News - Events Archive


Spring 2007

Fall 2006

Spring 2006

Fall 2005

Spring 2005

Fall 2004

Spring 2004


 

Spring 2007

Festival of French Films by Women Directors

February 15 - Depuis Qu'Otar est Parti (Since Otar Left) - by Julie Bertuccelli

February 16 - Comme Une Image (Look at Me) - by Agnes Jaoui

February 22 - Carnages (Carnage) - by Delphine Gleize

March 1 - Quand la Mer Monte (When the Sea Rises) - by Yolande Moreau and Gilles Portes

March 2 - Bord de Mer (Seaside) - by Julie Lopes-Curval

All films are subtitled in English, and will be shown at 7:30 P.M. in the Bytwerk Theater on the Campus of Calvin College in the DeVos Communication Center. Admission is free. For more information call (616) 526-6361.

This event is sponsored by the Calvin College French Department and the Calvin College Film Forum with the support of a FACE Tournees grant.

Women's History Month Events

Stitch 'n Bitch and the Happy Hooker: Feminism and Women's Crafts, by Ruth Groenhout and Christina Van Dyke, both Professors of Philosophy at Calvin College. Why do so many self-identifying feminists quilt, knit and crochet? In this talk Ruth Groenhout and Christina Van Dyke share their own stories and discuss how handcrafts have served two vital purposes in U.S. history: individual aesthetic expression and community building. Both as a means of expressing deeply held values and as a way of women from different ages, classes and ethnicities to come together, handcrafts have long provided otherwise-marginalized women with concrete opportunites for empowerment.

Wednesday, February 28, 3:30 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall

 

From Bewitched to Buffy: Growing up Female with the Mass Media, by Professor Susan Douglas, from the University of Michigan. The program will review the mixed messages in the mass media that surround girls and women as they grow up and will examine women's love-hate relationship with the media. The talk will consider the often inadvertant consequences of these images, including their relationship to the rise of the women's movement in the 1970s and the emergence of "post-feminism," and will then examine the contradictory messages facing young women today, which include the pressure to be "supergirls."

Tuesday, March 13, 3:30 p.m., Commons Lecture Hall

 

Who's Having This Baby?: How Care and Control Work in Birthing Practices, by Professor Hellen Sterk, Communication Arts and Sciences Department, Calvin College. Although women are the ones giving birth, they're rarely the ones in control of the event. Through stories gleaned from the 130 interviews she did with women on their experiences of giving birht, Helen Sterk suggests ways in which care can replace control, leading to a good birth, both for the mother and the baby.

Wednesday, March 28, 3:30 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall

 

Iron-jawed Angels: Directed by Katja von Garnier, and starring Hilary Swank and Frances O'Connor, this film is about women's struggle for the right to vote in the United States. Told through the eyes of Alice Paul (Swank), a radical young activist, the film chronicles the difficulties the women faced, from fighting amonst themselves, to being unjustly arrested and force-fed while imprisoned.

Thursday, March 29, 7:00 p.m., Bytwerk Theater.

 

 

Fall 2006

September 7 - Presentation of Sex: Unknown. This documentary explores one boy's failed sex change operation, and also how biology and socialization affect children's gender. Required for Psychology 222, all are welcome. 7 p.m. in room 336 of the Science Building.

September 16 - Juliet. A monodrama by Andras Visky based on the experience of his mother in a Romanian prison Camp. This event is co-sponsored by the CAS department. Time and place to be determined.

Sept 19 - Ingrid de Kok: Poetry Reading. Ingrid de Kok is a South African poet. She will be presenting from her own work. This event is co-sponsored by the English Department, the Multicultural Affairs Committee and the African and African Diaspora Studies Minor. 7 p.m. in the Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

Sept 28 - Presentation of Shackled Women. This documentary explores abuses against women's rights in second and third world countries. Required for Psychology 222, all are welcome. 7 p.m. in room 336 of the Science Building.

Sept 28 - Presentation on Sexual Aggression. Stephen M. Thompson will be presenting on issues of sexual aggression. This event is sponsored by the Sexual Assault Prevention Team. 8 p.m. in the chapel.

October 2 - Presentation by bell hooks. bell hooks is a well known scholar and writer on several topics, including gender and race. This event sponsored by the West Michigan Women's Study Council. 7 p.m. at Fountain Street Church. This event is free and open to the public.

October 4 - Bridging the Divide: Strengthening Marriage, Welcoming Gays. Presentation by David Myers. 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Commons Lecture Hall.

October 24 - An Hour With Diane Rehm. Presentation by Diane Rehm, an NPR talk show host. 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the AQ Performing Arts Center, 1703 Robinson Road SE. This event is free and open to the public. The doors open at 12:00 p.m. For more information call 616.632.2979. This event hosted by Aquinas College.

October 26 - Education of Shelby Knox. This documentary tells the story of Shelby Knox, a conservative Christian Texas high school student who fought for comprehensive sex education in her school. Required for Psychology 222, all are welcome. 7 p.m. in room 10 of the Science Building.

November 2 - Transamerica. This film explores the cross country journey of a transsexual who discovers that she fathered a son before her operation. It stars Felicity Huffman, who was nominated for an Oscar for the role. 7 p.m. in the Bytwerk Theatre.

November 16 - Tough Guize. This documentary explores the relationship between the media and conceptions of masculinity. Required for Psychology 222, all are welcome. 7 p.m. in room 336 of the Science Building.

 

Spring 2006

1st Annual Writing Contest

Deadline: April 27, 2006
Awards: 1st Prize $250
Contact: Professor Groenendyk, CAS Department

The Gender Studies Department and the AWP Advisory Board present Calvin's first annual Gender Studies writing competition. Entries for this campus-wide contest must be a 2005-2006 course paper researching a gender issue. Evaluators will judge papers according to uniqueness of topic, depth and integration of research, strength of argument, clarity, and style.

2006 Annual Mellema Lectures

April 6- Negotiating Work and Family in California's Imperial Valley: Listening to the Voices of Mexican-American Women. Barbara Wells, Associate Professor of Sociology,
Maryville College, Maryville, TN. 3:30, Commons Lecture Hall. Refreshments provided.

April 6- Cesar Chavez's Protestant Allies:  The California Migrant Ministry and the Farm Worker's Movement, 1962-1975. Ronald Wells, Professor of History, Calvin College. 7:00, Commons Lecture Hall. Refreshments provided.

Women's History Month

Movie Series

March 1 - Expressing the Inexpressible: Shirin Neshat
Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

March 8 - Million Dollar Baby
Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

March 15 - Girlfight
Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

March 29 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

Bytwerk Theater
DeVos Communication Center
1810 East Beltline Ave SE

Lecture Series

March 6 - "I'll Have a Salad and a Diet Coke": Eating as a Gendered Act. Christina Van Dyke. Monday, 3:30 pm, Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

March 13 - Gender and Contemporary Art: Matriarchal Aesthetic and After. Lisa Van Arragon . Monday, 3:30 pm, Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

March 27 - Religious Song and Late-Medieval Women in the Low Countries and Northern Germany . Hermina Joldersma. Monday, 3:30 pm. Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

Meeter Center Lecture Hall
Hekman Library
1855 Knollcrest Circle SE

For community events in Grand Rapids, visit the Grand Rapids Women's History Council.

February 23 - Between Two Worlds: An Evening with Mira Nair. Born in India and educated at Delhi University and Harvard, Internationally acclaimed director and actor Mira Nair tells stories of conflicting cultures, and of the marginalized. Her award-winning films include Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, as well as Mississippi Masala, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, My Own Country, and Vanity Fair. As she does in her films, Nair will explore the experience of bridging two cultures, and will address the issues of race, class, ethnicity and sexuality in those cultures. Thursday, 7:00 pm, Gezon Auditorium. Sign interpreting by Kristen McNutt. Free and open to the public.

Media and Democracy Lecture Series
The Community Media Center

February 7 - Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide. Scholar and co-founder of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, the largest grassroots, multiracial feminist organization in the country, Andrea Smith is an emerging leader in progressive political circles. Smith will explore the high rates of violence against Native American women, who are the poorest women in the US, as well as the most likely to survive rape and partner abuse. Tuesday, 7:00 pm, Wealthy Theatre. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Nokomis Foundation.

February 22 - Is the US Military Liberating Iraq? Stan Goff served as a soldier in Army Special Operations (Delta Force, Rangers, and Special Forces), which took him from Vietnam to Grenada and Haiti to Columbia and Peru. He will discuss his military experiences and issues of feminism and anti-imperialism in current US politics. Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Wealthy Theatre. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Nokomis Foundation.

Wealthy Theatre
1130 Wealthy SE
Grand Rapids, MI 4950


Fall 2005

November 11 - "Dead Mothers and Injured Wives: The Catastrophe of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Among African Women." Dr. Steven Arrowsmith, founder of Evangel VVF Centre in Jos, Nigeria for the care of women with childbirth injuries, speaks on the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth in African countries. 3:30 pm, Commons Lecture Hall. Refreshments provided. Co-sponsored by the Gender Studies Department, Calvin Students for Christian Feminism, the Department of Political Science and the African & African Diaspora Studies Program.

November 2 - "Boom-Bap to All B-boys and B-girls: The Art of Gender in Hip-Hop Culture." Jennifer Young, assistant professor of English at Hope College, specializes in Jazz and Hip-Hop as forms of literature, as well as early writers of the African Diaspora.   3:30 pm, Meeter Center Lecture Hall. Refreshments provided.

October 12 - "Quilts as Art and Story" Faith Ringgold, world-renowned activist and feminist artist, explores the intersections of painting, quilting, and storytelling in Western and African American art and folklore. Faith Ringgold will give a lecture and slide presentation. 7pm, $10, Aquinas College Performing Arts Center. Seating limited. Call 616-632-2449 for more details.

October 6 - "Writing Women: Imagining New Worlds" Margaret Atwood, celebrated Canadian author of The Handmaid's Tale, The Blind Assassin, Alias Grace and Oryx and Crake, among many other works . She will speak on women and writing, and will be present for a reception and book signing afterwards. Sponsored by Calvin College and several area colleges. 7:00pm, Fountain Street Church. Free and open to the public.

Fountain Street Church
24 Fountain St NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

October 3 - "Margaret Atwood as a Feminist Author " Jennifer Dawson, Professor of English and Women's Studies at Aquinas College, will lead an open discussion. Calvin faculty and students welcome. 7 pm, Loutit Room, Wege Center at Aquinas College.

October 3 - October 14 - "Art of Faith Ringgold" Faith Ringgold's artwork will be displayed at the Art and Music Center Gallery. Free and open to the public.

Art and Music Center Gallery
Aquinas College
Hours: M-F 10am-7pm; Sat. 10am-4pm


Spring 2005

April 12 - "Not Venus or Mars, but Planet Earth: Men & Women in the New Millennium." Michael Kimmel, sociologist and author of Changing Men: New Directions in Research on Men and Masculinity; Men Confront Pornography; Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in the United States; and textbook The Gendered Society, will speak on new conceptions of men and women in the 21st century. Sponsored by the CAS, Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Religion, and Gender Studies Departments, as well as Student Life. 7pm, Commons Lecture Hall. Reception and book signing to follow.

February 24 - "Race, Gender and Power in America." Anita Hill, Professor, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. 7 pm, Chapel. Free and open to the public.

Calvin College Chapel
3201 Burton St SE
Grand Rapids

Women's History Month

Movie Series

March 4 - Rebecca
Friday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

March 7 - Always a Bridesmaid
Monday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

March 21 - Frida
Monday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

March 28 - Mean Girls
Monday, 7:00 pm, Bytwerk Theater

Bytwerk Theater
DeVos Communication Center
1810 East Beltline Ave SE

Lecture Series

March 10 - The Daughters of Thunder: Early African American Women Preachers. Michelle Loyd-Paige, Sociology. Thursday, 3:30 pm, Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

March 22 - Chronicling the Lives of Women WWII Veterans: The Meeting of Oral History and Freshman Composition. Jennifer Holberg, English. Tuesday, 3:30 pm, Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

March 29 - Leaving Eden: Early 20th Century American Women's Theological Reflections on the Original Sin of Man...and Woman. Kristen Kobes DuMez, History. Tuesday, 3:30 pm. Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

Meeter Center Lecture Hall
Hekman Library
1855 Knollcrest Circle SE


Fall 2004

November 29 - "Women's Health: The Basics." Health Services employee Gay Kaashoek will talk to female dorm residents about various women's health issues. 7:30pm, BHT basement.

September 30 - "Rethinking Women in the Bible: Images in Creation." Don Wilson, Professor of Anthropology at Calvin and ordained minister, speaks on Biblical portraits of women and men in creation. 7:00 p.m., in the Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

September 28 - "Must Every Man Be a Warrior? Second Thoughts on Wild At Heart." Two Calvin professors discuss their perspectives on the new immensely popular John Eldrege book, and how it fits with male identities in America today. 3:30 p.m., in the Meeter Center Lecture Hall. Refreshments provided.

September 9 - "African Women Getting By." Mary Kizito, chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya, will discuss AIDS, the media, and education in Africa. Professor Kizito is a specialist in gender and communication. 3:30 p.m. in the Bytwerk Video Theater, De Vos Communcation Center.


Spring 2004

April 28 - Courtship and Dating Panel. Hosted by Calvin Students for Christian Feminism and featuring Professor Ron Nydam and students Megan Kok, Sasha Wolff, and Jon Bush, this panel discusses the pros and cons of two relationship styles. 7:00 pm, DeVos Forum. Refreshments provided.

April 20 - "Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?" Molly Ivins speaks about her new book at the Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids. Molly Ivins has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize three times, and her journalism work won the 1992 Headliners Award for the best column in Texas. 7:00 p.m. Free admission.

April 19 - "A Reformed Feminist Theology of the Church."
Amy Plantinga Pauw, Professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. 3:30 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall. Refreshments provided. Sponsored by the religion department.

April 16 - "Our Christian 'Feminist' Heritage"
Ruth Tucker, professor of missions at Calvin Seminary, will lead a discussion on Christian feminism hosted by the Grand Rapids chapter of Christians for Biblical Equality. 7:00 p.m., Baker Books, 2768 East Paris Avenue SE.

April 8 - "The Black Church and Politics: Implications for Sacred and Secular Life."
Larycia Hawkins, Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma. 3:30 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall. Refreshments provided.

April 5 -
Resourceful Women Conference

Two Calvin history majors, Becky Jelsema and Heather Van Mouwerik, will be presenting their gender-focused papers. All are welcome to the student presentations, from 2.30-3.30 p.m. in Jarecki, at Aquinas College. Go to the Aquinas website for more information on the conference.
TRUE STORY
Award-winning performer Allison Williams will present her one-woman show that includes comedy, fire-eating, and profound thoughts on death and cell phones. 7:00 p.m., Aquinas Performing Arts Center. Free and open to Grand Rapids community.

March 31 - "Nuns in the Pulpit: the Office of Preaching in Late Medieval Franciscan Communities."
Dr. Bert Roest, visiting professor from St. Bonaventure University. 4:00 p.m., Hiemenga Hall 466. Refreshments provided.

March 29 - Sylvia
The life of poet Sylvia Plath, author of The Bell Jar. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the title role of this thwarted, talented, ultimately suicidal woman of the 1950s. 7:00 p.m., Bytwerk Theater

March 15 - Double Indemnity
Starting Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. Director Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard) and writer Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep) adapted James M. Cain's hard-boiled novel into this wildly thrilling story of insurance man Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), who schemes the perfect murder with the beautiful dame Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck): kill Dietrichson's husband and make off with the insurance money. 7:00 p.m., Bytwerk Theater

March 11 -
“Becoming Ebony.”
Poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley. 7:00 p.m., Calvin Seminary Auditorium
“Living in the Diaspora”
(a conversation with Ms. Jabbeh Wesley). 3:30 p.m., Alumni Board Room, Commons Annex
"Women and American Religion" Prof. Margaret Bendroth. Noontime Series

March 5 - "Funny Business: Female Comics and the Performance of Power."
Joanne Gilbert, Professor of Communications at Alma College, speaks on gender and humor. 3:30-5:00 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall

March 4 - “Florence Nightingale: Major or Minor Saint.”
Prof. Christiana DeGroot. 3:00 p.m. Meeter Center Lecture Hall

March 1 - The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl Director Ray Muller's portrait of controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl grapples with the central controversy of her career: was she a "pure" filmmaker whose political naiveté allowed her stunning visions to be harnessed by Hitler, or was she the key mythmaker of the Nazi propaganda machine? 7:00 p.m., Bytwerk Theater

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