Gender and Global Issues Program

Amberann Sheikh, IndCare intern

Gender and Global Issues (GGI) is a research, teaching and outreach academic subgroup of the Women and Gender Studies Program at the University of California, Davis. Our interdisciplinary focus on gender analysis reflects the heterogeneity and interconnected needs of the global community we serve.

GGI works toward a more equitable distribution of power between genders, ethnicities, and nations by linking UC Davis academic resources to grassroots activists. GGI addresses articulations of gender with a range of global issues, including reproductive health, sexuality, environmental justice, human rights, and cultural diversity, seeking understanding and action through educational access. Our Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program, Internship Programs, Visiting Scholar Programs, Speaker Series and our fundraiser, the Davis Feminist Film Festival, all interweave to create a mutually reinforcing community bridging the university with our local and global communities.

Internship Programs

In order to allow students to get hands-on learning about gender and global issues in real-world settings, there are both domestic and international internships available. Internships are an ideal vehicle for local and global outreach. They enrich the educational experience of students while contributing to the quality of life in surrounding communities. Our program provides academic and analytic context for internship experience through faculty-guided research papers and creative projects. Academic credit through Women and Gender Studies is available as well as transcript notation through the Internship and Career Center. International internships currently include non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) in India, Romania, China and Mexico.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program

This Program merges academic knowledge with practical professional development and allows participants to gain a competitive edge in both the job market and academia. This uniquely flexible and wide-ranging field of study covers topics ranging from the arts to agriculture to human rights, using a feminist perspective. GGI brings together multiple tools for analysis and action locally and globally. This program is administered in conjunction with UC Davis Extension (UCDE).

Visiting Scholar Programs

In the past, the Ford Visitor’s Program has brought Activists from the Global South to UC Davis. We now have a collaborative Visiting Scholar Program with the Consortium for Women and Research (CWR) and with the Hemispheric Institute of the Americas (HIA). The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program is an option for some international scholars/activists to pursue. Also, some may choose to host future international interns upon return to their home countries.

Speaker Series

Over the years, GGI has hosted speaker series for a variety of audiences ranging from campus to K-12 teachers. In 2006 GGI collaborated with the Geography Graduate Group for the series ‘Gendered Intersections: feminist geographies and the landscape of power'.

Davis Feminist Film Festival

The Davis Feminist Film Festival provides outreach and community building while raising funds for our international internship programs. This fest brings together socially conscious short films made by grassroots artists/activists from campus, the local Davis/ Sacramento community, as well as internationally reminding us of our interconnections. The first annual Davis Feminist Film Festival in October of 2005 played alongside the MadCat Women’s International Film Festival and also hosted a silent auction with local products and local artists.