EMMA FIGLEWICZ
PHOTO EDITOR
4/7/2025
On March 27, the Women’s Studies “Gender and Justice” class held an interactive symposium where students had the opportunity to educate themselves on various social issues and create an exhibit that other students could view and engage with by asking questions.
“Women’s Studies always advocates for validating lived experiences and empowering everyone to educate themselves and offer suggestions for social and structural change,” said Prathim Dora-Laskey, Associate Professor of English.
“I wanted to offer students the opportunity to practice this form of service and leadership. We do this exercise after everyone has picked their topics, where we write our topics on the whiteboard and see how we can draw a line connecting it to other people’s topics—we never have a topic that stands alone,” said Dora-Laskey.
The topics students can choose ranged from any social issue that America is currently facing.
“My project was on Sizeism and its effects in everyday life but particularly in the healthcare system. When thinking about Sociology, we have scholars that study race, class, religion, sexuality, gender, etc. But sizeism remains one of the only acceptable forms of discrimination,” said Ashlynn Willover (’27).
“I did research on women’s reproduce health and the different functions of women’s reproductive system. I found the purposes and the different contributing organs. I researched different birth control options and how they can be treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS] and endometriosis,” said Hailie Jurmu (’27).
As students explored the symposium, they had the opportunity to engage with the student research in various ways, such as drawing, using stickers, watching videos and writing positive affirmations.
“Apart from helping to keep things lively and engaging, interactive exhibits use embodied pedagogy—the idea that when our bodies are applied in learning, we’re more likely to retain that knowledge,” said Dora-Laskey.
“Presenting at the symposium improves students’ skills in research, public speaking, and presentation. I can see the ownership, confidence and expertise students develop in their chosen topics over the semester. As a teacher, there’s nothing more truly beautiful,” said Dora-Laskey.
The research that students conduct throughout the semester allows them to not only become more aware of their topic but helps them understand the broader societal implications of the issue, fostering a deeper sense of empathy and critical thinking about how these topics impact various communities and individuals.
“My research about gender affirming hormone replacement along with the history it and the transgender community has deepened my understanding of both how hormones work and the queer history that surrounds the decisions that are being made,” said Ryan Fowler (’28).
“My research helped my understanding of different issues because we all did such different topics, but they all were somehow related. We learned about different issues and how they affect women,” said Jurmu.
Ultimately, the goal of the symposium is not only for the researching students to learn more about their chosen topic, but to also allow visiting students to gain a deeper perspective on pressing social issues we see today.
“I hope attending students took away the importance of the different issues and are able to spread awareness,” said Jurmu.
The Almanian: News 
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