Ferrum College Holds Special Conference based on Campus Theme of "Gender Roles in a Shrinking World" November 18-19
For immediate release:
November 14, 2008
November 14, 2008
Contact: Natalie Faunce, (540) 365-4301
nfaunce@ferrum.edu
nfaunce@ferrum.edu
On November 18th and 19th Ferrum College will host a special Conference based on the campus theme: "Legacies of the Past and Challenges for the Present: Gender Roles in a Shrinking World." The Conference will be held in Garber Hall from 7–10 p.m. each night and will feature students, faculty, and special guests who will be presenting on various topics related to the theme.
Each night, attendees can choose to attend several different presentations. Presentations will be held in three separate sessions that run about 50 minutes each. Topics include presentations from students in English 401: Literary Criticism presenting on "The Posthuman," students from Honors 211 presenting on "The Shrinking World," and students of Gateway classes presenting on the freshman reading, "Three Cups of Tea."
Both nights at 9 p.m. there will be two special guest speakers. On Tuesday, poet, spoken word artist, and photographer Jeffry Beam will read from his work and speak about his experiences as a poet and gay man. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, prose and spoken word audio collections. He will offer some of his work for sale and will hold an autograph session. On Wednesday, Professor of Animal Science at Virginia Tech, Dr. Jim Knight, will speak about the political and philosophical perspectives of birth control and the overall reproductive autonomy of women on inter-related societal issues such as education, population growth, and poverty.
Thirty to forty students will be presenting papers written specifically for the oonference. Other students will create posters that will be displayed throughout Garber Hall and judged by the college's Lead Designer, Suzie Kelly, for cash prizes. Associate Professor of English, Dr. John Kitterman, helped organize this conference and hopes it accomplishes two of his main goals. "It is our hope that we can present an opportunity for people on campus to learn more about the college theme and how it relates to things going on in the world," Kitterman explains. "This conference also gives our students the opportunity to present a paper at a conference which will look really good on their resumes."
The conference is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. John Kitterman at jkitterman@ferrum.edu or 540-365-4326.
The College theme, which was chosen by the School of Arts and Humanities for this year, is the focus for many events around campus. Each year, a different school selects a different theme for that academic year. Throughout the year, events are created to focus on the theme and the school sets aside money to fund such programs.
» Download the Conference Schedule!
About Ferrum College
Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges.
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