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Sharra Vostral
RESEARCH
Recent Course Offerings
​Teaching
​I have taught a variety of courses in the departments of Science & Technology Studies, History, Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and American Studies, that focus upon gender, technology, medicine, and health. I like to use material culture as a basis to explore cultures, politics, power, and identity.
Recent
Articles​
“Periods and the Menstrualscape: Menstrual Products and Menstrual Manifestations in Scotland, 1870-2020.” In The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty, eds. Bettina Bildhauer, Camilla Rostvik, Sharra Vostral, Open Library of Humanities 8.2 (2022). doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/olh.6347
"Introduction: The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 in the Context of Menstrual Politics and History,” with Bettina Bildhauer and Camilla Mørk Røstvik. In The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty, eds. Bettina Bildhauer, Camilla Rostvik, Sharra Vostral, Open Library of Humanities, 8.2 (2022).. doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/olh.8159​
“Briefing Paper: Assessing the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 as Model Menstruation Legislation,” with Bettina Bildhauer and Camilla Mørk Røstvik. In The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty, eds. Bettina Bildhauer, Camilla Rostvik, Sharra Vostral, Open Library of Humanities 8.2 (2022). https://doi.org/10.16995/olh.9129
“Of Mice and (Wo)Men: Tampons, Materials, and Testing,” in The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstrual Studies, Chris Bobel, ed. London: Palgrave (March 2020). DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-0614-7_50
“Archive as Laboratory: Engaging STEM Students & STEM Collections,” with Tracy Grimm, Engineering Studies 11.2 (2019): 135-152.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19378629.2019.1651731
"Toxic Shock Syndrome, Tampon Absorbency, and Feminist Science," Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience 3.1 (2017): 1-30.
"Toxic Shock Syndrome, Tampons and Laboratory Standard-Setting,” Canadian Medical Association Journal 189.20 (May 23, 2017): E726-E728. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.161479

“Rely and Toxic Shock Syndrome: A Technological Health Crisis,” Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 84.4 (December 2011): 447-459.

"‘Selling’ Women: Lillian Gilbreth, Gender Translation, and Intellectual Property,” with Rayvon Fouché, “Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law 19.3 (2011): 825-850.

“Advice to Adolescents: Menstrual Health and Menstrual Education Films, 1946-1982,” in Gender, Health and Popular Culture: Historical Perspectives, Cheryl Warsh, ed. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier Press (2011).

“Period Piece” and “Period: The End of Menstruation?” Films for the Feminist Classroom, Signs 2.2 (Fall 2010).

“How to Add Feminist Approaches into Design Courses,” with Deana McDonagh, in Design Principles & Practices: An International Journal 4.4 (2010): 113-127.

“A Feminist Inventor’s Studio,” with Deana McDonagh, in Feminist Technology, Linda L. Layne, Sharra Vostral and Kate Boyer, eds. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2010.

“Tampons: Re-Scripting Technologies as Feminist,” in Feminist Technology, Linda L. Layne, Sharra Vostral and Kate Boyer, eds. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2010.
HIST 303 Food in Modern America
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HIST 313 Medical Devices & Innovation
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HIST 314 STEM & Gender
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HIST 315 American Beauty
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HIST 495 Material Culture
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HIST 651 Historical Readings; Science, Technology & Society
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Affiliations
Education
Ph.D. History. Washington University in St. Louis, 2000.
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M.A. History. Washington University in St. Louis, 1994.
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M.A. American Studies. St. Louis University, 1992.
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B.A. Comparative Religion (with honors). University of Michigan Ann Arbor, 1990.
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