Gender Studies Symposium

  • Event Details

    All symposium lectures, panel discussions, performances, and workshops are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated on the schedule. 

    We hope you can join us at the upcoming Gender Studies Symposium. Please get in touch with us at gendsymp@lclark.edu if you have any unanswered questions after reading the information on this page.


    Parking and Transportation

    The College is served by Trimet Bus #39 and a free shuttle from downtown. Please note that the campus shuttle is not wheelchair accessible.

    If you prefer to drive to campus, daytime visitors are advised to purchase daily permits online before coming to campus. Parking on campus is free after 7 p.m. Finding a parking space during the weekday before 5 p.m. is very difficult, particularly because of significant construction on campus in 2022, so please allow ample time or consider other options. Symposium visitors should follow event signage to the designated parking areas.


    Campus Maps

    Lewis & Clark maps and directions to campus are available online.

    Campus accessibility map (PDF)


    Dining Options on Campus

    Bon Appétit operates several dining facilities at Lewis & Clark. The closest venue to the 2022 GSS events is the Dovecote, a café in Albany Quadrangle selling espresso drinks, pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads, other grab-and-go selections.


    Lodging

    Places to stay near Lewis & Clark College.


    Registration

    Participation in the symposium is free. Some events require registration, as noted on the schedule. 

    All participants are invited to visit the GSS information table in the central lobby of J.R. Howard Hall (near the elevator and central staircase) to pick up symposium materials. The table will be staffed daily during the symposium from roughly 9 am until 5 pm. Light refreshments will be available for symposium presenters in the morning.


    Accessibility

    We are committed to providing a meaningful and accessible experience for everyone who attends the symposium. If you would like to request a specific accommodation, please contact the symposium organizers at gendsymp@lclark.edu.

    Some spaces at Lewis & Clark College are not fully accessible by wheelchair, but all symposium events are in accessible rooms. Symposium volunteers are available to assist anyone who needs direction or support. Please call 503.768.7378 to ask about any specific locations, or stop by the information table in the central lobby of J.R. Howard Hall to talk with symposium volunteers.

    Smith Hall (Albany Quadrangle), Gregg Pavilion, and Agnes Flanagan Chapel are accessible by wheelchair but do not have power doors.

    All-gender bathrooms are available in various locations on campus. Please note that there is no elevator in the Chapel to get to the bathroom on the lower level of the building. For details, please consult this campus map identifying locations of all-gender bathrooms (PDF version).

    Sign language interpreters will be provided at keynote events. Daytime presenters have been reminded to provide subtitles or captioning for all video clips they show.

    We ask that symposium participants remain fragrance free as much as possible so the symposium can remain an accessible space for people with chemical sensitivities.

    We are sorry that we are unable to provide childcare during the symposium.


    Wellness Support and Resources

    Various support services are available during the symposium. Please feel free to talk with a symposium volunteer if you need direction or assistance.

    Feminist Student Union (FSU) sponsors services supporting the safety, leadership development, empowerment, and community engagement of gender minorities. All members of the community, regardless of gender, race, age, class, sexual orientation, religion, ability, or ethnicity are welcome.

    The Queer Student Union (QSU) serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual, omnisexual, polysexual, pansexual and allied community at Lewis & Clark College.  

    Confidential Advocates (CAs) are trained to respond to and support survivors of sexual violence. To speak with a CA anonymously, call 503.202.3319 on weekdays during business hours.

    For after-hours support, contact Call to Safety (formerly the Portland Women’s Crisis Line) at 503.235.5333 or 1.800.235.5333 or the Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC) 24-hour hotline (503.640.5311 or 1.800.640.5311).

    The L&C Campus Safety emergency number is 503.768.7777.


    Description of Presentation Formats

    In addition to the keynote events, the symposium program includes a series of other sessions, plus an art exhibition. Many of these sessions emerged through the call for papers in the fall, and others were created by the planning committee. The following glossary explains what you can expect at different kinds of sessions:

    Panel: Typically consists of 3-4 individual presentations, sometimes submitted as a fully formed panel, but often assembled from individual papers submitted separately by people who do not know each other or work together. For papers that are submitted and accepted individually, the program committee identifies common themes or shared areas of inquiry that tie 3-4 presentations together, devises a panel title based on the abstracts that are submitted, and selects a chair to preside over the session. In some cases, panelists have coordinated their presentations and worked together in advance of the symposium. Panels typically last 90 minutes, including 20-30 minutes for discussion and interaction among the panelists and with the audience.

    Workshop: Sessions of 60-90 minutes in which a facilitator leads participants through some activity or exercise. Past sessions have included hands-on crafts or artistic productions, writing workshops, meditation sessions, and skills trainings.

    Roundtable discussion: Usually includes 3-6 people who bring different perspectives to a set of questions or issues determined in advance. The typical format is for each panelist to speak briefly at the outset, followed by moderated discussion among the presenters and with the general audience. A roundtable is distinguished from a panel in that the entire session involves interaction and dialogue among the presenters rather than a series of individual presentations followed by conversation.

    Reading: Presenters share poetry or prose rather than scholarly papers. 

    Performance: May include music, dance, performance art, or other theatrical performances. 


    Photography and Video recording

    Please do not photograph or record any speakers, events, or participants without permission. If the keynote speakers grant permission, we will record their presentations and make the videos available on our website after the symposium. If you do not want to be recorded during the Q&A portion of the keynote events, please let us know.

    Symposium volunteers will take photographs at many of the events. If you do not want your photo taken, please inform the photographer.


    Additional Information for Presenters

    We are committed to providing a meaningful and accessible experience for everyone who attends the symposium.  

    Individual presentations should be limited to 15 minutes each on 90-minute sessions with four presentations, or under 20 minutes each on panels with three presentations. Session lengths are calculated to allow time for discussion among the presenters and with the audience after all panelists have presented their work. If you plan to read a paper, please note that it takes roughly two minutes to read a double-spaced page of text.  

    To make presentations more accessible to the audience, please prepare a presentation that is meant to be heard. Please keep in mind that many audience members may not have academic background in your field of study.

    If you are preparing a slide show or similar visual presentation, please review accessibility guidelines here for recommended font size, amount of text per slide, color contrast, and other tips. Please provide captioning for any video or audio clips you include. 

    Please plan to announce a content warning if your paper title does not communicate that you will be discussing topics that warrant advance warning.

    We recommend bringing at least one printed copy of your presentation slides.

    Each venue will be equipped with microphones, a laptop and data projector, and a large screen. All presenters should communicate their AV needs via email at any time before the symposium. Please indicate if your presentation requires audio playback, special software, or other lighting or sound support. It is best to bring your work on a flash drive and take a few moments to download your presentation to the shared computer desktop before the session begins. We strongly recommend that all presenters test their presentations on a computer other than the ones on which the presentations were initially created. We have been advised that the recommended resolution for PowerPoint presentations is 16:9 for optimal display. The College provides wireless Internet access.

    All presenters will be asked to use the microphone, as will audience members who wish to pose questions or make comments.