Women in PSIA Club

Posted: April 14, 2023 by Orla Fennell

The start of the spring 2023 semester in the classroom brought another "start" — the Political Science & International Affairs department started the Women in Political Science & International Affairs club. This club was founded by several of the PSIA department female faculty members including Dr. Armstrong-Williams, Dr. Kelly, Dr. Diaz-Kope, Dr. Wei, and Dr. Viman-Miller.

Dr. Kelly says she and her colleagues decided to start this club because quite simply: "Women are underrepresented in the fields of political science and international affairs. The purpose of this group is to help these young women through mentorship and collaboration with their peers. We want to do everything we can to help these women to be as successful as possible, both at UNG and beyond."

Our female faculty members founded this club in hopes of creating a space to have conversations about the challenges and opportunities women face in the field of Political Science & International Affairs. While the Club is open to everyone, the conversations and topics focused on in this club will be geared toward women.

The field of political science and international affairs is traditionally a field dominated by males; however, there are many women who over the years have not only made their way into the field but have been successful in it. This club provides current PSIA female students to engage with female PSIA faculty members who have made it into this field and learn tools to exceed in their future endeavors.

As an attendee of the first meeting of this club, and a student within the PSIA department, Orla Fennel, IA '23 is hopeful that this club "will not only provide me a safe space to talk about challenges that I as a female PSIA student face, but also provide me with valuable skills that I can take with me as I work towards completing my degree here at UNG, and beyond when I am in the workforce. As a woman, it can be hard to imagine a career in a field that you have only been introduced to by males, so this club, in my opinion, will have an immeasurable impact on female PSIA students."

"It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent."
-Madeleine Albright