Feminist Scholarship & Pedagogies at #NWSA2014

Last updated on: November 13, 2014 at 5:00 am by Caryn Riswold

Feminist Scholarship & Pedagogies at #NWSA2014 2014-11-11T13:09:49-07:00 Caryn Riswold

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

NWSA-2014 I’ve escaped the cold blast hitting the Midwest this week by heading to the National Women’s Studies Association annual conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Today, I am spending time in a workshop for Program Administrators and Developers, as a former chair and founding member of the Gender & Women’s Studies Program at Illinois College. I’m looking forward to spending time with other colleagues who share the challenges and opportunities of leading and shaping interdisciplinary programs that call for innovative teaching and learning at colleges and universities facing significant market challenges and cultural shifts.

I’ll be speaking on a panel that is specifically considering the NWSA’s Tenure and Promotion Guidelines for Women’s Studies, a statement on Women’s Studies Scholarship newly released by the organization with the goal “to both aid candidates in navigating these barriers while calling for change in institutional practices.” Having served as chair of a GWS Program for about five years, and now serving as chair of the college’s retention and promotion committee, I have some thoughts about the process and how scholars and teachers in women’s studies can talk about our work in ways that both meet and transform institutional and academic-cultural standards.

Specifically, several things that are distinctive about women’s studies as a field emerge in the guidelines. For scholars and educators in women’s studies, some of these things can be and have been impediments to navigating institutional tenure and promotion processes. This includes the fact that women’s studies has always been inter- and multi-disciplinary as a field, often causing tension between faculty navigating competing expectations of departments on campuses. The guidelines also note that women’s studies scholarship has often and taken place in unconventional forms, including new media and via partnership with community leaders. Finding a place within tenure and promotion criteria to value an essay co-authored with the director of the local homeless shelter based on students work in the community, or a hundred published pieces on a nationally read blog, proves to be a challenge at some institutions. Additionally, as the guidelines point out, those of us working in the field are inherently critical of systems of power and often likely to have our work viewed skeptically.

Rather than impediments, though, feminist scholarly and pedagogical strategies are the things that are shown to increase levels of student learning, student engagement, and the all important factor of student retention. This all in fact predated what the national academy now recognize as “high-impact educational practices.” The Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and its project on Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) highlights and discusses these things at length, including integrative learning in such models as learning communities, civic and community engagement, global learning and diversity, and collaborative learning. If candidates are able to frame their work in light of this national conversation, and institutions are able to understand the proven value of this work and alter their criteria appropriately, practices and processes can change in significant ways.

As I’d suggest has often been the case, feminists, scholars, and educators in women’s studies have been ahead of the curve on this one. It’s good to see that the national academy has seen the light.

Previous Post

November 11, 2014

“When Two People Love Each Other, What Right Do I Have...?”

Next Post

November 18, 2014 Band Aid 30: Colonial Christmas Is Back!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion At the Intersections Atheism Christianity Contraception Education Feminism Gender Getting Theological Honorable Mention Islam LGBT News Our Voices Race Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Elijah Jesus Moses