For and about Women: The Theory and Practice of Women's Studies in the United States

Thinking Outside the Master's House: New Knowledge Movements and the Emergence of Academic Disciplines

“…To begin with, they both clearly display a series of goals, core among them the development of new forms of knowledge, but extending beyond that goal and in fact including a commitment to collective intellectual work that helped spur the collectivist consciousness so important to movement impacts (Boxer 1982). They also both clearly consist of a set of political outsiders working collectively in pursuit of those goals: even today, women make up less than 40%…”

“…Scholar-activists say that "since 'feminist activity made women's studies possible, women's studies must in turn make feminist activity possible'" (Kaye 1978, as quoted in Boxer 1982). Some scholars of women's studies and the history of the women's movement (Feldman 1982;McMartin 1993) have come to see women's studies as the "institutionalized arm" of the women's movement.…”

Strong identities and endorsement of human rights: Conflictive or complementary?

“…The rise of gender studies is a good example of how groups who have been discriminated against can contribute greatly to academic discourses and academia itself (Boxer 1982). Finally, the mindset of identity as an eternal work in progress should be nourished.…”

Feminist Pedagogy and the Socratic Method: Partners in the Classroom or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?

“…The question arose, then, as to the compatibility of the Socratic method and a feminist pedagogical approach. On one hand, the Socratic method seems inline with two key aspects of feminist pedagogy: 1) the use of discussions as a means of validating personal experience and helping students develop confidence (Lee, 1989;Stake & Hoffman, 2000), and 2) the questioning of ideas that may be taken for granted or assumed to be settled matters (Boxer, 1982). On the other hand, students reported feeling uncomfortable with and attacked by the Socratic method, thus undermining the feminist approach.…”

“…Third, by creating a safe space for students to express their views and challenge the claims of the professor and fellow classmates, students develop confidence in themselves and their abilities (Stake & Hoffman, 2000). Finally, discussions allow students to question the taken-for-granted and dissect "settled matters," especially those that are socially constructed (Boxer, 1982;Pereira, 2012). As such, students become "empowered knowledge-producers" rather than "passive knowledge-consumers" (Chow, Fleck, Fan, Joseph, & Lyter, 2003, p. 260).…”