at this site. The office is located at 106 Gilbreath Hall, near the heart of the institution’s main campus.
East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.
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