Abstract

Assessments of the discipline of Women's Studies must account for the location of those who claim to speak in its name. Most who work within the discipline are located in institutions with heavy teaching loads, "high needs" students, administrative mandates that limit the content or scope of their programs, and without the resources—particularly time for research and reflection—that would allow them to contribute to a conversation on assessment. Not surprisingly, then, most commentary on the discipline of Women's Studies comes from those located in what Carnegie classifies as Doctoral Research Universities—Extensive. We offer our own experiences of Women's Studies at a small, secular, liberal arts college as an example that complicates previous assessments based on limited perspectives borne of particular locations. Issues include institutionalization, pedagogical practices, and disciplinary objects and labels. The process of assessing the discipline requires the input of many voices in addition to what has heretofore been published, including our own. Therefore, we conclude with a call for contributions to a forum in the summer 2005 issue of NWSA Journal titled "The Politics of Feminist Locations."

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