About Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equity

Harstad Women's Empowerment and Gender Equity Community
Drew (First-Year Student, Resident of Harstad Hall) “Harstad has given me a strong sense of community and family. I feel like, like singing or conducting, it allows you to express yourself and be free in what you do.”

Great For Students Who ...

  • are woman-identified and/or Trans*/Gender Non-Conforming (and comfortably using women-identified bathrooms) seeking a vibrant community experience
  • are interested in gender equity, women’s empowerment, and social justice
  • are seeking a unique and friendly community – winner of the PACURH 2014 Community of the Year award!

Program + Learning Outcomes

By participating in Harstad Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equity, students will:

  • Explore gender as a social identity and how it intersects with other social, biological, and cultural categories such as, but not limited to, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, age, size, and nationality.
  • Be able to articulate what women’s empowerment and gender equity means to them in intersection with their other identities.
  • Empower themselves (and others) to advocate for gender equity and social justice.
  • Identify the ways in which patriarchal oppression affects all genders.

Linked Course(s)

YES (for new First-Year Students)

Note: Harstad residents may either enroll in an FYEP 101 course linked to the Women’s Empowerment & Gender Equity LC (i.e., with a topic on gender equity and/or social justice) or enroll in a FYEP 101 course linked with a First-Year Interest Group LC created by grouping courses of similar topics together and pairing these courses with co-curricular opportunities throughout the first year (along with first-year residents of Pflueger and some Tingelstad [First-Year House]).

Previous years courses linked to the Women’s Empowerment & Gender Equity LC have included (please note that these are EXAMPLES only):

  • Muslim Women in the Contemporary World | Katherine Wiley | FYEP 101 Section 01 | MW 3:40-5:25
  • Renaissance Women: Witches, Queens, and Swashbucklers | Nancy Simpson-Younger | FYEP 101 Section 11 | MWF 1:45-2:50

Linked Residence Hall(s)

Harstad Hall

Example Programs

Below are a few examples of Women’s Empowerment & Gender Equity programs that have occurred in past! If you have an idea for an LC program, contact your Resident Assistant or Community Advocate to see about planning it!

    • Social Justice Sleepover |  A workshop and documentary series addressing various social justice topics in combination with crafts
    • International Womxn’s Open Mic
    • Microaggressions Workshop
    • Fight the Fear | Collaboration with RHC and Gender Equity Center | Self defense and partner based violence
    • Coming Into Your Own Voice | A dialogue about navigating challenging conversations and examining one’s beliefs
    • Womxn’s March Debrief | A discussion about the pros and cons of the Womxn’s March along with how to engage in activism
    • Healthy Relationships Movie Night | A movie screening of Beauty and the Beast and a critical discussion about gender roles and healthy relationships
    • We Need New Names Discussion | A conversation about the common reading book and how it connects to the current political and social climate.
    • J-term Game Month & Lip Sync Battle
    • Harry Potter Movie Marathon and  Hall Decorating Competition
    • All Hall Retreat- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them |  A movie theater was rented for the hall to watch the movie together
    • Halloween Trick or Treating with the Parkland Community
    • Love Your Body Photo Shoot | A photo shoot about body image and self love
    • The Purity Myth | Movie screening and discussion about the different ways society is viewing Planned Parenthood, contraception, and the meaning of rape within the context of a larger political effort to roll back women’s rights.
    • Playdate | Annual all-campus event coordinated by Residence Hall Council

Contacts

For more information about this Learning Community option contact:

Jessica Cotton, Community Director for Harstad Hall | jcotton@plu.edu