March 17, 2015

 

Contacts:

Jennifer Lynn, Women's & Gender Studies Center, 657-2873
Carmen Price, University Relations & Communications, 657-2266

 

Tuesday, March 24, “Iron Jawed Angels”, an award-winning film, will be screened in Liberal Arts, room 205, at 6 p.m., followed by a faculty panel discussion 

 

Wednesday, March 25, 3-4:30 p.m., in LA, room 206, student research will be presented in conjunction with Women’s History Month.

 

 (Click on event dates to add to your calendar)

 

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — Montana State University Billings will observe Women’s History Month with a two-day event featuring a film, an interdisciplinary panel discussion and student research presentations.

 

suffragettes

Sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the events are free and open to the public.

 

The events, coordinated by the Women’s and Gender Studies Center, are part of an ongoing initiative to highlight women's and gender studies.

 

“It is important for us, as a community, to understand and appreciate the long struggle for women’s rights and the hopes for political and civil equality,” Dr. Jennifer Lynn, the center’s director, said. “It not only reveals the rich, complex historical context surrounding the suffrage movement in America, but also inspires us and challenges us to continue to fight for change and social justice.”

 

The award-winning film “Iron Jawed Angels” will be shown on Tuesday, March 24, in the Liberal Arts building, room 205, at 6 p.m. Starring Hillary Swank and Angelica Huston, the film follows the militant suffragist movement in the United States, which demanded that women receive the right to vote.

 

Following the film, a panel discussion featuring Dr. Emily Arendt, history professor, and Dr. Sam Boerboom, communication professor, along with MSUB history student Tracey Miller, will explore perspectives on the film and the broader issue of women and politics.

 

On March 25, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., in the Liberal Arts Building, room 205, student research will be presented in conjunction with Women’s History Month. Led by Arendt, “Personal and Political: Women’s History in Montana and Beyond” will feature three discussions given by MSUB history majors interested in gender history.

 

Miller will explore the emergence of the women’s rights movement on the national scale in the 1800s and consider how women’s involvement in politics opened the door to gender equality on a larger scale. 

 

Thinking beyond partisan politics, James Ellis will discuss the various forms of activism that women of Butte, Mont. engaged in during the turn of the century.

 

Recognizing that individual women are as important in the history of America as large-scale social movements, Tessa Kilsdonk will discuss her research into the personal histories of two Montana women.

 

Women’s and gender studies at MSUB offers a minor in women’s studies from the Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, drawing from an interdisciplinary curriculum including anthropology, art, education, history, literature and sociology.

 

For more information about the program and upcoming events, contact Lynn at 657-2873 or Jennifer.lynn1@msubillings.edu.

 

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