The world of monstrous women in literature and rape kit backlogs will interface at the Women’s Research Colloquium on Thursday.
The colloquium will feature two presenters: Dr. Bonnie Gasior from the Department of Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literatures and Dr. Courtney Ahrens from the Department of Psychology according to the event invitation.
Gasior will present “Monstrous Women in the Literary World of María de Zayas (1590-1661)” and Ahrens will present “A Victim Centered Approach to Addressing the Rape Kit Backlog: Best Practices for Re-Engaging Survivors with the Criminal Justice System”.
“One of the themes we took on because it’s so popular in the media is sexual violence,“ PCSW Co-Chair Vonetta Augustine said.
The commission is just in time as April is Sexual Violence Awareness month.
Psychology Professor Courtney Ahrens said her research focuses on how police jurisdictions deal with rape victims who completed a rape kit, and how they address individual cases once the backlogs are cleared years after the rape kits were originally filed. [BLUE FOR A REASON?]
The city of Los Angeles cleared it’s rape kit backlogs in 2011, totaling 6,132 untested rape kits according to endthebacklog.org, and the state of California is among 12 states that have enacted state wide reform to clear those backlogs.
Ahrens said during her research in January 2014 she held a retreat with 10 rape victims whose kits were not tested, and focused on a combination of healing and research.
“[Survivors said] they had the benefits of the therapeutic aspect to help them and support them as they were dealing with what the research was bringing up,” Ahrens said. “Adding the research component also helped them feel empowered like they were making a difference. Their pain had meant something and they could help other people heal.”
The PCSW likes to select contrasting topics to show the scope of the type of research happening on campus, Augustine said. Last year’s presenters talked about the lack of female conductors in symphonies and the homeless population of females who are thriving in community colleges.
“I’m particularly interested in looking at the way women write differently and the topics women tend to focus on, especially when they inform gender relations,” Associate Professor Bonnie Gasoir said.
Gasoir said that there were few women who wrote professionally in 17th century Spain and that she thinks her research helps deepen the understanding of womanhood and the female condition during that time period and even today.
“I think it’s imperative to consider women’s voices so that we have a more complete understanding of history and culture,” Gasoir said. “That cannot happen if we only read these texts by men.”
According to the list of past presenters, PCSW has hosted the event every year since 1986 with two female presenters.
“[PCSW] probably wanted to celebrate women on the campus that were doing research and or instructors, staff members, or faculty doing research related to women’s issues,” Augustine said. “Because that’s what it’s really about, you don’t necessarily have to be a woman to present, but your someone doing work that is at some point advancing the progress of women.”
The Research Colloquium will take place at the Pointe on April 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and tickets are $20 and student sponsorship is available.