Debates are key to learning. Whether textbooks are valid or not, or whether the discipline itself is slanted ideologically or not, these questions make for academic progress.
A recent essay is accusing women's studies programs of catering to an ideological agenda instead of an academic one, along with accusing women's studies textbooks of publishing information that could be misleading to students within the discipline.
Christine Stolba, a senior fellow for the Independent Women's Forum, published an essay entitled "Lying in a Room of One's Own: How Women's Studies Textbooks Miseducate Students." In it she outlines statistical and theoretical discrepancies within women's studies textbooks, two of which are used at Ball State.
"I think these texts are misleading because in a larger sense, too many women's studies professors see their mission as promoting feminism rather than promoting critical humanities education," Stolba said.
This kind of academic debate is nothing new to women's studies. Kim Jones-Owen, professor and director of the women's studies program, has seen many people and essays criticizing women's studies programs and textbooks.
"I think women's studies experience more criticism than that experienced by other disciplines," Jones-Owen said.
Among academic disciplines, women's studies is still fairly new to the fold. Therefore it is to be expected that debates about the programs will arise.
Students should question what they learn and form opinions based on the teachings of others. The women's studies program is fortunate that people are raising questions. Stolba is fortunate that she has a department that is willing to hear the argument.
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