Profiles

That’s what I want to know when people ask why I’m taking courses in WS.

I’m a third-year literature student. I enrolled in WS 102 because I’m interested in a bit of everything, and I’ve been wondering what exactly feminism is about for a while, so taking a course in Women’s Studies sounded really invigorating to me (plus it fulfills one of my breadth requirements!). I’ve also grown up in a family of four girls, so women’s  issues are close to my heart, and I wanted to get in touch with what’s  going on both socially and academically.

Contact for GSJ program advising at gsjadvis@uwaterloo.ca 

Areas of Interest

Settler colonialism; social movements, abolitionist and decolonizing social work; popular culture and radical change; trans-disciplinary social justice pedagogy; urban memorialization; accounting history; Indigenous & settler relationships, colonization/decolonization; Indigenous theory; migrant justice movements; nationalism and sovereignty; queer, trans*, and non-binary participation in sport; and baseball history

Areas of interest

Reproductive Ethics, Feminist Philosophy, Ecofeminisms, Transnational feminisms, Feminist appropriations of Hannah Arendt, Queer theory

Areas of specialization

 Include early modern Europe, intellectual history, history of religion, religion, and violence, as well as early modern women. 

My name’s Leanne, and I am a 3rd year Women’s Studies Major. I never thought of myself as a feminist though after beginning my first semester of University I was enrolled in Introduction to Women’s Studies and soon realized that being a feminist and feminism was something much different then what I originally believed it to be. I was aware of most women’s issues but didn’t know what feminism and Women’s Studies was all about. By the end of first semester of my first year I was completely on board with feminist issues and I wanted to learn more.

Areas of Intrest

political correctness or civility of a word, a trope, an expression, an analogy, or a cultural practice & white liberal feminism from a postcolonial and intersectional lens, exploring more specifically white liberal feminists' concerns over terms, like 'bitch' and 'feminism' 

After reading Naomi Wolf’s, The Beauty Myth, during my final year of high school, my affinity of women and their struggles became evident, and my journey as a Women’s Studies student began. Now a 4th Year Women’s Studies major, I have learned and experienced a lot during my time at the University of Waterloo. 

Areas of specialization

Include reproductive health, women's health activism, oral history,  media, and public opinion, as well as women's rights.