This year, as part of National Women’s History Month, the women’s studies department has invited several speakers to NIU to discuss the research they have been doing.

“This year’s theme is ‘Celebrating 25 Years of Women’s Studies at NIU: Re-Imagining Sisterhood,'” said Rebekah Kohli, Women’s Studies program coordinator. “We are particularly excited to focus on sisterhood as part of our theme this year, because it gives us a chance to reconsider a theme that was popular when our program began 25 years ago.”

Planning for the month’s events generally begins in early August and takes at least seven to eight months before all of the events are finalized.

“Kelli Lyon Johnson, now an assistant professor at Miami University of Ohio, Hamilton campus, will be presenting her research on mapping in Native American and Latina women’s writing,” said Amy Levin, director of women’s studies. “Valentine Moghadam will be talking about Islamism, women in the Middle East and feminism across racial and ethnic lines.”

Moghadam will be the keynote speaker of the International Women’s Day Luncheon, which will take place March 8.

“We are particularly proud to have Moghadam speak on our campus this year,” Kohli said.

A full schedule of the month’s events can be found on the women’s studies Web site.