Minnesota State University, Mankato will hosting the 2011 Feminism(s) and Rhetoric(s) Conference. This site will provide a unique and irreplaceable opportunity for faculty and students at MSU, as well as conference participants, to interact with scholars from different educational, cultural, and theoretical backgrounds. MSU is no stranger to hosting conferences and is committed to the intellectual possibilities inherent within them. We host an annual undergraduate and graduate student conference, and have hosted national conferences in the past including Computers and Composition. MSU has a lot to offer participants in Feminisms and Rhetorics.
Founded as a women’s college in 1868, the campus is located in the heart of Mankato, and offers a beautiful view of the Minnesota River Valley. We currently serve more than 14,500 students including international students from 66 countries. We offer more than 150 undergraduate programs, and 100 graduate programs. The site itself is a technologically advanced campus, offering wireless Internet access across campus and a majority of computer-mediated classrooms. The Centennial Student Union, where the conference would be held, offers fully mediated conference rooms as well as a variety of amenities. The CSU also houses the Women’s Center and the LGBT Center, providing, among other things, at least one unisex bathroom. MSU is an excellent site for Feminisms and Rhetorics not only because of the easy accessibility of Mankato itself, but also because the campus is uniquely situated to support the size and scope of the conference. Our campus is not overly large, but it is constructed to accommodate a growing student body, faculty and staff, as well as the greater Mankato/North Mankato community. In fact, a large number of community members attend many of the university events and active participation is always encouraged. Members of the faculty from across the disciplines do work in Feminism and gender studies, and at least three departments on campus focus on the study of rhetoric, the history of rhetoric, and rhetorical theory. To provide a place where individuals from across the nation and the globe (we host international students and scholars from 66 countries) can come together to discuss the intersections of feminism and rhetoric will give local scholars and students a exceptional opportunity to engage in an important conversation, and will allow participants to share their work in an inclusive and technologically advanced setting which promises to be both comfortable and stimulating.
Minnesota State University offers a unique perspective on one particular aspect of feminism as well: activism. Activism is rooted in the history of this campus. During the 1960s and 1970s Mankato State was known as one of the major Midwest hubs for activism and protest against the Vietnam War. The campus has since maintained and fostered its students commitment to a wide range of activist and political causes, not the least of which is active participation in the Clothesline Project, a vehicle for women affected by violence to express themselves.
Some of the Members of the Local Committee:
Kirsti Cole PhD., Committee Chair
AH 201 G, (507) 389-1525, Kirsti.cole@mnsu.edu
Kirsti specializes in rhetorical and composition theory and history, activist rhetoric, feminist rhetoric, and women’s studies
Melissa Purdue PhD
AH 201C, (507) 389-5510, melissa.purdue@mnsu.edu
Melissa specializes in British literature, women’s literature, postcolonial literature and theory, and women’s studies
Anne O’Meara PhD
AH 307G, (507) 389-5928, anne.omeara@mnsu.edu
Anne specializes in composition theory and women’s literature
Emily Boyd PhD
AH 113Q, (507) 389-1375, Emily.boyd@mnsu.edu
Emily is a Sociologist specializing in gender interaction and the sociology of the body.
Leah White PhD
AH 207B, (507) 389-5534, leah.white@mnsu.edu
Leah White heads the Forensics program in the Department of Speech Communication and specializes in feminist theory and theatre of the oppressed.
Lynn Kuechle PhD
AH 307B, (507) 389-2510, lynn.kuechle@mnsu.edu
Lynn is an instructor of speech communications and specializes in mothering and mother status.
Maria Bevacqua PhD
ML 090, (507) 389-5025, maria.bevacqua@mnsu.edu
Maria is the Department Chair of Women’s Studies and specializes in rape survival and theories of violence against women.