03/27/2026
Join friends from History and the Division of Global Cultures for the 2026 Women's and Gender Studies conference! The theme of this year’s conference, "Gender and Citizenship: Past, Present, and Future,” was inspired by the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
On Monday evening, Dr. Lucia McMahon, professor in the Department of History, Philosophy and Liberal Studies at William Paterson University, will serve as this year’s keynote speaker. Today, Americans generally take it for granted that college education is open and accessible to all citizens, both men and women. But during our nation’s founding, women's educational opportunities were more limited and their intellectual equality to men was not fully accepted.
For decades before colleges officially opened their doors to them, women in early national America sought access to an expanding array of educational institutions. In various letters, diaries, and school essays, women students wrote enthusiastically about their educational journeys and intellectual aspirations. As women’s access to education expanded, so too did debates about the socially accepted uses, capacities, and value of their educational attainments. While advocates proudly asserted that women possessed “an equality of mind” with men, critics warned about the dangers of educated women becoming too ambitious and egoistic. Ultimately, early national women were urged to focus on preparing for their prescribed domestic and social roles, rather than their own intellectual or career ambitions. That echoes of these debates can be found across social media today both reinforces the transformative power of education and connects us to a much longer history of negotiating gender, equality, and citizenship.
Wilkes University collaborates annually with King’s College to put on this event. Check out the full schedule of events at the Henry Student Center at wilkes.edu/wgs.
