The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Dr. Shauntey James, educator and leadership trainer, as the next speaker in its 2017-2018 Distinguished Lecturer Series on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
During her talk, titled Female Leaders: Moving Beyond the Chattel Status, James will tackle issues around women’s status within society, just ahead of Women’s History Month. Historically, James stated, women have been labeled and traded as property, or chattel, within society. She will pull back the curtain to explore the reality and myths of whether women are still property.
“With the evolution of time, the question becomes: are women still chattel within society or is the label only used with a ‘certain type’ of women?” she said. “Is the chattel label reserved to marginalize certain populations into certain categories of work, education, and within other arenas? Or is the chattel status so engrained within society that we—society—do not recognize the impact of the label?”
During her visit to UMPI, Dr. James will take part in several classroom visits to engage in co-learning experiences.
Dr. James holds a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University and a J.D. from WMU’s Thomas Cooley Law School. Over the past 15 years, she has taught courses in criminal justice, sociology, gender and justice, and drug and alcohol abuse at colleges across the country, such as the University of Dayton, Walsh University, and Briar Cliff University. She has received numerous teaching awards, was named to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and served as the President of the Ohio Council of Criminal Justice Education. She is currently a faculty member in the Criminal Justice Department at Lindenwood University-Belleville.
Her training includes being an Oxford Round Table delegate, focusing on interactions among individuals. Her analysis includes the usage of particular vocabulary in a variety of settings. She has presented on the local, state, national and international level. Her training also includes leadership training within the John Maxwell model. Dr. James is certified within this model. Her reach in leadership training ranges from working with churches to large corporations. Leadership skills impact various aspects of an individual’s life. Without the skill-set, she said, a leader is spinning his or her wheels and not achieving intended goals.
The University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series was established in 1999. Each year, the UDLS Committee sponsors four to six speakers who come from Maine and beyond, representing a range of disciplines and viewpoints. While the emphasis tends to be on featuring visiting academics, it is not exclusively so. The speakers typically spend two days at the University meeting with classes and presenting a community lecture.
UMPI welcomes the campus and the community to hear Dr. James speak on Feb. 28. For more information about this event, contact the University’s Community and Media Relations Office at (207) 768-9452 or email umpi@maine.edu.
