Shannon Cardinal and Brett Peterson present with Robert Alegre and Jennifer Tuttle at Maine Women's and Gender Studies Conference

Shannon Cardinal (English/History/Education majors '16) and recent UNE graduate Brett Peterson (Psychology/Sociology majors '13) presented with Robert Alegre, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, and Jennifer Tuttle, Ph.D., professor of English and Dorothy M. Healy Chair of Literature and Health, on March 8, 2014, at the Maine Women's and Gender Studies Conference at the University of Maine - Augusta.

Cardinal, Peterson, Alegre and Tuttle presented a panel on “Humanities Approaches to Experiential Learning in Women’s and Gender Studies.” UNE students pursuing the minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, as well as UNE students more generally, have many opportunities for experiential learning outside the classroom; not surprisingly, given UNE’s association with the health sciences, recent examples focus on issues of women’s health, with students interning at Sexual Assault Services of Southern Maine and working to improve women’s health services in Sekondi, Ghana.  Less familiar are the opportunities for students to learn and apply practical skills via the humanities.

The presentations focused on two humanities internship examples: Cardinal's work for Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers, a venue for feminist literary history; and Peterson's work for AddVerb Productions, a nonprofit organization that uses performance to address a wide range of social issues, from domestic violence to LGBT youth culture.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.