Studying Identity

kelvin — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 22:10:40 +0000

Studying Identity kelvin Fri, 01/10/2020 - 14:10 More Press Releases Hannah Croft, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing & Communications January 10, 2020

“Gender and Sexuality studies is not just an academic field, it’s a way of seeing the world,” said Jade Sasser, professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies at UC Riverside. “It gives you the tools to do an intersectional analysis of how the world works, and how you can shape and impact it.”

The Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies has over 170 students and staff dedicated to analyzing feminist theory, global cultures, and politics through a combination of academics and action. The department strives to promote diversity and education, and offers courses centered around gender and sexuality in relation to race, ethnicity and class, including lectures on gender and sexuality in history, research, and pop culture.

“The major Gender and Sexuality Studies gives voice to students to defend groups or individuals that have been erased throughout history and who are currently being silenced due to their race, ethnicity, gender, or culture,” said Melissa Ontiveros, an education and gender and sexuality studies double major and 2019 graduate. “This major is important because it is allowing our generation to provide input on subjects that aren’t necessarily openly discussed in our society. Because of this, we have the chance to create a different future that is inclusive!”

Specialized majors such as Sustainability Studies are also offered within the department. Sustainability studies takes a social justice approach to look at how social issues, environmental issues and economic issues affect people’s lives, and analyzes how climate change impacts different groups in different ways.

“Students can really find an aspect of their identity here, that will help them to manage their life better in this world,” said Alicia Arrizón, Associate Dean for Gender & Sexuality Studies. “They will learn about the importance of difference: how difference helps them better understand the intersection of gender and sexuality. Although students can learn that in other classes as well, in our department, students are expected to think critically with tools they can apply to come to realistic, constructive conclusions.”

The department also offers quarterly internship opportunities for students majoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Sustainability Studies or LGBTQ+ Studies. These internships generally take place within political or cultural agencies and organizations, and allow for students to apply their knowledge while continuing their education. The department also encourages students to expand their knowledge abroad by offering resources, financial aid and course credit for students interested.

“We have a very strong faculty, and we have extremely brilliant students, and that’s a foundation for community building,” said Sherine Hafez, chair and professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies. “I feel that that’s really important in terms of looking towards the future, enabling our students to reach across all kinds of challenges in the employment market and being able to come back to us after they graduate and reconnect with them.”

Students who graduate with a gender and sexuality studies degree have a wide variety of career opportunities in politics, public policy, activism and nonprofit, as well as journalism, advertising and education. Other career options include medical professions, environmental organizations, public health fields, and research. Students that have graduated often times come back for graduate school workshops to discuss what they’re doing post grad, and present their current research and jobs to students interested in furthering their career or education.

“Students who finish with a degree in this major are able to have a different perspective about almost anything you can think of,” Anthonia Kalu, professor of Gender & Sexuality studies. “We are able to give some training to students in a way that allows them to see the world a bit differently, and have a stronger impact on society.”

Learn more at genderandsexualitystudies.ucr.edu

FEATURED PHOTO. Photo by Jimmy Lai/UCR Class of '19
A Highlander Newspaper article about the origins of the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies is immortalized on the department's door.

CHASS alumna turns her passion for media into an online magazine

kelvin — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 19:29:44 +0000

CHASS alumna turns her passion for media into an online magazine kelvin Mon, 11/04/2019 - 11:29 More Press Releases Chris Fleming, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing & Communications November 04, 2019

Alissa Medina, M.A. is a journalist and has been since her days as a double-major in English and women’s studies at UC Riverside. As founder and chief digital strategist for the online feminist magazine, Fembot, Medina continues to showcase diverse voices to deliver fresh stories on topics that include homelessness and cultural appropriation.

Created by Medina in 2007, Fembot Magazine has a Facebook following of more than 50,000 readers daily. Daily stories are published online by more than 40 writers. Fembot’s tagline is “no click-bait, no gimmicks, just real perspectives” and features “diverse voices in intersectional feminism and social justice.”

In 2010, Medina was accepted to UCR. One of her first calls was to UCR’s school newspaper, the Highlander. Medina, a graduate of Los Osos High School, had served as her high school newspaper’s editor-in-chief since 11th grade.

“The minute I got into UCR,” she said, “I contacted the Highlander and was like, ‘I really want to work with you guys.’” A Highlander editor suggested she apply for an open editor’s position.

She applied for features editor and got it as a first-year student, making her one of the Highlander’s youngest editors in history.

CHASS helped prepare Medina for her future career at Fembot. Medina said professors introduced students to a variety of authors and voices. One of the most memorable pieces she read as an English major was “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, about a woman trapped in wallpaper taught to her by then graduate student Giulia Hoffman. The text highlights “the elasticity of a woman’s role in the household,” according to Medina, which inspired her to learn about women’s literature.

As a double-major in women’s studies, Medina also noted that many gender studies professors taught a type of feminism called intersectional feminism, which “encompasses all races, all genders, all ethnicities, and classes.”

Entering the classroom of women’s studies professor Jane Ward transformed her thought process. “I wanted to have a really specific angle to things that I knew I would be writing about in the future,” Medina said.

This global perspective inspired Medina and inspired her to reach out to her professors. They were encouraging and supportive of her goals, and she specifically mentioned English Professor James Tobias. She asked Tobias to be her independent study professor for an internship with entertainment news outlet TMZ.

“Tobias said, ‘If you want to take this on as an English major, you need to analyze the tone with which they present themselves to listeners and viewers.”

Medina was up for the challenge and took it one step further. She analyzed TMZ’s tactics and compared them to Jezebel, a feminist news website. She then used her findings to write a paper based on how structures and tone are apparent in media. Medina realized the power that the media has over the public psychology and opinion, and how voices have power over the media itself.

Medina graduated from UCR in 2014 and since then has earned her master's degree in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University in 2017. She has utilized everything she’s learned to take Fembot even further. The beginning of the Trump administration has increased Fembot page traffic, and Media sees the importance of continuing to showcase feminist voices.

For more information regarding Fembot Magazine, visit fembotmag.com.

FEATURED PHOTO. Photo courtesy of Alissa Medina.
Alissa Medina is a UC Riverside graduate who created Fembot Magazine featuring "real feminist perspectives to educate and empower.

Department of Gender & Sexuality Studies

Studying Identity

CHASS alumna turns her passion for media into an online magazine