WEBER STATE WOMEN STUDIES NEWS

 VOL IV, NO 5   JANUARY 1998

COORDINATOR'S CORNER:

The work of Amy Adams now being displayed at the Weber State Art Gallery in the Fine Arts building is fascinating. "Riddance" is a series of what I would describe as sculptures with dresses. Although Ms. Adams claims that her work is "not simply in the service of feminism," these pieces certainly make a variety of statements about women’s bodies, statements that reflect several cultures found in the US. The display is well worth a visit to the Fine Arts building.

The Progressive Dinner, part of this month’s Diversity celebration, was more than worth the small charge of $5.00 to cover an abundance of ethnic foods and great entertainment. You might want to put this on your not-to-miss calendar for next year.

The interviews for a new secretary have been completed, and we hope to have someone in the office by middle of this month. When you see the new face in the office, try to stop by and say hello. On that same theme, we’d like to say another formal "Thank-you" to Norma for her many contributions to keeping the program running smoothly - and in a positive direction - for these last five (or so) years. We wish her all the best of luck in her new adventures!

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Remember that January is Diversity Month and our campus is being enriched with a host of opportunities to expand your horizons. Take advantage of as many of these as possible.

FACULTY PROFILE:

Dr. Rosemary Conover has been a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology for nearly 27 years and she currently serves as its Department Chair. During Spring Quarter, she will join Dr. Rob Reynolds in teaching the cross-listed course (Soc./Anthro. 320) Sex Roles: Past, Present and Future. This course is one of the WSU campus offerings that is actually older than the WS program itself, having been offered for the first time by the Anthropology/Sociology Department in the mid-1970's. Rosemary was one of the original team to develop it and finds it fascinating because of its intrinsic interest, as well as the fact that, every time that it is offered (in alternate years), the team includes both a male and a female faculty member and the subject matter lends itself so well to the interdisciplinary nature of the course. In addition to Rosemary’s continuing presence in this course, other faculty who have participated in the past as team members include Michael Toth (the co-developer) and Mark Luna. The course was one of the original cross-listed courses in the WS program. About the course, Rosemary says that sex roles are "fundamental organizing principles in human cultures" that "deserve and receive significant attention in both anthropology and sociology. The challenges of piecing together the patterns and directions of sex roles over time and cross-culturally around the world and then interpreting and explaining (them) ... have been intellectually stimulating and just lots of good old-fashioned academic fun." The course varies in content with each offering but "always generates a lot of lively debate and student interest." In addition to the Sex Roles class, Rosemary also teaches Human Evolution and Variation; Language and Culture; Anthropological Theory; Peoples and Cultures of the World; and Introduction to Anthropology. Besides her role as WS teaching faculty, she has served as a member of the Executive Council and was involved in the initial planning phase as the program was being proposed and formalized. Rosemary holds an M.A. from Brandeis University and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah, both in Anthropology. Her subfields of specialization are physical/biological anthropology and anthropological linguistics. Her research in those areas has addressed the causes of variation in biological maturation rates among people born and raised in northern Utah, especially with reference to menarche and menopause. She has also conducted sociolinguistic research on Utah ethnic groups, looking to elucidate causes of speech variation and change related to such parameters as gender, age, ethnic background and class. Rosemary has also provided exemplary service to this institution by membership and leadership of many committees over her years on campus.

On a personal note, she is married to C. Luckey Heath, retired from Thiokol Corp. where he served as Corporate Director of Safety and Environmental Affairs. He is currently a WSU student in Theatre Arts and is familiar to many of us as that talented graying thespian in departmental productions and Utah Musical Theatre. They both enjoy traveling and spent part of a summer quarter (the one when the Social Science Building was being remodeled - clever!) learning Chinese and then practicing on-site in China. Rosemary and Luckey have three children and, in just a few months, will become first-timer grandparents, a challenge they will meet undoubtedly with their usual enthusiasm and skill.

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Remember that the deadline for scholarship applications is 1 February 1998. If you are planning to apply for the Phoenix Scholarship, you must fill out both a University form and a WS form (available in the office.)

Spring quarter class schedules are now available. Be sure to check out the wide variety of WS courses available and register for one (or more!) beginning 9 February.

If you are a WS minor and you have not stopped by the office to receive semester conversion advisement from either Diane or Gloria, don’t forget to do so as soon as possible.

 CALENDAR

5 - 28 January - Amy Adams show; WSU Art Gallery.

14 January - Executive Council meeting, 3:30 pm, SS 115.

15 January - Dedication of Gaye D. Littleton Domestic Violence/Rape Crisis Center, 5 pm; Reception 4 - 6 pm; for more information, call 394-9456.

20 January - Naseem Banerji presents a lecture/slide show - "Imperial Harems in Mughal India", 10:30 am, Library Special Collections.

23 January - presentation by Judy Gorman, singer/songwriter and historian of women’s music; for more info., call the Diversity Center.