Department news

The Department of Gender Studies is seeking a Research Assistant to begin August 15th concluding December 31st with the possibility of some follow-up hours in the Spring 2025 term.

GNDR seeks applications from potential teaching assistants for both the 202509 and 202601 terms.

Dr Cacchioni's research examines the medicalization of sex, gender, and sexuality, broadly, as well as through specific diagnoses such as Female Sexual Dysfunction and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I am interested in the ways in which doctors, psychiatrists, and more recently, drug companies shape understandings of ‘normalcy’ and ‘deviance’ across categories of gender, race, and class. My work examines the pathologization of some sexual acts and identities and the 'healthicization' of others. I am also a pharmaceutical drug regulation activist. I have testified twice at the US Federal Drug Administration against an ineffective desire drug with several harmful side-effects, hyped in the media as a ‘pink Viagra.’ This experience is documented in my book Big Pharma, Women, and the Labour of Love. I am currently working on UVic Faculty of Humanities funded study titled ‘Understanding and Experiences of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.’

The students, staff, sessional instructors, and faculty in Gender Studies are very excited to welcome Dr. Davina Bhandar (PhD Political Studies, York University, 2001) to the department as a research faculty who will initially serve in the role of Chair for a five year term.

“A lot of my degree was spent in the Gender Studies reading room, hanging out with my friends in a space where I could show up and be greeted, learn something from someone. It was so beautiful,” says Eric Willis, who is graduating with a BA Honours in Gender Studies and a minor in Applied Ethics this spring.

Please join the Department of Gender Studies in congratulating our Jamie Cassels University Research Award (JCURA) winners for the 2023-24 year!

As some of you are aware, protests against Trans+ and 2SLGBTQIA+ content in Canadian K-12 schools are taking place in cities across Canada on Sept. 20. Hate-fuelled movements like these are abhorrent, misinformed and contradict the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and tolerance that are integral to the University of Victoria community.