DePaul University will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Women’s and Gender Studies (W&GS) program April 21 with workshops, a panel discussion, a keynote forum, interactive timelines, multi-media presentations and more. The activities run from noon until 10 p.m. and will be held in Room 120 of the Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

“’Living Feminisms: Celebrating 20 Years of Women’s and Gender Studies at DePaul’ will showcase the accomplishments, struggles and vision of DePaul’s program in the context of broader movements for social change and justice,” said Ann Russo, director of the program.

The day’s schedule will be:

Noon – 1 p.m.: At an opening reception, guests are invited to participate in an interactive timeline exhibit, view a number of multimedia exhibits and register for afternoon sessions.

1 – 2:30 p.m.: “What You Can Do with a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies”—alumni share career experiences.

2:30 – 5 p.m.: Workshops, panel discussions and roundtable forums focus on such topics as educating, organizing and advocating for social change.

5 – 6 p.m.: Buffet dinner featuring a documentary that provides a historical overview of DePaul’s W&GS program within the context of local, national and global women’s movements.

6:30 – 8 p.m.: Keynote Forum, “Living Feminisms: Past, Present and Future,” speakers include:

• Berenice Carroll, professor, political science and women’s studies, Purdue University. A leader in the National Women’s Studies Association, Carroll is co-editor of “The Political and Social Thought of Women: An Anthology” and “Liberating Women’s History: Theoretical and Critical Essays”;

•Sharon P. Holland, associate professor, English and African-American Studies, University of Illinois-Chicago. Holland is the author of “Raising the Dead: Readings of Death and (Black) Subjectivity” (winner of the Romero First Book Prize from the American Studies Association) and the forthcoming “Crossing Waters, Crossing Worlds: The African Diaspora in Indian Country”;

•Nomy Lamm, a leading voice in feminist and queer movements. She is a published essayist and one of “Fifty Faces of Feminism” as recognized by Ms. magazine;

•Isis Nusair, assistant professor, women’s and international studies, Denison University. Her doctoral research focuses on the gendered politics of location for three generations of Palestinian women in Israel. Nusair is the author of “The Integration of the Human Rights of Women from the Middle East and North Africa in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.”

W&GS at DePaul began as a minor undergraduate program in women’s studies in 1986, expanded to a graduate certificate program in 1992 and became an undergraduate major three years later. In 2003, “Gender Studies” was added to its official name.

“DePaul’s program has developed in line with national trends towards incorporating global issues and transnational perspectives into our curriculum,” said Russo. “The curriculum overall examines the interconnectedness of systems and structures of gender, race, class, sexuality, citizenship, ethnicity, age and disability, among others.”

For more information about the events marking the 20th anniversary of DePaul’s Women’s and Gender Studies program or to learn more about the program in general, call 773/325-4086 or visit the Web site at www.depaul.edu/~wms.