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Valerie Fennell papers

 Collection
Identifier: W058

Scope and Content of the Papers

The collection is particularly focused on the development and early years of the Women's Studies program at Georgia State University. It documents courses relating to women's issues taught in the 1970s through to the 1980s, when the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.) with a Concentration in Women's Studies was established. The collection contains very little information relating to the development of the masters program during the 1990s, although there is a file concerning the 1998 appointment of the second director of the WSI, Linda Bell. The bulk of the collection is comprised of correspondence, committee notes, course packets, schedules, and publicity materials. It also includes a small number of files on other issues issues relating to women, such as sexual harassment.

Dates

  • Creation: 1973-1998

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

History of the Women's Studies Institute

The Women's Studies Institute (WSI) was approved by the Georgia Board of Regents on July 14, 1994, and the Master of Arts degree in Women's Studies was approved on March 8, 1995. Previous to the formal establishment of the WSI, the Women's Studies Group, composed of faculty interested in Women's Studies, began meeting in 1974, offering presentations, lectures, discussions, and other programs on Women's Studies and feminist issues, research, and pedagogy. The group also published a newsletter. Individual faculty members in the group developed Women's Studies courses through their various departments. In 1984, an undergraduate degree in Women's Studies was established: the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.) with a Concentration in Women's Studies. In 2003, the Board of Regents approved a B.A. degree in Women's Studies, which now offers an undergraduate major and minor. The M.A. degree in Women's Studies was approved in 1995, and the WSI's first M.A. graduates received their degrees in 1998.

Biography of Valerie Fennell

Valerie Fennell was born in 1942 in Hony County, South Carolina. She received a PhD in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1974 and an MA in Clinical Psychology from the Fielding Institute in 1992. An Associate Professor of Anthropology at Georgia State University since 1974, Fennell's research interests include: cultural anthropology, age and gender relations, gerontological anthropology, psychological anthropology, women's studies, and the US South. Her research on women and mediation and her masters degree in clinical psychology led her to become the GSU Faculty Ombudsperson. Fennell is a member of several anthropological organizations, including the American Anthropological Association; the Southern Anthropological Association; Society for Psychological Anthropology; and the Society for Anthropology and Humanism. She is also active in the National Women's Studies Association. Fennell has long been an advocate for a Women's Studies program at GSU and to this end has taught classes, sat on various boards, and aided in publicizing the developing program.

Extent

1.25 Linear Feet (in 3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract:

The Women's Studies Institute (WSI) was approved by the Georgia Board of Regents on July 14, 1994, and the Master of Arts degree in Women's Studies was approved on March 8, 1995. Valerie Fennell has long been an advocate for a Women's Studies program at GSU and to this end has taught classes, sat on various boards, and aided in publicizing the developing program. The Valerie Fennell papers document courses relating to women's issues taught in the 1970s through to the 1980s, when the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.) with a Concentration in Women's Studies was established.

Arrangement

Subject files are arranged in alphabetical order.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Valerie Fennell in three accessions, 1998.

Separated Materials

Separated to Women's Printed Collection: Periodicals (W-Periodicals), see finding aid or online catalog for access

  1. Georgia State University Women's Studies Journal, (Atlanta, GA: Georgia State University Women's Studies Institute), 1987

Processing Information

Processed by Angela Lefebvre at the item level, October 2004.

Title
Valerie Fennell:
Subtitle
A Guide to Her Papers at Georgia State University Library
Status
Completed
Author
Georgia State University Library
Date
October 2004
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)