By Shana Heiser Arizona Daily Wildcats International participants, speakers will evaluate past, look to future The first women's studies conference at the UA begins today in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the women's studies department. The important thing to think about is how women's studies has grown dramatically from not even having an office 25 years ago, now to being a full department with a graduate program. The conference comes at a time when changes are occurring politically and socially at UA and internationally, and women's studies needs to respond to the changing environment, Kennedy said.
People tend to think of women's studies as progressive and liberal.
When it's institutionalized in academia, it becomes a conservative phenomena. The two-day conference aims to answer three questions for the 21st century, Kennedy said. We need to examine how women and men relate in the world. The conference will also bring together the country's top scholars to explore the relationship of women's studies with community groups, intersections between gender, race, class, ethnicity and border issues, said Caryl Flinn, committee member and associate professor. It will draw attention to the program and university, to women's studies, we'll be making a publication of the proceedings.