First there was the Women's Movement. Then there was
Women's Studies. Or was it really that way? To some it seems
there's an unbridgeable gap between the two worlds, the
academy and the community. We suspect there's been a lot of
mutual nourishing and learning going on.
While some university departments may hide behind the
"ivy-covered walls," many Women's Studies programs and classes
have been reaching out to learn from and work with the women
of their communities. Through "service learning," internships,
or community projects, teachers try to make sure students have
some real-world experience to put their classroom learning
into perspective, enlarge their worldviews. Students struggle
to understand how racism, classism, sexism, and many other
isms interact beyond the walls of the classroom. Special
efforts seek to connect the efforts of community activists
with the resources of the university.
We haven't found a lot in the literature, however, to
document these programs, so we'd like to put together a
special issue that can serve as both resource and inspiration
to those interested in tackling such projects. How have
Women's Studies faculty and programs connected meaningfully
with non-university women in the nearby community or beyond?
What kinds of efforts have worked best, been most helpful for
either/both groups? Have some efforts encouraged community
women to take on more schooling? Have programs been equally
successful in bringing women into the university and in moving
out into the community? What curriculum materials have been
developed in support of academic/community partnerships? We're
looking for different perspectives - those of students,
instructors, internship supervisors, community members, in the
U.S. and elsewhere.
A special issue of FEMINIST COLLECTIONS: A QUARTERLY OF
WOMEN'S STUDIES RESOURCES, planned for the Spring of 1999,
will publish a selection of pieces about Women's
Studies/Community Connections. Please send abstracts of up to
200 words by Oct. 1, 1998. Articles selected for inclusion
will be due Feb. 1, 1999. Length limited to 1,500 words.
Please submit abstracts by email to shult@doit.wisc.edu
or to Editors, FEMINIST COLLECTIONS, 430 Memorial Library, 728
State St., Madison, WI 53706. Be sure to include your name,
affiliation, full mailing address, phone (and fax) numbers,
and email address with your abstract.
For more information about FEMINIST COLLECTIONS, visit
http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/fcmain.htm
Linda Shult and Phyllis Holman Weisbard
Co-Editors, FEMINIST COLLECTIONS
[posted by Linda Purrington, TIXA, lpurring@earthlink.net]