A newsletter from the

Organization for Research on Women And Communication 

Stacey K. Sowards, Newsletter Editor

No. 1                                                                                                          January 2012

The health and wellbeing of any organization depends on its individual members sharing their talents and skills in these leadership roles, and we are looking for a few good members to move into the vacancies of these two officer positions—Vice President and Treasurer/Membership Coordinator. We will be taking nominations and voting on these officer positions at our meeting in February.  I would like to invite our members to consider serving the organization in one of these positions. I’m happy to talk with anyone about the expectations and responsibilities associated with the position, and you can also find descriptions of these positions in our bylaws on the website as well as in this newsletter. Please let me or one of the other officers know if you would like to serve the organization as an officer.

This February we are headed to the land of enchantment, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our annual conference (held in conjunction with WSCA, February 18-21) in Albuquerque, NM. The conference theme this year is Striving for Social Change and once again ORWAC will be offering exciting and innovative panels, including programs featuring award-winning performance poets from Albuquerque and an oral history documentary of women scholars in our communication discipline. You’ll find details about our panels and programs in the following pages of the newsletter. We will once again be announcing the Top Student Paper and the Feminist Scholar Award at our annual business meeting and reception, which will take place on Sunday, February 19^th at 5:30pm in Enchantment F.

In addition to information about our upcoming conference, in the following pages, you’ll also find information regarding our latest research grant recipients, the Ask the Oracle column, some new features, and the call for our next editor-elect of Women’s Studies in Communication. Lots of exciting news to share, so read on!

Category 1, M.A. Students:  Christine Gallagher Kearney, DePaul University, “Through a Feminist Lens: Language, Power and Identity in Catalan Nationalism” Category 2, Ph.D. Students:  Vandy Ramadurai, Texas A&M University, “Social Capital, Food Insecurity, and Gender: A Subaltern Feminist Project in an Indian Slum” Category 3, Faculty: Suzanne Enck-Wanzer, University of North Texas, “Living Their Stories:  Interrogating Cycles of Victimization, Incarceration, and Healing”

In its fourth year, the research grant program continues to garner competitive, attractive and noteworthy projects, with a total of 33 applications. The number of applications once again increased in all three categories this past year, which made for a very competitive process and difficult decisions for our selection committee. We congratulate the recipients and look forward to seeing their projects in print and/or hearing them presented at conferences.

Our annual Research Development Grants are designed to assist feminist scholars completing research or creative projects that privilege and advance understandings about the intersectionality and complexity defining women’s lives. Broadly speaking, submitted projects are those that chart new ground in disciplinary knowledge about women and gender; that offer insights about the challenges and negotiations confronted by women in light of intersecting identities; and/or that favor the voices, experiences, discourses, performances and lives of women.

 

Call for Editor Applications for Women’s Studies in Communication

The Organization for Research on Women and Communication (ORWAC) invites applications for editor of its journal, Women’s Studies in Communication. Published for over thirty years, the journal remains the leading outlet in the communication discipline for feminist scholarship, providing a forum for research, reviews and commentary that advance our understanding of the relationships between communication and women, gender and intersectionality, and feminisms. WSIC is topically and methodologically inclusive, publishing manuscripts from all perspectives in sub-fields of communication. Reflected throughout the journal are commitments to publishing the finest scholarship that is innovative, risky, and incisive and encouraging the development of novice scholars.

Editorship spans Spring 2014 to Fall 2016, which involves the publication of three journal volumes of three issues each (2014, 2015, 2016). The transition between the existing and incoming editor commences Fall 2012 with the incoming editor to begin accepting manuscript submissions soon thereafter.

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit the following: a letter outlining her/his philosophy, experience, ability to set up and work with a good editorial board, as well as time commitment, institutional commitment, and curriculum vitae. The WSIC editor is an ex-officio member of the ORWAC Executive Board and also is expected to attend the annual ORWAC/WSCA conference. Also required are a list of three references and a letter detailing institutional support for the position such as release time, computer storage, and minimal postage and copying costs. Applications in electronic format, preferably pdf format, are due April 1, 2012. Following a review of the applications by the ORWAC Executive Committee, interviews will be arranged.

Please forward materials to Dr. Stacey Sowards, President Elect, at ssowards@utep.edu. For more information please contact Dr. Sowards or Dr. Valeria Fabj, the current editor of WSIC at vfabj@lynn.edu. For additional information about the journal or ORWAC, please visit www.orwac.org.

We Need You!

Women’s Studies in Communication Editor, Dr. Valeria Fabj, Professor, Lynn University   Question:  What’s the etiquette for submitting in the online format for a journal article?   Answer:  At the beginning of 2011, Women’s Studies in Communication began using ScholarOne Manuscript, an electronic submission and review system.  While this move has been advantageous in many ways, it has led to some confusion about proper etiquette for submitting essays electronically.  Here are a few suggestions for proper submission: 1)       Include a comprehensive cover letter with your submission, not just a brief email saying you are submitting the essay for review.   The letter should provide a brief summary of your essay that goes beyond the abstract.  It should help guide the editor in selecting appropriate reviewers.  Explanation of the methodology, theoretical significance, and relation of your research to previous publications (especially if published in WSIC) can be very useful.  It is also appropriate to include suggested reviewers.  Be sure these are not people who are familiar with your essay (such as advisors or respondents on a panel), but rather scholars whose research is similar to yours. Explain why you think your essay is appropriate for publication in Women’s Studies in Communication in particular, by positioning it within previous WSIC publications or linking it to the call for papers (www.orwac.org/journal.html). 2)       Be sure all identifying information is removed from your essay. When referring to earlier publications you have authored, simply cite them as though you were citing someone else and do not include identifying comments such as “As I previously argued....” Change any name that could identify you or your institution.  Do not provide any personal information that could lead people to know who you are.  While feminist writing often includes personal information, be sure you are being vague enough so reviewers will not recognize you.  You can certainly add any personal information in the final draft of the essay should it be accepted for publication. Now that you know these simple steps, I look forward to receiving your submissions!

The Ask the Oracle Column poses questions from new faculty members and graduate students to senior scholars in the field of communication with the purpose of offering insight and advice into academic life, scholarly writing, publishing, teaching, and other related areas.  This newsletter issue’s questions were posed by Sarah Blithe, a graduate student at the University of Colorado and chair of ORWAC’s graduate student committee.

Ask the Oracle Column

ORWAC Webspinner, Dr. Brenda J. Allen, Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts, University of Colorado at Denver Question:  How should you negotiate your salary at a new position?  Answer:  Negotiation encompasses two processes:  planning (conducting research and developing a strategy) and communicating (exchanging information and reaching an agreement).  Let’s focus on the first part.  For your starting salary, you should have a range in mind that varies from the least amount you would accept to the most that seems reasonable for the position. Good resources include:  the Chronicle of Higher Education's AAUP Faculty Salary Survey (http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/); the National Education Association’s annual faculty salary report (http://www.nea.org/home/The-2011-Almanac.html); and the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR, at http://www.cupahr.org/surveys/index.asp).  Some institutions also publish salary data on their websites.  Since salaries vary according to field, look for information about the discipline of communication in general as well as your particular area of study.  Other variables to consider include size and type of institution and geographical area.    As you conduct your research, your goal is to obtain a strong total compensation package of which salary is only one component.  Other items to negotiate include (but are not limited to): benefits, start-up funds, teaching load and schedule, child care, moving expenses, travel budget, facilities/space, length of appointment (usually 9 or 12 months per academic year), office furniture, and computer equipment (on-site and at home).  For more information, see:  http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/negotiable.html. Finally, you should embrace your right to negotiate, and be prepared to do so.  As you may know, women tend not to negotiate at all, and negotiate less effectively than men when they do negotiate.  You can avoid this pattern by doing your homework about items to negotiate, as well as by learning how to engage in negotiation conversations. Here are two additional resources: 1.  Ask for It. Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, New York: Bantam Press, 2008. 2.  A Dean's Take on Salary Negotiation, The Chronicle of Higher Education http://chronicle.com/article/A-Deans-Take-On-Salary/46747/ Other important resources include mentors, advisors, and fellow graduate students who recently have been hired as faculty members.

Ask the Oracle Column, Part 2

WSCA Conference in the Land of Enchantment

Are you headed to the Land of Enchantment to attend the Western States Communication Association Conference in February?  Make sure to attend ORWAC’s panels, the ORWAC business meeting and following reception, and other special events sponsored by ORWAC.  There will be plenty of other activities to enjoy in Albuquerque too!

Don’t Forget . . . ORWAC Business Meeting & Reception Sunday, February 19, 2012, 5:30 pm Meeting Room:  Enchantment F Reception Room:  To Be Announced Come to: Stay informed on ORWAC’s activities Vote on issues and participate in the election of the new Vice President and Treasurer Celebrate recipients of the Feminist Scholarship & Top Paper Awards Obtain your application for the ORWAC Research Grant Socialize at the reception to follow at 6:30 pm

3710 LA PALABRA: THE WORD IS A WOMAN

4:00 – 5:15 Sunday, February 19 Enchantment F

Jessica Helen Lopez and Jasmine Sena Cuffee are dos poetas whose compelling craft and fiercely dynamic performances speak to a higher truth, embracing a modern feminist perspective that captures the homegrown and grassroots power of slam poetry. Both Lopez and Cuffee tangle with socially‐engaging themes such as gender equality, sex‐positivity, cultural and geographical identity as well as chicanisma, familia and mixed heritage.

Chair: Hakim Bellamy, University of New Mexico

author photo by Gina Marselle

Jessica Helen Lopez is a three-time member of the City of Albuquerque Slam Team and the 2008 National Champion Winning University of New Mexico Lobo Slam Team.  She has been the Poet-In-Residence in several New Mexico High Schools and continues her work in the classroom.  Lopez’s work has been published in UNM Press's, A Bigger Boat: The Unlikely Success of the Albuquerque Slam Scene, Chicago Open Mic America Vol I, Feminism Now, Poetic Diversity, The Pedastal and Destructible Heart Press's, Albumar Familia.  Additionally, she was the co-editor for Earthships: A New Mecca Poetry Collection 2007, a finalist in the NM Book Awards.  Lopez is also a member of the Macondo Foundation. Founded by Sandra Cisneros, it is an association of socially engaged writers united to advance creativity, foster generosity, and honor community. Some other activities and panels she has been a part of are the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s VOCES: A Writing Institute for Youth, Feature/Workshop Instructor for the 12^th Annual Las Mujeres 2007 Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, and has also  provided Poesía sin Fronteras  workshops/performances for the Verse/Converse Taos Poetry Bout and Festival 2009 and 2010.  Her first collection of poetry, Always Messing With Them Boys, has recently been published by West End Press.

A native of Albuquerque’s South Valley, Jasmine Sena Cuffee has been active in the metro area arts community for nearly 10 years as a performance poet. Jasmine was a member of the 2004 Poetry Slam team, 2005 Youth Poetry Champion, and 2007 City Slam Champion. As a performance poet and slam poetry champion, Jasmine has led numerous writing workshops and performances throughout New Mexico and the Western U.S. for grades K-12 and beyond. She has appeared in the Bigger Boat Anthology, Earthships: A New Mecca Poetry Anthology, and ¿De Veras? She is currently working on her first manuscript, Where the Arroyos and Train Tracks Meet which will be the follow up to her first chapbook Sunshine and Rapture released in 2007. Aside from poetry, Jasmine manages Public Allies New Mexico, an AmeriCorps program that focuses on leadership development for young adults to promote social change by strengthening non-profits, communities, and civic engagement.

  

4113 WORKING AGAINST THE ODDS:  WOMEN PIONEERS IN COMMUNICATION

8:00 – 9:15 Monday, February 20 Sendero III

“Working Against the Odds” is a hybrid project involving traditional video documentary and academic methodology. Central to the project’s success is its emphasis on the oral history interview, which explores decision‐making processes on the part of women subjects and asks interviewees to describe the challenges they faced as graduate students and professors over the years. Very specifically, women were asked if some fields seemed more accepting of women, if others were totally off‐limits to women, and if they ever considered quitting. Each scholar was also asked to describe her mentors, most difficult lessons, and changes in the field, particularly regarding opportunities and challenges for women. These insights proved useful in developing a project that not only tells the stories of the selected women scholars, but also makes larger arguments about women working in academia generally and in communication specifically. The project received funding from NCA’s Special Project Fund and the Feminist Research Institute at the University of New Mexico.

Participants:

            Glenda R. Balas, University of New Mexico

            Jan Schuetz, University of New Mexico

 Other WSCA panels will also take place throughout the conference.  Bring the newsletter with you to the conference to make sure you know where and when ORWAC’s panels are.  If you print the newsletter, please think about saving paper by printing two pages per sheet or only the pages you need to save paper!         3210 DEBUT FEMINIST ANALYSES OF CULTURAL DISCOURSES

8:45 – 10:00 Sunday, February 19 Enchantment F

Chair: Rachel Corell, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Disciplining Sex in Hollywood – A Critical Comparison between Blue Valentine and Black Swan*

            Melanie Wolske, California State University Long Beach

Representations of Gender Roles in the Kenyan Print Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis of ‘Saturday Nation’s’ Mantalk*

            Consolata Mutua, University of New Mexico

The Rhetoric of Environmental Campaigns: A Feminist Critique*

            Lindsay D. Scott, California State University Northridge

Gender Fantasies and the Rearticulation of the Fairy Tale: The Conservative Construction of the Prince, Princess and the Purity Ball*

            Lauren Patton, California State University Long Beach

Respondent: Emily Plec, Western Oregon University

*Debut Papers

3310 FEMINIST ANALYSES OF CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL AND LEGAL DISCOURSES

10:15 – 11:30 Sunday, February 19 Enchantment F

Chair: Alyssa Samek, University of Maryland, College Park

In Defense of Women’s Rights: A Rhetorical Analysis of Judicial Dissent

            Katie L. Gibson, California State University Long Beach

Slaying the Serpent: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gendered Sentencing in a Capital Murder Trial

            Mary E. Domenico, University of Colorado Denver

Every Rose Has Its Thorn: A Critical Perspective on Amnesty International’s Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation*

            Laura M. Puhl, San Diego State University

Fraudulent Frontierswoman: Debunking Myth and Metaphor in Sarah Palin’s Alaska

            Julia Moore, San Diego State University

Respondent: Cindy Griffin, Colorado State University

* Debut Paper

3510 TOP FOUR PAPERS IN ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN AND COMMUNICATION

1:00 – 2:15 Sunday, February 19 Enchantment F

Chair: Diane M. Blair, California State University Fresno

“Don’t Drop the Soap”: Organizational Irrationality in the Repeal of the U.S. Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy

            Craig Rich, Loyola Marymount University

            Julie Kalil Schutten, Northern Arizona University

            Richard A. Rogers, Northern Arizona University

Standing in Her Shoes: Transnational Politics and Gendered Rhetoric in U.S. Asylum Policy for Chinese Opposing Population Control

            Sara L. McKinnon, University of Wisconsin – Madison

More than Women Identified Women: Unpacking Lesbian‐Feminist Coalitional Subjectivities in the 1970s*

            Alyssa A. Samek, University of Maryland

Consuming Flesh, Consuming Self: PETA and the Staging of the Abject**

            Sasha Solomonov, University of Utah

Respondent: Valeria Fabj, Lynn University

* Top Student Paper, Organization for Research on Women and Communication

**Top Debut Paper, Organization for Research on Women and Communication

3610 THEORIZING FEMINIST PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES

2:30 – 3:45 Sunday, February 19 Enchantment F

Chair: Kristen Cole, University of New Mexico

How Do I Look?: Voyeurism and the Abject in the Academy

            Cindy Griffin, Colorado State University

            Jeremy Grossman, University of Georgia

Dyslexia and Feminist Pedagogy: Dismantling the House of Cognitive Privilege

            Julie Cosenza, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

An Exploration of Otherness: Experiences of African‐American Women Professors with Majority‐Race Students

            Eletra S. Gilchrist, University of Alabama, Huntsville

“I Would Actually Consider Myself a Feminist NOW!”: College Students’ Perceptions of Feminism and Critical Feminist Pedagogues as Conduits for Social Change

            Amy N. Heuman, Texas Tech University

            Stephen L. Mitchell, Texas Tech University

Respondent: Belle A. Edson, Arizona State University

3710 LA PALABRA: THE WORD IS A WOMAN (ORWAC Special Session)

4:00 – 5:15 Sunday, February 19 Enchantment F

(See page 10 for more detail)

4113 WORKING AGAINST THE ODDS: WOMEN PIONEERS IN COMMUNICATION

8:00 – 9:15 Monday, February 20 Sendero III

(See page 11 for more detail)

 

4510 VOICE, EMBODIED AGENCY, AND RESISTANCE: THE REVOLUTIONARY POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF FEMINIST ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS

3:45 – 5:00 Monday, February 20 Enchantment F

Chair: Jeremy Grossman, University of Georgia

Embracing Hysteria, Eschewing Mainstream Labels: The Rhetorical Influence of Hip‐Hop Lyrics in Feminist Discourse

            Rachel Corell, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

“Punk Feminism”: Remembering Ari Up and Poly Styrene as Punk Feminist Icons

            Adam Perry, Penn State University

            Mia E. Briceño, Penn State University

Writing Rhymes for Broken Daughters: Embodied Resistance in the Poetry of Jasmine Mans

            Jesus I. Valles, California State University Long Beach

Women Traveling to Fulfillment: Self‐Spirituality and Individual Agency in Film

            Mariel D. Liceaga Piña, San Diego State University

Respondent: Marnel Niles, California State University Fresno

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4610 THE PERILS AND POSSIBILITIES OF STRIVING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

WITHIN DOMINANT GENDERED DISCOURSES

5:15 – 6:30 Monday, February 20 Enchantment F

Chair: Mary E. Domenico, University of Colorado Denver

Caring Work: Opening a Space of Possibility for Exploring Transnational Feminist Alliances Against Neoliberalism

            Beverly Romero Natividad, University of Denver

A Feminist Criticism of the Dichotomy: Subjugating Spirituality through the Rational Voice and the Spiritual Other

            Tiffany Dykstra, Texas Tech University

Popular Management Discourses: Troublesome Analyses of Gendering Strengths

            Sarah Jane Blithe, University of Colorado Boulder

The Paradox of Catharine Beecher: A Hierarchy of Hierarchies

            Jasmine Zink, University of Montana

Respondent: Valerie Renegar, San Diego State University

5113 MOTHERS OF A MISSION: STRIVING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE ACADEMY AND BEYOND

8:30 – 9:45 Tuesday, February 21 Sendero III

Dr. Mama Gone Digital: Online Social Media as Support and Social Change for Academic Mothers

            Wendy K. Z. Anderson, Michigan Technological University

            Kittie Grace, Hastings College

Why I’m Not Taking a “Break”: Rethinking the Value of Mother/Scholars in our Academic Community

            Maegan Parker Brooks, Independent Scholar—Denver, Colorado

“Where’s the baby?”: Negotiating Academic Motherhood in the American South

            Lisa M. Corrigan, University of Arkansas

Dispelling the Balance Myth

            Sarah Jedd, University of Wisconsin‐Madison

2012 Call for Applications:  Research Development Grant   The Organization for Research on Women and Communication invites submissions for the fifth annual Research Development Grant.  Members are eligible to apply for one of three grants that support scholars at different levels of their career: Category 1 for M.A. students, Category 2 for Ph.D. students, and Category 3 for instructors or tenure/track faculty.* Each grant offers a maximum of $1,000.   Grants are designed to assist feminist scholars completing research or creative projects that privilege and advance understandings about the intersectionality and complexity defining women’s lives.  Broadly speaking, submitted projects are those that chart new ground in disciplinary knowledge about women and gender; that offer insights about the challenges and negotiations confronted by women in light of intersecting identities; and/or that favor the voices, experiences, discourses, performances and lives of women.   Applicants’ research projects may be at any stage at time of submission. Grant funds may be used, for example, to pay for: conducting interviews, data transcription, archival research whether for copying costs or travel to archives, clerical support, transportation and/or registration fees for a conference to present the submitted project, among other needs.   Application Requirements: v    Be a current member of ORWAC (ORWAC membership is independent of WSCA and vice versa).  Applicants are responsible for becoming members or ensuring their membership is current prior to submitting their grant application.  Membership forms are available at http://www.orwac.org; for member status contact the current ORWAC Treasurer.   Executive officers of ORWAC are ineligible for the grants.   v    Submit a single document containing the completed application form, budget, and current curriculum vita.  Grant applications can be retrieved from http://www.orwac.org.   v    Forward application materials electronically to: Diane M. Blair, President, ORWAC (dblair@csufresno.edu); Office phone: 559-278-8578.   v    Within one year of receipt of a grant, awardees agree to submit a one page report detailing the results of the submitted project and use of funds to the President Elect, Stacey K. Sowards (ssowards@utep.edu); Office phone:  915-747-8854   Deadlines: v    Applications due July 1st, 2012 by noon (MST). Late proposals will not be reviewed under any circumstances. v    Applicants will be notified in September with funds being distributed shortly thereafter.   Review Process:  All applications are reviewed by the grant committee (i.e., composed of officers and/or select members of ORWAC and/or past recipients).  Grant applicants will receive notification about receipt of their materials, and again later when final decisions are made.   Review criteria and decision making are based upon a project that: 1) most strongly fits and supports ORWAC’s mission statement, 2) the overall quality of a submitted proposal, 3) potential and/or likelihood for intellectual contribution to feminist scholarship in the field of communication, and 4) potential and/or likelihood for scholarly dissemination such as a conference paper, thesis, dissertation or book chapter, journal article, or creative project.  One grant will be awarded in each of the categories.   * Note:  We aim to support all scholars conducting feminist work regardless of rank.  Simultaneously we are mindful of varying levels of institutional support extended to graduate students and faculty.  Hence, in Category 3, preference will be extended equally to instructors and tenure-track followed by tenured faculty.

 

 

 

 

ORWAC Officers   President Diane M. Blair California State University, Fresno dblair@csufresno.edu   Vice President-Secretary Stacey K. Sowards University of Texas at El Paso ssowards@utep.edu   Treasurer-Individual Membership Director Valerie Renegar San Diego State University vrenegar@mail.sdsu.edu   Web Spinner Brenda J. Allen University of Colorado, Denver Brenda.J.Allen@cudenver.edu   WSIC Editor Valerie Fabj Lynn University vfabj@lynn.edu