KINGSTON, R.I.- September 22, 2018 — Considered the feminist powerhouse of her generation, author and columnist Jessica Valenti will speak on “Gender, Power and the Future of Feminism” Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston Campus. Her lecture is the first in a series scheduled for each Tuesday evening through Dec. 4, as part of the University’s 2018 Honors Colloquium on Reimagining Gender: Voices, Power, Action. The series is free and open to the public and will take place in Edwards Hall, 64 Upper College Road.
Those who cannot attend can watch the lecture here.
Valenti is a New York Times best-selling author of five books, including Sex Object: A Memoir, and Full Frontal Feminism, and is a columnist at the Guardian US. She is largely credited with shifting the feminist movement online, forcing conversations about women’s rights, sexuality and politics, and sparking the burgeoning women’s movement in the U.S. Valenti’s blog, Feministing.com, has been called “head and shoulders above any writing on women’s issues in mainstream media” by the Columbia Journalism Review. She has been lauded by Sheryl Sandberg in Lean In and disparaged by Sarah Palin in Going Rogue.
Valenti’s books have been critical and cultural hits: The Purity Myth was made into a documentary by the Media Education Foundation, and Yes Means Yes inspired sexual assault legislation of the same name across the country and on campuses.
Reimagining Gender: Voices, Power, Action will explore, at this pivotal time in society, the relevance of gender in shaping human rights and how our rising consciousness about gender issues is leading to vibrant social discussions, rearrangements of power and perceptions, and new possibilities. The series includes lectures, exhibits, a theater production and a film screening, all intended to help demonstrate the significant impact of women in society and to deepen the conversation about gender roles and stereotypes and the impact they have on our actions.
Coordinators of the 2018 colloquium, marking its 55th year, are Rosario Pisa, professor and director of URI’s Gender and Women’s Studies program; Kyle Kusz, associate professor of kinesiology; Helen Mederer, professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; and, Smita Ramnarain, assistant professor of economics.
MAJOR Sponsor URI Honors Program
Sponsors URI Office of the President • URI Office of the Provost • The Mark and Donna Ross Honors Colloquium Humanities Endowment • The Thomas Silvia and Shannon Chandley Honors Colloquium Endowment • URI College of Arts and Sciences • URI College of Arts and Sciences Kenneth and Susan Kermes Distinguished Lecture Endowment • URI College of Pharmacy • URI John Hazen White Sr. Center for Ethics and Public Service • URI Gender and Women’s Studies Program • URI Office of Community, Equity and Diversity • URI Theatre Department • URI College of Engineering • URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences • URI College of Health Sciences • URI College of Business • URI College of Nursing • URI Division of Student Affairs • URI Department of Communications and Marketing • URI Department of Publications and Creative Services • URI ITS Instructional Technology and Media Services • URI Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies • URI Department of Computer Science and Statistics • URI Department of Economics • URI Department of English • URI Department of Sociology and Anthropology • URI Gender and Sexuality Center • URI Multicultural Student Services Center • URI Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science