Affiliated Departments & Programs
Gilda Rodríguez first joined the Kenyon community in 2012-2013 as a Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation Fellow in political science and gender and sexuality studies, formerly called women's and gender studies. She returned to the Hill in the spring of 2016 and has since also contributed courses to the American studies and Latinx studies programs.
Professor Rodríguez's research agenda centers on questions of inclusion and exclusion in political communities. Trained as a political theorist, she works primarily on contemporary political thought, specifically in critical race, feminist, Latin American and Continental theory, but her research engages thinkers from throughout the history of political thought. Her work is both interdisciplinary and multimethod: it is in conversation with and borrows from fields ranging from anthropology to legal studies; it also brings together theory and empirical forms of inquiry — specifically qualitative methods — to better understand how the boundaries of political community are defined.
Her teaching interests include race, ethnicity and gender in the Americas; indigenous politics; feminist and queer theory; transnational and women of color feminisms; the theory and practice of citizenship; immigration; the U.S.-Mexico borderlands; decolonial and postcolonial theory; and U.S. constitutional law.
Professor Rodríguez has also taught at Oberlin College, the University of South Florida and UCLA.
Areas of Expertise
Citizenship and immigration; feminist and queer theory; race, ethnicity, and gender in the Americas
Education
2010 — PhD candidate from Univ of California Los Angeles
2009 — Master of Arts from Univ of California Los Angeles
2007 — Bachelor of Arts from Bryn Mawr College, magna cum laude
Courses Recently Taught
This course examines the impact of globalization on feminist discourses that describe the cross-cultural experiences of women. Transnational feminist theories and methodologies destabilize Western feminisms, challenging notions of subjectivity and place and their connections to experiences of race, class and gender. The course builds on four key concepts: development, democratization, cultural change and colonialism. Because transnational feminisms are represented by the development of women's global movements, the course considers examples of women's global networks and the ways in which they destabilized concepts such as citizenship and rights. We also examine how transnational feminisms have influenced women's productions in the fields of literature and art. Key questions include: How does the history of global feminisms affect local women's movements? What specific issues have galvanized women's movements across national and regional borders? How do feminism and critiques of colonialism and imperialism intersect? What role might feminist agendas play in addressing current global concerns? How do transnational feminisms build and sustain communities and connections to further their agendas? This counts toward the diversity and globalization requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS/GSS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Prerequisite: Any GSS course. Offered every other year.
This course explores the relationship between the individual and society as exemplified in the writings of political philosophers, statesmen, novelists and contemporary political writers. Questions about law, political obligation, freedom, equality and justice, and human nature are examined and illustrated. The course looks at different kinds of societies such as the ancient city, modern democracy and totalitarianism, and confronts contemporary issues such as race, culture and gender. The readings present diverse viewpoints and the sessions are conducted by discussion. The course is designed primarily for first-year students. Students enrolled in this course are automatically added to PSCI 102Y for the spring semester. Offered every fall.
This course explores the relationship between the individual and society as exemplified in the writings of political philosophers, statesmen, novelists and contemporary political writers. Questions about law, political obligation, freedom, equality and justice, and human nature are examined and illustrated. The course looks at different kinds of societies such as the ancient city, modern democracy and totalitarianism, and confronts contemporary issues such as race, culture and gender. The readings present diverse viewpoints, and the sessions are conducted by discussion. The course is designed primarily for first-year students. Offered every spring.
This course examine the participation of women in American political life. We trace the development of feminism out of broader political and intellectual movements and consider the situation of women in American society today. We also look at women in their roles as voters, candidates, party activists and public officials. The ways in which gender relations are defined by public policy and law are a focus, with particular attention given to constitutional equality, workplace and family issues, and reproductive rights. This counts toward the American politics requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing.
This course provide students with critical frameworks for thinking about the social construction of gender at the personal and institutional levels. Emphasis is placed on diverse women’s significant contributions to knowledge and culture; to other areas of gender studies, including men’s studies, family studies and the study of sexuality; and to the intersections of various forms of oppression both within and outside of the U.S. The course includes both scholarly as well as personal texts, visual as well as written text. This counts toward the introductory requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Offered every semester.
This course examines the impact of globalization on feminist discourses that describe the cross-cultural experiences of women. Transnational feminist theories and methodologies destabilize Western feminisms, challenging notions of subjectivity and place and their connections to experiences of race, class and gender. The course builds on four key concepts: development, democratization, cultural change and colonialism. Because transnational feminisms are represented by the development of women's global movements, the course considers examples of women's global networks and the ways in which they destabilized concepts such as citizenship and rights. We also examine how transnational feminisms have influenced women's productions in the fields of literature and art. Key questions include: How does the history of global feminisms affect local women's movements? What specific issues have galvanized women's movements across national and regional borders? How do feminism and critiques of colonialism and imperialism intersect? What role might feminist agendas play in addressing current global concerns? How do transnational feminisms build and sustain communities and connections to further their agendas? This counts toward the diversity and globalization requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Prerequisite: Any WGS course or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.
In this course, we read both historical and contemporary feminist theory with the goal of understanding the multiplicity of feminist approaches to women’s experiences, the representation of women and women’s relative positions in societies. Theoretical positions represented include liberal, cultural, psychoanalytic, socialist and poststructuralist feminism. We explore the relationship of these theories to issues of race, class, sexual preference and ethnicity through an examination of the theoretical writings of women of color and non-Western women. This counts toward the concentration and the mid-level requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Prerequisite: any WGS course, approved departmental course or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.
This course provides the opportunity for those students taking WGS 481 in the spring to plan the course. Students select a topic, order books, plan the syllabus and design a project. In addition, they read about course design and pedagogy so that they are prepared to take responsibility for collaboratively teaching the course in the spring. Offered only on a credit/no credit basis. This course is required for the major. This interdisciplinary course does not count toward the completion of any diversification requirement. Prerequisite: senior standing.
The senior colloquium is organized around a theme determined by senior majors and concentrators in consultation with the instructor during the semester prior to the beginning of the course. Previous topics include "Women and Madness," "The Politics of the Bathroom" and "Gender and Tourism." This course is required for the major. Prerequisite: WGS 480 or permission of instructor. Offered every spring.
Individual study enables students to examine an area not typically covered by courses regularly offered in the program. The course can be arranged with a faculty member in any department but must conform to the usual requirements for credit in the program: Gender is a central focus of the individual study, and the course draws on feminist theory and/or feminist methodologies. The amount of work should be similar to that in any other 400-level course. Individual study courses may be used toward the major or concentration. To enroll, a student should first contact a faculty member and, in consultation with that professor, develop a proposal. The proposal, which must be approved by the program director, should provide a brief description of the course/project (including any previous classes that qualify the student), a preliminary bibliography or reading list, an assessment component (what will be graded and when) and major topical areas to be covered during the semester. The student and faculty member should plan to meet approximately one hour per week or the equivalent, at the discretion of the instructor. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study by the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval. This interdisciplinary course does not count toward the completion of any diversification requirement.