women's studies Archives — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal

Gender Studies’ Value Is Under Question—And for Good Reason

Jan 30, 2019 · Carrie Lukas · No Comments

“Class discussions trend towards group-therapy sessions,” wrote Toni Airaksinen in 2016 for Quillette. At the time, she was studying at Barnard College and described moving from an initial infatuation with gender studies to seeing it as an “absurd intellectual alcove where objective truth is subordinate to academic theories used as political propaganda.” This lack of … Continue reading “Gender Studies’ Value Is Under Question—And for Good Reason”

How the Academy Is Failing Feminism

Apr 10, 2017 · Shannon Watkins · 31 Comments

Christina Hoff Sommers, also known as YouTube’s “Factual Feminist,” spoke last Wednesday at UNC Chapel Hill. Her talk, titled “The Failures of Feminism,” was sponsored by the UNC College Republicans. The former philosophy professor and author of Who Stole Feminism: How Women Have Betrayed Women lamented how, in her view, the academy is radicalizing feminism … Continue reading “How the Academy Is Failing Feminism”

Why you should think twice about majoring in women’s studies and theatre arts

Oct 8, 2014 · Jenna A. Robinson · 1 Comment

Why you should think twice about majoring in women’s studies and theatre arts

The Feminist Retreat

Jan 16, 2014 · Jane S. Shaw · No Comments

It is hard to find a legitimate justification for women’s studies.

A Decade of Reform (Proposals, That Is)

Jan 1, 2014 · Jane S. Shaw · No Comments

The ideas we proposed over the past ten years may be implemented in the next ten.

The Breakdown of American Education and the Hopes for Change Jul 8, 2020
America’s system of education has failed in one of its most important goals: forming future generations of American citizens. This is particularly true in higher education, where students are encouraged to become “global citizens” instead of Americans. At many of our institutions of higher learning, character education has been replaced by moral relativism at the … Continue reading “The Breakdown of American Education and the Hopes for Change”
UNC-Chapel Hill Officially Teaches What to Think, Not How to Think Jul 6, 2020
When the University of North Carolina leadership and the state’s legislators capitulated to the frenzied mob that toppled a statue of a Confederate Army soldier at the entrance to the UNC-Chapel Hill Campus in 2018, they likely thought they were putting an unpleasant issue to rest. After all, the continual protests, riots, and confrontations over … Continue reading “UNC-Chapel Hill Officially Teaches What to Think, Not How to Think”
Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic Jul 3, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an equalizer among parents of school-aged children across the United States. As Americans learn to juggle jobs, families, and their children’s education, this experience is revealing what “normal” looks like for many college students who have done the same long before the pandemic hit. In 2015, for example, my brother … Continue reading “Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic”

UNC-Chapel Hill Officially Teaches What to Think, Not How to Think Jul 6, 2020
When the University of North Carolina leadership and the state’s legislators capitulated to the frenzied mob that toppled a statue of a Confederate Army soldier at the entrance to the UNC-Chapel Hill Campus in 2018, they likely thought they were putting an unpleasant issue to rest. After all, the continual protests, riots, and confrontations over … Continue reading “UNC-Chapel Hill Officially Teaches What to Think, Not How to Think”
Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones Jul 2, 2020
The term “free speech zone” can be misleading. While the name implies a policy that promotes free expression, free speech zones do the opposite. They confine political demonstrations to a small, often secluded, area on campus and typically require students to get advance permission to demonstrate. In Oregon, a pro-life group, Students for Life, filed … Continue reading “Did You Know? The Decline of Free Speech Zones”
Activist Academics Threaten the Integrity of Higher Ed Jun 19, 2020
The rise of activist professors has shaped the culture in higher ed for decades. As activists have become more prominent, a familiar process has changed academic departments, pushing scholars out and replacing them with professors who think in political terms and prioritize social change. A new Martin Center policy brief, ‘Witches’ and ‘Viruses:’ The Activist-Academic … Continue reading “Activist Academics Threaten the Integrity of Higher Ed”

The Breakdown of American Education and the Hopes for Change Jul 8, 2020
America’s system of education has failed in one of its most important goals: forming future generations of American citizens. This is particularly true in higher education, where students are encouraged to become “global citizens” instead of Americans. At many of our institutions of higher learning, character education has been replaced by moral relativism at the … Continue reading “The Breakdown of American Education and the Hopes for Change”
UNC-Chapel Hill Officially Teaches What to Think, Not How to Think Jul 6, 2020
When the University of North Carolina leadership and the state’s legislators capitulated to the frenzied mob that toppled a statue of a Confederate Army soldier at the entrance to the UNC-Chapel Hill Campus in 2018, they likely thought they were putting an unpleasant issue to rest. After all, the continual protests, riots, and confrontations over … Continue reading “UNC-Chapel Hill Officially Teaches What to Think, Not How to Think”
Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic Jul 3, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an equalizer among parents of school-aged children across the United States. As Americans learn to juggle jobs, families, and their children’s education, this experience is revealing what “normal” looks like for many college students who have done the same long before the pandemic hit. In 2015, for example, my brother … Continue reading “Covid-19 College Shutdowns: Making Professors More Empathetic”