MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2013 Activities by Category - Women's Issues

= Add activity session to your calendar (exports in iCalendar format)
Expand All | Collapse All


Natural Approaches to Bone Health

Read Weaver Schusky, Naturopathic Doctor

Jan/18 Fri 02:30PM-03:30PM 36-462

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteomalacia? Pre-menopause, peri-menopause, post-menopause? Coral calcium, bone calcium, fruit calcium, Tums? Estrogen, progesterone, calcitonin, Fosamax? Magnesium, boron, silica, strontium? T scores, Z scores, g/cm3? Milk, beans, greens, tofu? Yoga, walking, pumping iron?

Do you have questions about your bones? Read Weaver Schusky is a naturopathic doctor, and will present a workshop on osteoporosis and other aspects of bone health. Come with your questions about testing, diet, exercise, supplements, drugs (including new information on the common ones), and other concerns.

Contact: Read Schusky, 13-3005, 617 253-6867, RSCHUSKY@MIT.EDU


non-book club - book club (n-bc-bc) 2013

Laura Schmitz

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Like Book Clubs? But hate the time commitment? This non-book club-book club is easy and painless. n-bc-bc will meet four times during the third week of IAP and will discuss topics related to different types of gender violence in our culture. Each evening a discussion will be sparked by two short articles, book excerpts or movie clips. Food and drinks provided!

View or download n-bc-bc materials at: web.mit.edu/end_violence/

Discussion Topics:

Monday January 21: [Un]Scientific Apologies: How Science Colors Views on Sexual Violence.

Tuesday January 22: Broken System: Failures of Institutions to Serve Survivors and Discipline Rapists.

Wednesday January 23: Speaking Up: Responses to Slut Shaming and Rape Culture

Thursday Januray 24: Policy: White Men Debate the Fate of Vagina Owners

Sponsor(s): Women's and Gender Studies, Technology and Culture Forum
Contact: Laura Schmitz, W11-011, (617) 253-0108, lschmitz@mit.edu


non book club - book club

Jan/21 Mon 07:00PM-09:00PM TBD
Jan/22 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM Location TBD
Jan/23 Wed 07:00PM-09:00PM Location TBD
Jan/24 Thu 07:00PM-09:00PM Location TBD

Laura Schmitz


Small Happinesses: Women in China's Transition

Christopher Leighton

Feb/01 Fri 05:30PM-07:30PM E51-095

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/29
Prereq: None

China's recent economic and social transformations have drawn international interest, but what has it felt like to live them? We will consider the particular case of women, and follow their changing place in China over the last thirty years through ethnographic films. How have changing politics, economic growth, or evolvinging social norms affected their lives? Do urban and rural women share similar key concerns, or are their most important problems defined by something other than their sex--their class, for example? To what extent are the tensions and changes we see particular and "Chinese" and to what extent are they universal?

Participants will watch documentary film clips, share a meal of Chinese food, and discuss these questions. No prerequisites, all welcome.

Sponsor(s): History
Contact: Christopher Leighton, E51-288, 617 324-0541, cleight@MIT.EDU


Women in the Sciences: Challenges and Opportunities in the Workplace

Christina Henry, Career Development Specialist, Rieko Ouchi, Graduate Intern

Jan/16 Wed 03:00PM-04:30PM 4-145

Enrollment: Registration required through CareerBridge

In the sciences, women continue to be underrepresented despite increased efforts to expose women and girls to the STEM field. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2011, women represent only about 46% of workers in life, physical, and social science and earn about 89% of what men in the field earn. In addition, women experience unique challenges throughout their careers and can make missteps during the job search process or in their jobs that could cost them the position, a project, or a promotion. Come learn from our panel of alumna on how they achieved their successes, what challenges they faced along the way, and what special issues you will need to consider as a woman in the sciences!

Sponsor(s): Global Education and Career Development
Contact: Christina Henry, 12-170, (617) 253-4733, cghenry@mit.edu


Women, Art and Thought in the Middle Ages

Jimena Castro, Visiting Researcher at Boston University

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/02
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

When we think about the Middle Ages, maybe the following thought comes to our minds: that it was an obscure period, that censorship ruled every man's lives, and above all, women’s lives.  But we would be surprised to know that there were many female voices that expressed their inner worlds and thoughts through writing, music and arts.  This IAP session  seeks to examine the life and work of three important women of this period: Hildegard von Bingen, Joan of Arc and Marguerite Porete. We will explore their historical contexts in order to understand how they achieved their authorities.  These three women will be only a sample of many others that we will mention. Please email Jimena to reserve your place.

Jimema Castro: Professor of Medieval Literature at Universidad Diego Portales (Chile); Ph.D.c in American Studies, Universidad de Santiago (Chile); MA in Literature, Art and Thought at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain) and BA of Literature at Universidad Diego Portales (Chile)

Sponsor(s): SpousesandPartners@mit
Contact: Jimena Castro, 617-637-6632, jimenacastrogodoy@gmail.com


Middle Ages and Women

Jan/08 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 56-169

The aim of this session is to make an introduction to Medieval Thought, with a special focus on the relation between spiritual and intellectual life of Women in that period. We will study some images and texts that tell us a lot about women's thought.

Jimena Castro - Visiting Researcher at Boston University


Hildegard of Bingen: The Art

Jan/15 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 56-169

We will explore on the life and work of the Benedictine Abbess Hildegard of Bingen. In this session some relations between the work of Hildegard and modern painters will be established.

Jimena Castro - Visiting Researcher at Boston University


Marguerite Porete: The Thought

Jan/22 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 56-169

Marguerite was neither a nun, but neither a secular. She was a beguine, and in that status, she had a hard relation with authority.  But her biggest "mistake" was to enter into philosophical inquiries through her book that ended up burnt with Marguerite herself. In this session we will analyze her book The Mirror of Simple Souls.

Jimena Castro - Visiting Researcher at Boston University


Joan of Arc: The Action

Jan/29 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 56-169

In this session we will study a different way of religiosity, that is the one that calls to fight. Joan, as is well known, claimed to hear the voice of God that asked her to fight in battles.  We will analyze the relation between spirituality and life, and the way that Joan thought of the Commandments.

Jimena Castro - Visiting Researcher at Boston University