This semester WGS will be sponsoring two interdisciplinary faculty seminars related to motherhood. These informal gatherings are meant to highlight current feminist research and facilitate interdisciplinary conversation.

"The Modern-Day Medea": Motherhood and Politics in the Case of Susan Smith
Thursday, Sept. 28, 3:15 p.m., Arnold Hall
Keira Williams, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia and WGS instructor at CofC, is researching the Susan Smith case for her dissertation, "'In a Lake of Fire': Cultural Constructions of Susan Smith." Smith, the Union, SC, woman who killed her two children in 1994, is now serving a life sentence in prison in SC. Williams is the only person to have been granted interview access to Smith.

The Mommy Wars, Opting Out, and To Hell with All That: The Public Controversies Surrounding Motherhood
Wednesday, Nov. 15, 12:00 p.m., Arnold Hall
Motherhood is a hot topic these days, with regular missives from the mainstream media creating new controversies around old questions (should mothers work outside the home? which mothers should feel guiltiest?). A panel of faculty members will offer feminist perspectives on the public discourse surrounding motherhood today.

College of Charleston campus | September 18, 2006, 7:00 p.m. | Avery Center, 125 Bull Street | free and open to the public

Lisa Jervis and Andi Zeisler are founders of the magazine Bitch: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture and of the forthcoming book Bitchfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine. Bitch is a widely-read young feminist magazine that uses incisive critical thinking and humor to address the sexism in mainstream media, music, and literature. Its edgy title is intentional: Jervis and Zeisler explain that they are reclaiming a word that is used to denigrate and silence outspoken, assertive women. In this lecture, Jervis and Zeisler will share their insights into pop culture from ten years on the front lines as feminist critics.

Cosponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Communication Department, CofC NOW, and the Department of English.

Yo Burrito | September 13, 2006, 4-7 p.m. | open to the public

With the recent news of the FDA's approval of over-the-counter status of Plan B (emergency contraception), many of us in WGS felt a need for celebration! In honor of the recognition of health over politics, WGS minor Margaret Pilarski has put together an informal gathering for any and all on Wednesday, September 13th, from 4-7 at Yo Burrito on Wentworth St. There will be healthy mexican munchies and happy hour specials. It's a drop-in style event and we'd love to see (and meet!) you all. Please feel free to bring other guests!

*Yo Burrito Drink Specials!*
$1.50 Dos Equis Drafts
$2 Corona and Corona Lights
$3 Margarita
$5 Double Margarita