Professor Kalsem joined the faculty of UC's College of Law in 2001. With Professor Verna Williams, she co-directs the university's joint-degree program in Law and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, a pioneer program for which the College of Law is nationally known. She also is a co-director of the College's Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice. Professor Kalsem teaches in the areas of commercial law, bankruptcy, feminist legal theory, and law and literature. In 2003 and 2010, she received the Goldman Prize for Teaching Excellence.
Prior to joining the UC faculty, Professor Kalsem taught at the University of Iowa's College of Law and Department of English while completing her doctoral studies. Her interdisciplinary scholarship on 19th-century women and the law was supported by numerous fellowships and grants, including a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Grant and an American Fellowship from the Association of University Women. Professor Kalsem continues to write in the areas of women's legal history and the cultural study of law and her book In Contempt: Nineteenth-Century Women, Law, and Literature is forthcoming from The Ohio State University Press. She also writes about issues of gender, race, and class in the contexts of bankruptcy reform and consumer protection. Her scholarship has been published in such journals as the Harvard Women's Law Journal, the Southern California Review of Law and Women's Studies, and the UCLA Women's Law Journal.
Professor Kalsem has presented papers at national and international conferences, including meetings of the Law and Society Association and the Association of Law, Culture, and the Humanities. She has served as chair of the American Association of Law School's Section of Law and the Humanities and currently sits on the Executive Board of the Section.
Prior to teaching, Professor Kalsem practiced law in Chicago with the law firm Sidley & Austin.
Publications
- Social Justice Feminism, 18 UCLA Women's L.J. ___ (2009) (with Verna L. Williams)
- Book Review, 25 Law & History Review 659 (2007) (reviewing Morris Kaplan, Sodom on the Thames: Sex, Love, and Scandal in Wilde Times (2005))
- Bankruptcy Reform and the Financial Well-Being of Women: How Intersectionality Matters in Money Matters, 71 Brook. L. Rev. 1181 (2006)
- Law, Literature, and Libel: Victorian Censorship of "Dirty Filthy" Books on Birth Control, 10 Wm. & Mary J. Women & Law 533 (2004)
- Looking for Law in All the "Wrong" Places: Outlaw Texts and Early Women's Advocacy, 13 S. Cal. Rev. Law & Women's Studies 273 (2004)
- Women's Work Is Never Done: Employment, Family, and Activism: An Introduction, 73 U. Cin. L. Rev. 361 (2004) (symposium) (with Verna L. Williams)
- Alice in Legal Wonderland: A Cross-Examination of Gender, Race, and Empire in Victorian Law and Literature, 24 Harv. Women's L.J. 221 (2001)
- In Defense of "Murderous Mothers": Feminist Jurisprudence in Frances Trollope's Jessie Phillips, 5 J. of Victorian Culture 179 (2000)
Articles, Essays & Book Reviews
Presentations
- Social Justice Feminism, National Women's Studies Association Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio (2008)
- Social Justice Feminism: Words, Movements, Theory, Practice, Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities, Berkeley, California (2008)
- Social Justice Feminism, Feminist Legal Theories and Feminisms Conference, University of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland (2008)
- Bankruptcy Reform: Challenging Statutory Interpretations, Cincinnati Bar Association, Cincinnati, Ohio (2007)
- Social Justice Feminism: Historical Perspectives, Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania (2007)
- Statutory Interpretation and the BAPCPA, Cincinnati Bar Association, Cincinnati, Ohio (2006)
- Still More Stories To Tell: Intimate Partner Abuse and Education, Keynote Address, Rape Crisis & Abuse Center Annual Meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio (2006)
- Barriers to Women's Financial Well-Being, Women's Leadership Conference, Oxford, England (2006)
- Bankruptcy Reform and the Financial Well-Being of Women, St. Louis University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri (2006)
- Critical Perspectives on Commercial Law and Bankruptcy: A Re-Envisioned Reform Agenda, Tenth Annual Latcrit Conference, Puerto Rico (2005)
- Bankruptcy Reform and Consumer Protection: How Gender Matters In Money Matters, University of Iowa, Invited Speaker Series, Iowa City, Iowa (2005)
- An Intersectional Analysis of Bankruptcy Reform, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois (2005)
- Sex, Lies, and the Bankruptcy Code, Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities, Austin, Texas (2005)
- Law, Literature, and Libel: Victorian Censorship of ‘Dirty Filthy' Books on Birth Control, Law and Society Association, Chicago, Illinois (2004)
- Looking For Law in All the ‘Wrong' Places: Outlaw Texts and Early Women's Advocacy, Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities, Hartford, Connecticut (2004)
- Outlaw Texts and Narrative Advocacy, Brigham Young University College of Law, Provo, Utah (2003)
- Women's Legal Herstories: Nineteenth-Century Publication of Private Wrongs, Subversive Legacies: Learning From History/Constructing the Future, University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas (2002)
- Outlaw Texts: Nineteenth-Century Novels That Don't Police, Law and Society Association, Vancouver, British Columbia (2002)
- Feminist Jurisprudence: A ‘Novel' Approach to Law and Literature, Law and Society Association, Chicago, Illinois (1999)
- ‘Delicate Matters For Mothers Alone': Family Planning in Jane Clapperton's Margaret Dunmore: or, A Socialist Home, Dickens Project Winter Conference, University of California, Riverside (1998)
- The Spectacle of White Queens: A Cross-Examination of Women, Law, Power, and Empire, Victorian Studies Association of Western Canada, University of Northern British Columbia, St. George, British Columbia (1997)
- In Defense of ‘Murderous Mothers': Feminist Jurisprudence in Frances Trollope's Jessie Phillips: A Tale of the Present Day, Midwest Modern Language Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1996)
- The Wife's Lament: A Riddle of Her Own, Medieval Association of the Midwest, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan (1995)
Courses
- Bankruptcy
- Feminist Jurisprudence
- Law, Literature & Feminism
- Secured Transactions
Awards
- 1999-2000 Woodrow Wilson Award
- The AAUW American Fellowship 1999-2000
- Ballard Fellowship. Dissertation-Year Ward, 1999-2000
- 2010 Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching
- 2003 Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching
- 2000 Best Published Essay Prize, University of Iowa
- 1999 Walter L. Arnstein P+rize for Dissertation Research in Victorian Studies, Midwest Victorian Studies Association
- 1998 John Gerber Teaching Award, University of Iowa
- 1996 Midwest Women's Caucus Distinguished Paper Award
October 2011
Kristin was invited to speak at a symposium at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, on the question of “What is social justice?”, as part of its Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights. She discussed her work on “Social Justice Feminism” (co-authored with Verna Williams).
The Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice, which Kristin, Emily Houh, and Verna Williams direct, co-sponsored with the Urban Morgan Institute the Butler Human Rights Lecture, which was given by Professor Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (2011).
The Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice hosted Jacqueline A. Berrien, Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, at its fall luncheon event on October 28 at the Netherland Hilton in downtown Cincinnati. Read more in Sherry English,EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien to Speak on Employment Opportunities in the 21st Century, UC News, October 20, 2011.
Kristin, a member of this year’s faculty appointments committee, attended the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) recruiting conference in Washington, D.C., on October 14 & 15.
Summer 2011
In June, Kristin served as the the chair and discussant of a panel entitled, Art and Intervention, at the 2011 Law and Society Association (LSA) Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
In August, Kristin and colleague Emily Houh presented to the law faculty, “A ‘Law and Action Research’ Study of Fringe Banking: From the Ground Up,” which they are co-authoring, as part of the College’s Summer 2011 Faculty Workshop series. .
Kristin recently completed a manuscript entitled, A Law and Literature Approach to Stumped by Debora Threedy. The manuscript will be published along with the original play Stumped. The play and Krstin’s response will be submitted to law reviews this fall for publication.
May 2011
Kristen’s article, Bankruptcy Reform and the Financial Well-being of Women: How Intersectionality Matters in Money Matters, 71 Brook. L. Rev. 1181 (2006) was cited in Jim Hawkins, Regulating on the Fringe: Reexamining the Link Between Fringe Banking and Financial Distress, 86 Ind. L.J. 1361 (2011).
April 2011
Kristin presented on a panel entitled Gender, Law, and Literature at the Annual Conference for the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice (RGSJ Center), which Kristin directs with Professors Emily Houh and Verna Williams, presented several programs in April:
- · A panel discussion, co-sponsored with APALSA, BLSA, and LLSA, titled The UC Diversity Plan Task Force: Mission, Research, and Findings, featuring Terry Kershaw, Head of UC’s Department of Africana Studies; and Debra Merchant, Director, Academic Excellence and Support Services; and moderated by Joel Chanvisanuruk, Director of Academic Success for the College of Law’s Center for Professional Development. The panelists, of UC’s Diversity Task Force, discussed UC’s commitment to excellence is a diverse community of students, scholars, and staff and how it is measuring up to its ambitious vision, most recently articulated in UC2019. Specifically, they addressed the Task Force’s mission, research, and findings regarding students, faculty, staff, and environment, as well proposed initiatives to increase diversity at UC.
- · A presentation titled, Sexual Rights and the Global Governance of Intimacy, featuring Amy Lind, Mary Ellen Heintz Associate Professor, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Dr. Lind’s presentation described her ongoing work on struggles for sexual rights and gender justice in global perspective, with an emphasis on feminist and sexual rights movements in the global South.
March 2011
The Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice (RGSJ Center), which Kristin directs with Professors Emily Houh and Verna Williams, presented several programs in March:
The 2011 Judge-in-Residence lecture by the Honorable Wilhelmina Wright, “Lawyers as Public Servants: Facing Today’s Challenges with Ingenuity Inspired by a Commitment to Service” - co-sponsored with the Judge-in-Residence program, run by Professor Marianna Bettman;
·A panel discussion titled, “Return to the Model Minority Myth,” featuring College alumnae Andrea Yang (‘o8), Jenn Dye (’10), and Professor Emily Houh, and moderated by Professor Josh Chambers-Letson of the English and Comparative Literature Department – co-sponsored with the College’s APALSA chapter;
·As part of the RGSJ Center’s “Coffee Corner” series, a presentation by N. Jeremi Duru, a professor at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, on his new book Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL (2011); and
· A Coffee Corner presentation by Adrian Parr, a professor in UC’s Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and its School of Architecture and Interior Design at DAAP, on “Sustainability Movements: The Intersection of Environmental and Social Justice.”
February 2011
The College’s Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice—which Kristin directs with Emily Houh and Verna Williams—sponsored a “Coffee Corner” discussion with Wayne McKenzie, Director of the Prosecution and Justice Project with the Vera Institute of Justice (based in New York). The Center also sponsored a panel discussion on the causes, consequences, and cures of racial and ethnic disproportionality in conviction and incarceration rates, featuring Mr. McKenzie, Steve Tolbert (Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office), and Janaya Trotter (Ritter & Randolph, LLC), and moderated by Janet Moore, Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of Law.
January 2011
The College of Law’s Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice—which Kristin co-directs with Emily Houh and Verna Williams—hosted the first in a series of new “Coffee Corner” discussion sessions, to which a diverse range of local and national activists, leaders, and authors have been invited to meet and talk informally with College of Law students about their social justice work. At the first Coffee Corner in January, Barb Rinto and Kim Fulbright, Director and Program Coordinator, respectively, of the University of Cincinnati’s Women’s Center, spoke to students and community members about the work they’ve been doing since 1978 to “meet the needs and interests of UC’s women and LGBTQ students, staff and faculty.” Several more Coffee Corner sessions have been planned and are in the works for the remainder of the Spring 2011 term.
December 2010
Kristin and Verna William’s article, Social Justice Feminism, 18 UCLA Women's L.J. 131 (2010), is now in print.
Kristin completed an invited book review of Susan Sage Heinzelman’s Riding the Black Ram: Law, Literature, and Gender, for the American Journal of Legal History.
Kristin gave a CLE presentation in November at the Cincinnati Bar Association, titled “A Fresh Start … Really? Limits on the Discharge in Bankruptcy.”
October 2010
Kristin’s book, In Contempt: Nineteenth Century Women, Law, and Literature, has been accepted for publication by the Ohio State University Press. Hearty congratulations to Kristin!
The College’s new Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice, of which Kristin is co-director (along with Verna Williams and Emily Houh), celebrated its official launch with a luncheon event in downtown Cincinnati, where Tina Tchen, Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, delivered keynote remarks to over 200 attendees.
Kristin attended the annual Association of American Law Schools Faculty Recruitment Conference in Washington, D.C.
September 2010
Kristin’s article, Social Justice Feminism, U of Cincinnati Public Law Research Paper No. 08-14, co-authored with Verna Williams, was cited in Martha Chamallas, Rhetoric & Relevance: An Investigation into the Present and Future of Feminist Legal Theory, 17 Mich. J. Gender & L. 157 (2010). Social Justice Feminism is forthcoming in the UCLA Women’s Law Journal in 2010.
Summer 2010
Kristin’s article Bankruptcy Reform and the Financial Well-being of Women: How Intersectionality Matters in Money Matters, 71 Brook. L. Rev. 1181 (2006), was cited in Mona Lewandoski, Barred from Bankruptcy: Recently Incarcerated Debtors in and Outside Bankruptcy, 34 N.Y.U. Rev. L. & Soc. Change 191 (2010).
May 2010
Kristin received the Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
April 2010
Kristin, Emily Houh, and Verna Williams spoke at UCLA on a panel on Intersectionality in Action at the 4th Annual Critical Race Studies Symposium on Intersectionality.
Summer 2009
Kristin presented In Contempt: 19th Century Women, Law, and Literature as part of the 13th Annual UC Faculty Summer Scholarship Series. Her article, Bankruptcy Reform and the Financial Well-being of Women: How Intersectionality Matters in Money Matters, 71 Brook. L. Rev. 1181 (2006), was cited in Andrew P. MacArthur, Pay to Play: The Poor's Problems in the BAPCPA, 25 Emory Bankr. Dev. J. 407 (2009).
June 2009
Kristin’s article, Bankruptcy Reform and the Financial Well-being of Women: How Intersectionality Matters in Money Matters, 71 Brook. L. Rev. 1181 (2006), was cited in Mitchell F. Crusto, Unconscious Classism: Entity Equality for Sole Proprietors, 11 U. Pa. J. Const. L. 215 (2009).
May 2009
Kristin’s article, Alice in Legal Wonderland: A Cross-Examination of Gender, Race, and Empire in Victorian Law and Literature, 24 Harv. Women's L. J. 221 (2001), was cited in Ruthann Robson, A Servant of One's Own: The Continuing Class Struggle in Feminist Legal Theories and Practices, 23 Berkeley J. Gender L. & Just. 392 (2008) (reviewing Alison Light, Mrs. Woolf and the Servants: An Intimate History of Domestic Life in Bloomsbury (2008)).
November 2008
The Freedom Center Journal, which is advised by Kristin, Verna Williams and Emily Houh, held a discussion of Pamela Bridgewater's article, Connectedness and Closeted Questions: The Use of History in Developing Feminist Legal Theory, dealing with reproductive rights and intersection of race, class, and gender.
Kristin's article, Looking for the Law in All the 'Wrong' Places: Outlaw Texas and Early Women's Advocacy", 13 S. Cal. Rev. Law & Women's Stud. 273 (2004), was cited in Renee Newman Knake, Beyond Atticus Finch; Lessons on Ethics and Morality from Lawyers and Judges in Postcolonial Literature, 32 J. Legal Prof. 37 (2008).
Summer 2008
Kristin's article, Social Justice Feminism, 19 UCLA Women's L.J. ___ (2008) (with Verna Williams), was cited in Megan Ryan, ed., Comments from the Spring 2007 Harvard Journal of Law & Gender Conference, 31 Harv. J. L. & Gender 378 (2008).
May 2008
Kristin's article, Social Justice Feminism (with Verna Williams) was accepted for publication in the UCLA Women's Law Journal and featured on Larry Solum's Legal Theory Blog.
April 2008
Kristin completed a new article, Social Justice Feminism (with Verna WIlliams). She and Verna presented Social Justice Feminism: Words, Movements, Theory and Practice at the 11th Annual Meeting Association for the Study of Law, Culture & the Humanities at Boalt Hall.
February 2008
Kristin attended the AALS Annual Meeting in New York City.
November 2007
Kristin's book review of Morris B. Kaplan, Sodom on the Thames: Sex, Love, and Scandal in Wilde Times, (Cornell University Press., 2005), was published in 25 Law & Hist. Rev. 659 (2007).
Kristin, Emily Houh, and Verna Williams organized and hosted the inaugural symposium of the Freedom Center Journal, Reconstructions: Historical Consciousness and Critical Transformation. Speakers included:
- Pamela Bridgewater (American)
- Alfred Brophy (Alabama)
- Courtney Cahill (Roger Williams)
- James Campbell (Brown)
- Christine Zuni Cruz (New Mexico)
- Adrienne Davis (North Carolina)
- Katherine Franke (Columbia)
- Angela Harris (UC-Berkeley)
- Kevin Noble Mallard (Syracuse)
- Margaret Montoya (New Mexico)
- Natsu Taylor Saito (Georgia State)
Kristin participated in the Alumni Teach-In Day, as Lea Webb (Class of 2001), Web & Pillich (Cincinnati, OH), taught her Feminist Jurisprudence Class.
Please see Faculty News Archives for earlier issues.