“Having stories to tell is your sustenance—that’s what pushes through the breaking points.” So said screenwriter, actor, and director Lake Bell, who moderated “Women in Comedy” on Oct. 7 for an audience of students, faculty, and staff. Presented by the Women’s Studies Department and Hollywood by the Horns, the event brought prominent comedy creators and performers to CSUDH to discuss their triumphs and setbacks in the entertainment industry. In addition to Bell, the panel included screenwriter and producer Nicole Jefferson Asher, comedy writer and stand-up comic Erin Foley, playwright and TV writer Janine Nabers, and actor and comedian Michaela Watkins. Among the themes discussed ... Read More
Women's Studies
2024 Faculty Awards Honor Six Outstanding Educators
2024 Faculty Awards Recognize Six Outstanding Educators The 2024 Faculty Awards Reception was held on April 30, with six members of the CSUDH faculty receiving honors for their contributions to the university. The awards are presented each year to selected faculty members for outstanding achievement in a variety of areas—from research and scholarship to lecturing and service to the community. The 2024 CSUDH Faculty Award recipients are: Jenn BrandtLyle E. Gibson Distinguished Teacher Award The founding faculty member in the Department of Women’s Studies, Jenn Brandt has been teaching at CSUDH since 2018. She has been one of the driving forces behind the program, developing the ... Read More
Laura Warrell Talks Books, Jazz, and Publishing
It took more than two decades, four unpublished manuscripts, and scores of rejection letters before Laura Warrell brought her first book into the world—the acclaimed novel Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm, which was published by Pantheon Books last year and recently issued in a paperback edition. A lecturer in the English department at CSUDH since 2017, Warrell discussed the challenges she’s faced as a writer, her approach to the craft, and the inspiration for her debut novel during an evening of conversation on Oct. 4 at the Marvin Laser Recital Hall. The event, co-hosted by the departments of English and Women’s Studies, was introduced by Debra Best, professor of English, and featured a ... Read More
Women’s Studies Grants First Degrees
Women's Studies has only been a major at CSUDH for one year, but its first four graduates are already earning their degrees this spring. As Associate Professor and Coordinator of Women's Studies Jenn Brandt says, “We're so excited. To have all of these wonderful students, in a pandemic, not only surviving but thriving, has exceeded my expectations! I know they're going to go on and make the university very proud.” The four women who make up Women's Studies' first graduating cohort have each taken their own unique path to their degree. “This group is so representative of the diversity that we have in the major,” says Brandt. “They're all coming from different backgrounds and going off to ... Read More
Cristina Rose (Smith) Named 2021 Catherine H. Jacobs Outstanding Faculty Lecturer
When Cristina Rose (Smith) is teaching, she doesn't just lecture while students jot down notes. Rather, Rose acts as an active and engaging facilitator of conversation - letting students take the lead in their own discoveries. Rose, who has taught in the CSUDH Women's Studies program since 2014, describes herself as relational and feminist in her teaching approach. Her pedagogy is “less about having the answers, and more about asking the questions that will bring us into fuller lives,” she says. “I share my life and who I am with students. It feels like I am actively part of this community. I think from here, I am from here, and this is my home.” That passion for connection has ... Read More
