Intersectional, interdisciplinary, feminist research is the the organizing principle around which the Institute for Women's and Gender Studies was founded. As our mission states, we emphasize experiential learning by providing opportunities to participate in research, publish in academic journals, present at national and international conferences, create dramatic performances and art installations, and engage with community networks. We couldn't be prouder of the amazing work being done by our students and faculty—work that spans disciplines and embodies creativity, curiosity, and courage. You can check out some examples of the work we support at the links below. (And as always, if you believe in this work and want to support WGS into the future, you can donate to our 50th Anniversary campaign HERE.) Mellon Building Intersectional Futures Grant In 2023, the Institute for Women's and Gender Studies was awarded an Affirming Multivocal Humanities grant from the Mellon Foundation. Over the past three years, we have used the grant money to support projects around the theme of Building Southern Intersectional Futures. Working from the standpoint that the South encapsulates many of the globally-inflected challenges facing our nation today, this grant has fostered research collaborations between undergraduate students and graduate and faculty mentors, facilitated the creation of new creative works, and enabled students to share their work at national and international venues. Women and Girls in Georgia Biennial Conference The biennial Women and Girls in Georgia Conference was established in 2007, to encourage and highlight research by, for, and about women and girls in Georgia, in all their diversity. The conference brings together academics, activists, and community members to share expertise, strengthen networks, and strategize for positive social change in Georgia and beyond. Annual Student Research Symposium Each year, the Institute for Women's and Gender Studies sponsors a one-day University-wide student symposium to showcase the diversity and vitality of feminist scholarship at UGA. The symposium encourages students and faculty to engage in lively debate, while also giving students the opportunity to present their scholarly work in public to a sympathetic and interested audience. Friday Speaker Series One of the longest ongoing series at the University, The Women's and Gender Studies Friday Speaker Series is in its 37th year of presentations by faculty, students, and community members. Presenters showcase their current research on gender and women's studies in a range of disciplines, followed by lively Q&A sessions with the audience. Complex Cloth Historical Installation Complex Cloth is an ongoing project woven from multiple histories related to the University of Georgia, the UGA School of Social Work, the profession of social work in Athens, Georgia, and the historic mill building that the UGA School of Social Work now occupies at 279 Williams Street. Led by WGS affiliate Dr. Jane McPherson, Complex Cloth explores such critical questions as: What does it mean for a School of Social Work to be located on Indigenous land? How do social work students reflect on common practices at the Athens Factory—like slavery and child labor—that were legal and considered ethical in their time? And how can that reflection promote more ethical social work practice in the present?
