“The Brown Bag format allows interested students, faculty and staff to hear about these topics and ask questions in an informal setting, without the commitment of a semester long course. It is an ideal way to stay up-to-date on emerging issues within feminism,” said Jackie Northrup, assistant director of the Women’s Resource Center and coordinator of the lecture series.
The Women’s Resource Center and the department of women’s studies have hosted individual monthly brown bag series for more than 17 years. In the fall of 2008, in an effort to collaborate across the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, the Women’s Resource Center and the department of women’s studies combined their efforts to create the current Brown Bag Lecture Series.
“It is important for people of all genders to learn about the accomplishments of women, but also the struggles that still remain in the fight for equality,” Northrup said. “People of all genders live and work together in society, so we all need to be aware of the way that gender informs our experiences. The Brown Bag Series makes pieces of these stories accessible to a diverse audience.”
Northup said the program is accepting presentation proposals for the spring 2015 lecture series and will release the lineup by the end of the semester.
Bailey Clem, a freshman majoring in education, said feminism is important to her because it is something that affects her life on a daily basis.
“I need feminism because I want to be able walk the streets alone without feeling the need for multiple forms of defense simply because I am a woman,” she said.
Wednesday, Jennifer Yang, a third year doctoral candidate in medical anthropology, will present “Gender Difference in Spatial Abilities and its Development” in the Ferguson Center 360 Forum. The lecture runs from noon to 1 p.m. and attendees are encouraged to bring lunches. Visit wrc.ua.edu for more information.
