Wendy Chapkis

Wendy Chapkis is the author of many articles in the area of gender and sexuality including "Soft Glove, Punishing Fist: the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000" (in the anthology "Regulating Sex," Bernstein and Schaffner eds, Routledge 2004), "Trafficking, Migration, and the Law: Protecting Innocents, Punishing Immigrants," (in the journal "Gender & Society," 2003), and "Power and Control in the Commercial Sex Trade," (in the anthology "Sex For Sale", Weitzer ed., Routledge 2000). She has also edited two anthologies ("Loaded Questions: women in the military," and "Of Common Cloth: women in the global textile industry," co-edited with Cynthia Enloe, both published in the 1980s by TNI/IPS) and has authored two books in the area of gender and sexuality ("Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor," Routledge 1997 and "Beauty Secrets: Women and the Politics of Appearance," South End Press 1986).

Her current research is in the area of drug policy; in this field, she has published several articles including "Mothers Milk and the Muffin Man: grassroots innovations in medical marijuana delivery systems" (co-authored by Richard J. Webb and published in the journal of "Ethnicity in Substance Abuse,'" 2005) and "Cannabis, Consciousness and Healing" (in the journal "Contemporary Justice Review," 2007); she is also the co-author (with Richard J. Webb) of the book "Dying to Get High: marijuana as medicine" (New York University Press 2008).

At the University of Southern Maine, Professor Chapkis teaches a range of courses in both Women & Gender Studies and in Sociology including: "Women, Knowledge and Power," "Politics of Difference," "Sociology of the Body," and "Critical Thinking about Social Issues." She has served both as the Director of Women & Gender Studies and as the Chair of the Department of Sociology.

Education

Ph.D., University of California, 1995
M.A., University of California at Santa Cruz, 1989
B.A., University of California at Santa Cruz, 1977

Areas of Specialization

Courses Taught

Critical Thinking About Social Issues (SOC 210)
Women, Knowledge and Power (WST 280)
Sociology of the Body (SOC 365)
Politics of Difference (WST 380)
Internship (SOC 295 and WST 485)
Contemporary Dutch Society (international summer course taught at University of Nijmegen)

Select Publications

Books

Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor, Routledge, 1997
Beauty Secrets: Women and the Politics of Appearance, South End Press, 1986

Articles

"Soft Glove, Punishing Fist: the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000." Regulating Sex. Ed.Bernstein and Schaffner. Routledge, 2004 "Trafficking, Migration, and the Law: Protecting Innocents, Punishing Immigrants." Gender & Society (2003)

Reviews