About the Conference
The past year has seen tremendous change and revealed places where there is potential or need for change. New forces and historical forces alike have shaped the world and its systems such as economies, legislatures, schools, religions, arts, and media. This year's conference addresses the issues driving change and prompting the resistance to it, offering papers that engage critically with women's and gender issues in the world today, in the distant or recent past, and in possible or probable developments or challenges in the future. This year, Seton Hall University again offers a conference comprised of exciting sessions that reflect the dynamic, productive diversity of perspectives and approaches characterizing the current discussion about these subjects.
The conference's primary goal is consistent with the ideals of a liberal arts institution such as those articulated by Cardinal Newman in The Idea of a University: to provide an interface between the academic and the experiential in order to enrich lived life.
Keynote Speaker
Jerusha Tanner Rhodes, Ph.D. will give the keynote address titled "Minding the Gaps, Overlaps, and Traps: Transformative Interreligious Feminist Engagement." Dr. Rhodes is a Muslima theologian, scholar, and public educator. She is Associate Professor of Islam and Interreligious Engagement and Director of the Islam, Social Justice and Interreligious Engagement Program (ISJIE) at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Her work and writing focus on Islamic feminism, interreligious engagement, religious pluralism, and social justice. Her most recent book, Divine Words, Female Voices: Muslima Explorations in Comparative Feminist Theology (Oxford University Press, 2018) explores the possibilities of comparative feminist theology.
Presentation of the annual "Woman of the Year" Award
This university award recognizes and honors outstanding leaders at Seton Hall who have made significant contributions to the success of women at the University. The Woman of the Year Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Cecilia Marzabadi is the recipient of the Emma G. Quartaro Woman of the Year Award for 2020. Among her various achievements and leadership roles at the university, Dr. Marzabadi's nominators cited her work as a teacher, scholar, and mentor in support of women in the sciences.
Travel Information
Nestled in the charming village of South Orange, New Jersey, Seton Hall University is easily accessible by car, bus and train. View directions to the University. For hotel accommodations, there are a few in the area that offer special rates to Seton Hall families and visitor. View a listing of area hotels.
Regarding air travel, Newark Liberty Airport is the closest and most convenient airport to campus.
This event is canceled
Unfortunately, the Women and Gender Studies Conference, originally scheduled for this Friday, March 13th, has been canceled out of an abundance of caution related to the COVID-19 virus. If you signed up for the luncheon, you should have alredy been refunded. We are sorry to miss all the great panels and the keynote. We hope that you will continue to participate next year!