UNK-The Women’s Studies Program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is hosting the Women and Popular Culture Conference March 3-4.
The goal of the conference is to serve as both an academic forum and as an opportunity to increase awareness within the university and community about the roles that women play in popular culture and the stereotypes of women so often presented in that culture. The conference is free and open to the public.
The conference is usually held every other year in conjunction with the James E. Smith Midwest Conference of World Affairs. This year’s theme is focussing on women in popular culture.
“Popular culture is always an effective topic,” said Carol Lilly, UNK professor of history and coordinator of the conference. “There’s a lot of interesting research being done on this topic.”
Albanela Malave will discuss “Women and Latin American Popular Music.” She received her doctorate degree in music education from New York University and she regularly serves as a consultant on curriculum in school systems throughout the United States.
Elena Featherston, a public speaker from San Francisco, will discuss “Women and Media in a Changing World.”
Trina Robbins has been active in the comic book industry since 1970 when she edited the first all-woman comic book, “It Ain’t Me Babe.” Most recently, she published “From Girls to Grrrlz,” a history of women in comic books, which is the topic of her presentation for the conference.
“Women Defining Themselves: Virtual Communities” will be presented by Kathleen (Kitty) Endres, a professor of communications and director of the Women’s Study Program at the University of Akron. She is a specialist on women and the Internet.
Paula Treichler brings a wide range of experience to the conference. She is an internationally known scholar in women’s studies, media ethics and for her work with AIDS as a cultural phenomenon. For the conference, she will present a paper entitled “A Guy Goes into a Drugstore: Sex, Gender and Condoms in American Culture.”
The conference will culminate with a performance by feminist comedian, T. Marni Voss. Voss is a former high school teacher from Lincoln. She now travels the country presenting keynote speeches and conducting workshops and seminars. She will present “A Celebration of Laughter.”
Three UNK undergraduate students will also be presenting their research on women in popular culture.
Women and Popular Culture Conference Schedule
Friday, March 3
o 10:10-11:10 a.m. Albanela Malave: “Women and Latin American Popular Culture” (Copeland Hall Room 231)
o 11:15 a.m. Ð 12:15 p.m. Elena Featherston: “Women and Media in a Changing World” (Copeland Hall Room 142)
o 12:15-1:15 p.m. Lunch with Women’s Studies students
o 1:30-2:30 p.m. Trina Robbins: “From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women in Comic Books” (Copeland Hall Room 142)
o 2:30-3:30 p.m. Kitty Endres: “Women Defining Themselves: Virtual Communities” (Copeland Hall Room 142)
o 4-6 p.m. Reception and Faculty Club (Alumni House)
o 6-7 p.m. Paula Treichler: “A Guy Goes into a Drugstore: Sex, Gender and Condoms in American Culture” (Alumni House)
Saturday, March 4
o 10-11 a.m. Undergraduate research in Women’s Studies at UNK
Emily Balcetis, Department of Psychology “I Look Fat!: Strategies for Managing Impressions”
Lucinda Donaldson, Department of Communication “Freedom of Choice: Pornography and Prostitution”
Sara Southard, Department of Sociology “How the Media Socially Constructs the Greek System” (Alumni House)
11 a.m.-noon T. Marni Voss: “A Celebration of Laughter” (Alumni House)
