‘Politics of Knowledge’ theme of annual women's conference

“The Politics of Knowledge” will be the focus of this year’s annual conference of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of South Carolina, to be held March 19 – 21.

The annual conference offers a series of talks and panel discussions that are free and open to the public. Sessions will take place in the Daniel-Mikel Center on the eighth floor of the Moore School of Business. This year’s conference will be held in conjunction with FEMMSS (the Association for Epistemologies, Methodologies, Metaphysics and Science Studies), an international organization of scholars from a wide range of disciplines.

“The research that FEMMSS scholars and other Carolina faculty and graduate students will present seeks to understand the way in which knowledge – particularly about economics, politics and health – is political and has real effects on the lives of ordinary people in South Carolina and beyond,” said. Dr. Drucilla Barker, director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, part of the College of Arts & Sciences.

A highlight will be the conference’s opening session from 6 – 8 p.m. Thursday that will feature Dr. Sue Rosser, professor and dean of the Ivan Allen College at Georgia Tech. Rosser, the University of South Carolina’s first director of women’s studies, will join two additional scholars to discuss the topic, “Gender and Technology: Changing Practices.”

Other notable scholars will include Nancy Campbell, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Lorraine Code, York University; Sandra Harding, University of California Los Angeles; and Nancy Tuana, Pennsylvania State University.

A schedule is available at the Web site: www.cas.sc.edu/wost/conference.html.

While there is no fee to attend the sessions, there is a registration fee for those wanting to attend the entire conference, which includes receptions and meals. To register, call the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at 803-777-4007.