The Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies is supported by many faculty, staff, committee members, part-time instructors, and teaching assistants.
The Centre is located in Mackenzie Chown D-block, near the Centre for Applied Disability Studies, Department of Applied Linguistics, Department of Earth Sciences, and Department of Labour Studies. Contact us to learn more about the incredible people in the Centre, our interdisciplinary course offerings, degree possibilities and certificates, and upcoming events.
Some of the members of the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies at the annual program retreat in 2024. Pictured left to right: Tayler Shannon, Dr. Margot Francis, Dr. Lyn Trudeau, Dr. Hijin Park, Dr. Trent Newmeyer.
FEATURED PAST EVENTS
Throughout the academic year the Centre hosts, co-hosts, and sponsors a variety of events open to Brock members and the wider Niagara community. Many events at Brock have also been organized by or highlighted the work of our students, alumni, and affiliated faculty. See a selection of some featured events below and visit the events page to learn about our past events.
To learn about upcoming events, we encourage checking our homepage regularly, following our Instagram account or Facebook group, or contacting [email protected] to be added to a listserv. Members of the Brock community can stay updated on upcoming events by following our organization on ExperinceBU.
Menstrual Equity Gala
Held: March 26, 2025, in Pond Inlet at Brock University
Kennedy Hance (left), a Peer Assistant with Brock’s Student Justice Centre (SJC); Mabrukah Abdulmalik (centre), an Anti-Racism Advocacy Assistant with the SJC; and Muskaan Waraich (right), a Feminist Advocacy Peer Assistant with the SJC and a fourth-year student with a double major in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies, organized the Menstrual Equity Gala. The event, hosted by the SJC’s Gender and Sexual Violence Support and Education team, launched a new Best Practices Guide for promoting menstrual equity on campus. The event featured activities and discussions around fighting period poverty, fostering inclusion, and other issues around menstrual equity.
Screening of What Ales Us?
Held: March 7, 2025, in Welch Hall at Brock University
Celebrations for International Women’s Day 2025 featured a screening of What Ales Us?, a documentary by Professor of Kinesiology Dr. Cathy van Ingen (right), about two women – Ren Navarro (centre) and Erin Brandson (second from right) – who reckon with a broken beer industry in Canada and start a movement to change it. The screening was followed by a panel featuring Dr. van Ingen, Navarro, and Brandson, moderated by Katie Keays (left), the Manager of Gender and Sexual Violence Intake in the Office of Human Rights and Equity, and Dr. Grace Channer (second from left), from the Interdisciplinary Humanities PhD program.
Gender Inclusivity Workshop
Held: January 17, 2023, at the Welland Community Centre
Dr. Michele Donnelly, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Management and a committee member with the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies, presented at the Club Development Workshop Series, hosted by the Centre for Sport Capacity. Dr. Donnelly gave a presentation to sport and recreational professionals on the importance of understanding the context, terminology, and implications of gender diversity and inclusivity, which was followed by a Q&A.
Vivek Shraya and the Queer Songbook Orchestra
Held: March 8, 2019, at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Vivek Shraya, a Canadian Screen Award winner and an artist, writer, musician, and more, performed with the Queer Songbook Orchestra, a Toronto-based 14-piece chamber pop ensemble, as part of celebrations for International Women’s Day and Brock University’s Pride Week in 2019. Songs performed included Part Time Woman, Shraya’s EP with the Queer Songbook Orchestra. The EP is described as a question and a critique: “What defines woman?”