Trans Identities in Academia Symposium

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Trans Identities in Academia Symposium

We invite you to submit a proposal to present at the trans academia
symposium that will take place February 1, 2003 at Brown University in Providence, RI U.S. Due to the overwhelming response from our first call for presenters, we are asking people to submit a formal proposal according to the format outlined below.

On Saturday, February 1, a one-day symposium will be held, in which
there will be three ninety-minute dialogues on how trans issues
challenge how curriculum is taught in colleges and universities. The
three topics or sessions will focus on feminist studies, ethnic studies, and queer studies. We want to view these fields not as disconnected, but rather look at how curriculum can include and/or discuss race studies, trans theory, and gender identities/expressions.

Specific Note to Undergraduate Students: We are sending out a second call specifically to encourage undergraduate students, particularly
people of color, people with disabilities, people of lower-incomes, and immigrants/first-generation people to submit a proposal to present. One central focus of the symposium has been the need to provide a space for undergraduate students to incorporate our voices, experiences, and visions in a central and respectful way, along with the graduate students and professors who will be presenting/attending. We encourage all of you who have never presented on a panel to see this as an opportunity to gain some new experience, and for those that have presented to continue your involvement in these discussions. Our voices as youth are key and must remain central in helping to frame this important discussion.
We are still accepting proposals by transsexual and transgender-identified students and professors who would be interested in speaking briefly at the beginning of each dialogue. We encourage
transsexual and transgender-identified undergraduate, graduate students and professors, particularly people of color, people with disabilities, people of lower-incomes, and immigrants/first-generation people to present their work. These conversations will include what students want in terms of what they are being taught to in school, and how this teaching can incorporate trans identities/experiences. This is an opportunity for students and professors to talk together and crystallize in language what a lot of students already feel about what is missing from academia, or what can be improved upon. Presenters would be responsible for helping to frame a larger discussion, asking some interesting questions, and engaging with some of the issues that have informed their experiences within academia. These conversations are not focused on research necessarily (although we are also accepting proposals that are research-based), but rather on people's experiences in, and changes that they would like to see in
response to, working within fields of studies that have relied upon, and continue to rely upon, binary systems of sex and gender.
We have received many inquiries from law students who would like to
present as well. This symposium is not focusing specifically on legal issues in academia, however, we are interested in proposals that bridge this field of study with the three main dialogues we will be having on queer, feminist, and ethnic studies.

The event is open to all who are interested in attending.
A word about funding: We are currently fundraising in order to cover
travel and accommodation costs for presenters. However, if you are able to secure funding from your individual universities, we would appreciate it if you could please apply for funding from them to help us secure funds for those who are in need.
Travel and Accommodations: For travel directions and accommodations,
please look at this link to Brown University's website.
www.brown.edu/webmaster/visitors.html
We are also looking for more trans folks and allies to be involved in the planning of the symposium. If you might be interested in helping with the organizing of the symposium, please contact jkrawitz@smith.edu or sqw2864@nyu.edu. If interested in presenting, please fill out the proposal application below.
thank you
in peace
cole krawitz
sel wahng

Proposal Application
Please return completed proposal to cole krawitz at jkrawitz@smith.edu
or sel wahng at sqw2864@nyu.edu by December 7, 2002.
Name:
Home phone: Work phone:
Address:
Email(s):
Age:
Student/Professor Status: (undergra
duate, graduate, law, professor,
etc):
Ethnicity(ies):
Country of origin:
Sexual orientation:
Gender Identity(ies):
Class background (affluent, upper middle class, middle class, working
class, etc.):
Do you have any disabilities either visible or invisible?
Religious/spiritual practice:
Current occupation(s):
Organizations you work with:
Please tell us about what trans communities, if any, you are involved
in:
Skills/perspectives you specifically hope to bring to the group:
Why are you interested in coming to a symposium on trans identities in academia?:
What session(s) you would be interested in presenting in (queer,
feminist and/or ethnic studies):
Please provide us with a brief presentation proposal below. The
presentations will be 7-10 minutes in length with the goal of helping to spark a larger conversation with everyone in the room. Please review the description above and make sure that the proposal fits within one of the three fields of studies.
Smith College
98 Green St Box 7555
Northampton, MA 01063-1000
413.585.6312