WOMEN'S STUDIES CAUCUS - MISSION STATEMENT

The Committee that was charged with the task of writing the Mission Statement is composed of six members of the WSC: Simona Wright, Paola Blelloch, Vera Golini, Angela Jeannet, Stefania Lucamante and Monica Rossi. We decided to write a Mission Statement to set the goals and purposes of the Caucus as well as to give continuity to the work accomplished so far by the former and current presidents and secretaries of the Caucus.

Goals and Purposes
The main goal of the WSC is to promote and develop in North America the study of Italian women and their works, under the umbrella of our main association, the American Association for Italian Studies. The work of Italian women is not confined to the literary realm, and our reflection will touch on any sphere of possible interest for the cultural, being it philosophical or political. Therefore the WSC should be considered an entirely interdisciplinary caucus.
Other goals of the WSC are: updating curricula, keeping records on Women’s Studies courses taught, gathering bibliographies, and sharing news regarding our studies. Given the geographical distances between the members of the WSC, as well as our physical distance from Italy, exchange of information plays–as we have already experienced–a crucial role in our WSC. We welcome news about grants, funds, and activities in any institution that can be of interest for the members of our caucus. 

Membership
Membership is available to any member of AAIS who shares our interest in Women’s Studies, does research in this field, or teaches courses in this field. We warmly welcome graduate students and colleagues in all stages of their careers. 

President and Secretary
We believe that in order to insure continuity in the organization of the WSC, the Secretary should be elected every two years. However, the President should not be elected, but simply replaced by the former Secretary of the WSC. No member can serve for more than four consecutive years. In case the Secretary is unable to become President, an election will be held to fill the position.

Calendar of Events
The events are usually limited to the Annual Business Meeting, which takes place in conjunction with the Annual AAIS Conference. In 2021 we began holding occasional social hour and informal reading & presentation meetings (ca. 1-2 a semester). 

Awards
Every year the WSC gives an award to the best research paper presented at the AAIS Conference on any aspect of Women’s Studies. The recipient of the award will be a graduate student or non-tenure stream faculty member of the AAIS WSC.

Fees
The fees are to be paid annually, along with the usual membership fee. For regular faculty the fee is US$20, for graduate students US$10. (Revised 2022.)

WSC Statement on Language and Sexism
The Women’s Studies Caucus of the American Association for Italian Studies, which met at the annual conference (Zurich, May 23-25, 2014), declares: “Making visible the presence of women in professional, institutional and everyday life represents a vital priority today. For this reason, we support the use of female-gendered grammar for professional titles and institutional roles related to women (e.g.: la professoressa; la ministra).”