Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at FAU Updated Page

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Please consider donating to the Friends of the Center for Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies fund, which helps support the students and faculty! Also, we would appreciate it if you would share this widely. 😊❤️

Sharing some excellent news about 2nd-year WGSS M.A. student Mashaekh Hassan, whose conference paper at the Mid-South Sociological Association’s meeting won the Graduate Student Paper of Distinction Award! He’s doing such interesting and necessary work. Congratulations, Mashaekh!

Join us for our new talk series Faculty Affiliate First Fridays, which showcases the amazing faculty affiliated with our Center at Florida Atlantic! Our faculty affiliates teach WGSS-relevant courses, mentor our students, serve on our committees, and much more.

Come learn about their research, course subjects, and pedagogy in our hybrid talks three times a semester! Our next speaker is Dr. Dilys Schoorman on November 7!

🎓Applications from *domestic students* for Spring 2026 enrollment are due NOVEMBER 1, 2025!

⭐️ For application details, please visit https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/wgss/ma/.

🧐 Interested in Fall 2026? The priority deadline to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship—for both domestic and international students—is February 15, 2026!

🙋 Have questions about applying or the program? Contact the Director Carla María Thomas at carlathomas[at]fau[dot]edu.

M.A. Program Florida Atlantic University's Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Women's Studies M.A. Program...

Here is a flyer for WGSS professor Dr. Jane Caputi’s “Political Circus,” currently on display at the Schmidt Gallery. Check it out to see several different kinds of artwork, political merchandise, and other media representations of presidential candidates since the 2008 election! ⭐️ 🎪

Wonder Woman vs. The Godfather?

💥 Check out FAU WGSS Professor Dr. Jane Caputi’s latest article in Ms. Magazine! Dr. Caputi dives into the ways pop culture frames political figures, exploring Kamala Harris as a feminist superhero and Trump as a Mafia don.

🔍 Get ready for a deep cultural analysis of how iconic characters shape our perceptions of power, leadership, and justice in today’s world!

🔗 Link: https://msmagazine.com/2024/10/31/wonder-woman-kamala-harris-godfather-mafia-don-donald-trump/

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Lora "Skeets" Garfunkel Friedkin, who peacefully departed this life in her sleep on June 5, 2024, at the age of 83. Known fondly as "Skeets" by the many who were fortunate enough to know and love her, she leaves behind a legacy of passion, advocacy, and unwavering dedication to the causes she held dear.

In her later years, in Florida, Skeets became a prominent figure in the community through her political involvement and her tireless work with Planned Parenthood. Her fervent advocacy for women's rights led her to partner with the Women's Studies Program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), where she was a fierce and effective champion for women's issues. Her contributions were so impactful that she became an integral member of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department Advisory Board, helping to shape the future of gender studies and women's rights advocacy.

Skeets' passion for social justice, her dedication to education, and her commitment to making the world a better place will be remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Her spirit, energy, and unwavering dedication serve as an inspiration to us all.

She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will live on through the countless lives she touched and the many positive changes she helped bring about. Rest in peace, Skeets. Your light will continue to shine brightly in our hearts and minds.

Click the link to write in Skeets's virtual guest book and read her obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/lora-skeets-garfunkel-friedkin-obituary?id=55285252

The FAU Living Room Theatre will be showing a screening of Can’t Stop Change: Q***r Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines in honor of Earth Month on Tuesday, April 2nd from 6:30 - 9:00 pm.

There will be an introduction by one of the documentary’s directors, Yarrow Koning, as well as a guided discussion about the documentary to follow the screening. Merchandise will be available for sale after the event.

"Can't Stop Change" is a rapid short documentary that shares stories of q***r resistance, resilience, and brilliance in the face of rising seas, stronger storms, and escalating state violence in Florida. The story maps a web of entanglements between the legislative violence to our bodies and lands, and uplifts the dreams, strategies, and joy of the q***r community.

Please follow this link to RSVP to this event: https://forms.gle/iKNohWTqs58JChhr9
This is a free event, and is open to the community.
More information about the documentary and the film trailer are available at: www.q***recoproject.org/cant-stop-change
Add to Calendar: https://tinyurl.com/3zadd8v9

🌈 Exciting News 🌈 📢

The Lavender Languages Institute has moved to a new Instagram page! Follow us at for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and all the latest info on LLI. 📚💬 Don't miss out on our upcoming Summer 2024 virtual institute – hit that follow button now!

Check out this hybrid interdisciplinary conference in Montpellier, France!