Coastal Carolina University celebrates Women's History Month
by Pippo
March is Women’s History Month, and the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Coastal Carolina University is celebrating with a special website that spotlights achievements and contributions to society made by women of CCU. Along with the curated website, several events are planned throughout the month that are free and open to the public.
“Women’s History Month highlights women’s contributions to communities and societies globally. Because we live in a patriarchal world, these achievements often go overlooked, which Women’s History Month tries to rectify,” said Ina Seethaler, assistant professor at CCU and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) program.
The website featuring women at CCU was a new idea the WGS program launched last year. This year, the CCU’s Women’s History Month website and events will focus mainly on women’s roles in the media and how representations of women shape society’s worldview.
“We hope to put a spotlight on the contributions that women make to CCU and communities beyond our campus,” said Seethaler.
Seethaler joined the CCU faculty in Fall 2016. She earned a Ph.D. in English from Saint Louis University. She taught in Saint Louis University’s WGS department for three years before coming to CCU.
Seethaler’s research topics include gender, undocumented migration, feminism, pop culture and life writing. She has published several scholarly articles on those topics and has drafted a manuscript for the book, “Lives beyond Borders: Immigrant Women’s Life Writing, Nationality, and Social Justice,” which was recently sent to publishers.
At CCU, Seethaler teaches the WGS capstone course and upper-level courses on feminist activism, gender and pop culture. As the only full-time faculty member in WGS, Seethaler is in charge of planning WGS events, advising WGS students, program development, promotion and more.
The mission of the WGS program at CCU is to provide an interdisciplinary approach to learning about gender and its intersections with sexuality, race, class, nationality and disability. The WGS minor investigates gender as a critical lens across disciplines and promotes experiential learning, engaged citizenship and social justice among all students – no matter their gender identity or other characteristics.
CCU’s board of trustees approved a new degree program, the Bachelor of Arts/Science in WGS, on Feb. 22. This program is designed to provide students with critical skills and abilities to understand and evaluate the effects of identity categories (such as gender, race, class, sexual orientation, ability, age, citizenship status).
The degree program also focuses on women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in direct response to a recognized need for gender and racial diversity within the STEM fields. Read more about the Bachelor of Arts/Science in WGS degree program here.
CCU has celebrated Women’s History Month with a consistent calendar of events since 2017. According to Seethaler, the programs throughout the month are an opportunity to start conversations and critical thinking about how gender shapes everyone’s lives.
“The events further CCU’s efforts toward creating a diverse and inclusive environment for our students, faculty and staff as they raise awareness about issues of inequality and social justice,” said Seethaler.
After Women’s History Month ends, WGS continues to promote discussions of gender by hosting movie screenings and guest speakers throughout the academic year. Students Advocating Gender Equality (SAGE) is a student organization that seeks to raise awareness of gender-related social inequalities within the University community in order to promote a diverse campus culture in which all students are treated equally.
On Feb. 23, the members of SAGE hosted the performance of the play, “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer” in support of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women. All proceeds from the raffle and ticket sales were donated to the local rape crisis center.
A new addition to Women’s History Month at CCU this year is Kimbel Library’s social media campaign, which features students’ favorite books with strong female characters and books written by women. WGS minors will be collaborating with Kimbel Library to prepare this campaign.
Students who would like to be featured on Kimbel Library’s social media can email a picture of themselves with their book of choice to Christine Anderson at cdavant@coastal.edu or Lindsey Roberts at lnroberts@coastal.edu. Or, students can stop by the library and have their photo taken by a staff member. Students are required to a sign a media release form including their name, major, graduation year, title and author of the book they selected, and a bit about why they chose the book. Kimbel Library will take submissions through March 5.
“Our hope was to highlight books that encourage and influence our students and give our Chants a voice in the more global conversation of women in leadership and history,” said Christine Anderson, marketing and administrative assistant for the Kimbel Library.
Also, throughout the month of March, a display of research by CCU faculty on women and gender topics will be showcased in the Kimbel Library. Flags and signs about women at CCU and in the world will be on display on Prince Lawn.
Below is an overview of events scheduled throughout the month of March. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Visit coastal.edu/wgst/ccuwomen or coastal.edu/wgst for additional details. Contact Seethaler at 843-349-6919 or iseethale@coastal.edu for any questions.
March 4, 4:30 p.m. – Women’s History Month Keynote Address features a conversation with TV producer Stephanie Taylor about women’s roles on the screen. Special appearances by some of Taylor’s acting colleagues are planned. A small reception will follow. Alford Ballroom, Atheneum Hall, Room 105.
March 8, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – International Women’s Day Celebration on Prince Lawn. The rain location for the International Women’s Day Celebration will be the Lib Jackson Student Union Rotunda.
March 19, 4:30 p.m. – Opening reception for the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit highlighting violence against women. The exhibit will be open from March 19 at 4:30 p.m. through the end of the day on March 22. Lib Jackson Student Union Rotunda.
March 20, 6-8:30 p.m. – WAGES is an experiential learning activity that educates individuals about the sources and effects of unconscious gender bias, sponsored by the Social Justice Research Initiative. Academic Office Classroom Building II, Room 310.
March 21, 4:30 p.m. – A Women in Media panel discussion with students, faculty, and local news personnel highlights women’s role in the media, followed by a reception. Alford Ballroom, Atheneum Hall, Room 105.
March 22 and 23, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. – “The Hate U Give” screening in the Coastal Theater, Lib Jackson Student Union, Room A-110. The film follows a high school girl navigating life after witnessing her best friend get shot by a police officer. Visit coastal.edu/campuslife/ljsu/movies or call 843-349-2579 for the full movie schedule.
March 26, 7:30 p.m. – The Department of Music presents a Celebration of Women in Music concert. Edwards Recital Hall, Room 152; tickets are required, $7 general admission.
March 27, 5-7 p.m. – Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshop is an opportunity to learn about the wage gap and get practical advice about how to negotiate your salary. Lib Jackson Student Union, Room A-213.
For building and parking information, visit coastal.edu/safety/parking. For ticket information, visit coastal.edu/culturalarts.
Follow WGS on social media:
Twitter: @WGSCCU
Instagram: @WGSCCU
Facebook: facebook.com/WGSCCU
