Past Intersections Co-sponsored Events

Tanner Talk: Queer Kinship in Latter-day Saint History & Thought: Dr. Taylor Petrey

This talk explores the ways that Latter-day Saints have imagined kinship as a theological concept. In particular, the talk explores how polygamy and adoption in LDS history might offer resources for describing LDS kinship beyond the modern heterosexual family.

Scholars for Anti-Racist Fellowship in Education: Dr. Terrell Morton

Dr. Terrell Morton, Assistant Professor of Identity and Justice in STEM Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In his talk titled "Deprogramming Whiteness to Advance Liberation: A Critical Examination of the “Self” in Social Justice Endeavors", Dr. Morton will share his expertise in identity and justice, and invite us into a conversation about diversity & inclusion and anti-racism. We're excited to share that Shouqing Si, Ph.D. student in School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University, will moderate the talk

Unlikely Allies: Creative Collaborations on Higher Education Sexual Misconduct Prevention

Sexual misconduct prevention efforts within institutions of higher education have traditionally consisted of research-based bystander intervention programs and risk reduction education efforts. This panel of faculty, staff, and students introduces a nontraditional collaboration within prevention work which resulted in impactful efforts. Participants will leave the conversation knowing how other courses can integrate similar collaborations within their own space.

Presenters:

• Emmalee Fishburn (she/her), MPH, CHES; Senior Prevention Specialist​, - Office of Equity
• Felicia Gallegos (She/Her), MSW; Outreach and Prevention Coordinator, Sexual Assault & Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) Office
• Hailey Judd, MPH, CHES
• Julia Hoffman, Undergraduate Student in English
• Avery Edenfield, Assistant Professor, Department of English
• Dory Rosenberg, USU Library
  

A State of Crisis: Gender and Racial Impacts of Covid-19

Moderated by USU's Susan R. Grayzel and Yesola Kweon, this virtual roundtable will provide a venue for scholars, students, and community members to better understand the multi-dimensional impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Please note: this roundtable discussion is part of the Tanner Symposium, Welfare and Warfare State in Times of Crisis.

Presenters:

• Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde, Sociology, USU
• Mala Htun, Political Science, UNM
• Rebecca Kreitzer, Public Policy, UNC
• Diane Wong, Political Science, Rutgers
• Gabe Miller, Sociology, Mississippi State University

Scholars for Anti-Racist Fellowship in Education: Elishia Durrett-Johnson

Elishia Durrett-Johnson, Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in the State of Kentucky. In her talk titled "Healing Emotional Abuse & Racial Trauma: A Collective Effort", Elishia will share her expertise in broaching and/or continuing conversations necessary for cultural change, awareness & challenge ideologies through collective exploration, and invite us into a conversation about diversity & inclusion and anti-racism. We're excited to share that Devon Isaacs, Ph.D. Student in the Utah State Psychology Department, will moderate the talk.

Intersections on Inclusion: Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Teaching

Building on previous events in this series, this panel will explore how to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion theories and practices into our classroom teaching, both in face-to-face and online instructional settings. Drawing on their expertise in a range of teaching and learning contexts, panelists will share principles for culturally responsive and inclusive instruction. Together, we will reflect on why this work has always mattered – and why it especially matters now.

Swenson Writers Series: Meg Day

Meg Day is the author of the poetry collection Last Psalm at Sea Level, winner of the Publishing Triangle's Audre Lorde Award, and a finalist for the 2016 Kate Tufts Discovery Award. The 2015-2016 recipient of the Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship and a 2013 recipient of an NEA Fellowship in Poetry, Day is Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Franklin & Marshall College. This is an American Sign Language-interpreted event.

Intersexion: A Panel Discussion

Join us for this panel discussion to explore Intersexion, the landmark 2012 documentary about being intersex. The discussion will feature New Zealand intersex activist Mani Mitchell, the film’s researcher; bioethicist and journalist Dr. Alice Dreger; intersex activist Jelly O’Shea; and USU neuroendocrinologist, Dr. Sara Freeman. If you would like to watch the film before the discussion it is available for free viewing on YouTube.

Scholars for Anti-Racist Fellowship in Education: Dr. Felice Blake

Dr. Felice Blake is an Associate Professor of English at UC Santa Barbara. In her talk, "'Do You Wanna See a Dead Body?': 'Nosetalgia', Race, and the Trauma of Representation," Dr. Felice Blake will share her expertise on racism, culture, and resistance and invite us into a conversation about how we can reflect on these issues as they relate to representation. We’re excited to share that Lili Yan, PhD student in the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, will moderate the talk.

Lost Voices, Found Histories: On Silences and Soundings

Race and gender have long kept certain performers and composers out of traditionally white, male spaces in American classical music. The recent surge of interest by musicians, concert programmers, scholars, and writers in “lost” composers of color and women composers prompt us to recall the words of Masha Gessen: Is it a revolution, or a series of retributions? This lecture considers how exclusions in the sphere of music can be addressed by students and scholars, and concludes by reflecting upon possibilities for public-facing music scholarship and community engagement.

Picture a Scientist: Online Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Online film screening:

Utah State University is among a number of institutions hosting virtual screenings of the 2020 independent documentary film, Picture a Scientist. Scheduled to premiere at the postponed 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, Picture a Scientist offers a sobering portrait of the struggles women face in science. The film challenges audiences of all backgrounds and genders to question their own implicit biases and commit to change.

Panel discussion:

In conjunction with the screening, USU hosts an online panel discussion Monday, March 8 (International Women’s Day) at noon on Zoom, with the film’s director and producer Sharon Shattuck, along with USU faculty members Dr. Sojung Lim, Dr. Claudia Radel and Dr. Katherine Vela.

Necessary Risks: A Conversation about Race and Representation in Art

Please come join us for an intimate conversation with three writers as they consider when and how to highlight intersections of identity in their literary art. In this panel discussion, Necessary Risks: A Conversation about Race and Representation in Art, Utah poet laureate, Paisley Rekdal, will reflect on her latest book, Appropriate: A Provocation, a work that considers the thorny issues around cultural appropriation. She will be joined by poet and memoirist Natasha Saje whose book, Terroir, focuses on the immigrant experience in relation to ideas of place, and Jacqueline Balderrama, poet and author of Now In Color, a multigenerational exploration of the Mexican-American experience. The conversation promises to be urgent, complex, and grounded in the way the literary arts create unique spaces for such investigations. This event is sponsored by the Utah Humanities Council, the Utah State University English Department, and the Center for Intersectional Gender Studies & Research at Utah State University.

Sovereignty of the Soul: A Conversation with Dr. Sarah Deer

This event, sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of History, the CHaSS Anti-Oppression Committee, and the Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research, marks the beginning of Women’s History Month and will feature Dr. Sarah Deer, whose scholarship explores the intersection of federal Indian law and victims' rights. A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, as well as the Chief Justice for the Prairie Island Indian Community Court of Appeals, Dr. Deer has worked to end violence against women for over 25 years, receiving national recognition from the American Bar Association and the Department of Justice for this work. A 2014 MacArthur Fellow and co-author of four textbooks on tribal law, Dr. Deer will join us to discuss her latest book, The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America.

The event will also feature several members of our USU community, including Racheal Killgore, a graduate student in USU's Tohi Lab; Prof. Melissa Teehee, a faculty in psychology, Director of the Tohi Lab and Assistant Director of the MESAS Program; and Prof. Colleen O'Neill, a faculty in history.

Research and Goal Setting in COVID Times

Join us for a discussion of the challenges for research in other countries that we face in our current COVID environment and help us brainstorm about the future. In this event, we will discuss the challenges of international research, real barriers, and creative solutions. Each participant should plan to generate a list of three concrete goals for 2021 to share; the group will offer suggestions for meeting those goals. We can have a follow-up meeting in September to report on progress and to keep each other accountable. Registration is required, so please let us know if you are coming! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. This event is sponsored by the Intersections Global Research Cluster and moderated by cluster leaders Claudia Radel and Tammy Proctor.

The State of the Immigrant Detention System in the Last Decade

In this virtual lecture, Dr. Beatriz Aldana Marquez (Texas State University) will discuss her research on immigrant detention. She examines the operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through a critical lens by analyzing their detention contracts with the U.S. government, their audit system reports, and their death reports from 2008 to 2018. She has researched ICE’s documented negligence in their use of solitary confinement, the occurrence of sexual assault and suicide in detention, and the low- quality medical care provided to detainees. She is currently working with a research team to study the impacts of COVID-19 on immigration detention.