A panel discussion on “hot topics” in the field of Women’s Studies was held in the Campus Center yesterday. The discussion, sponsored by the Women’s Studies Department, was the first in a series of planned discussions on current debates in the field.

Panel speakers were German Professor Sara Lennox, English Professors Deborah Carlin, Margo Culley, and Radha Radhakrishnan, and Rhonda Cobham-Sander, a professor of English and Black Studies at Amherst College. The discussion was moderated by Lee Edwards, Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

The session commenced with each speaker being given five minutes to discuss hot topics in their specific fields. Among the topics mentioned were cultural studies, hybridization, and the concept of “women’s studies” as opposed to “feminist studies.”

Carlin spoke about her research in the field of queer theory. She mentioned a work by queer theorist Suzanna Danuta Walters, titled, “From Here to Queer: Radical Feminism, Postmodernism, and the Lesbian Menace [Or, Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Fag?”] In the piece, Walters describes her concerns about the future of queer theory.

“I was happy to see that many of the concerns she raises have not come to fruition in the way she worried they would,” Carlin said.

She stated that while Walters expressed doubts that the queer canon would include writers of color, Carlin’s own research found that this was not the case.

“Queer people of color have complicated our notions of inclusion and identity,” Carlin said, describing the qualities of their contributions to the field.

Culley spoke about her research in the area of women’s journals and autobiographies.

“Twenty years ago I was minding my own business, working on women’s diaries. Now…there’s a tidal wave of interest in women’s personal narratives. [My research] became a hot topic.

“We thought that what we were doing was introducing experiences,” Culley continued, describing the challenges inherent in teaching personal narratives in the classroom. “We now know that there’s no such thing as an unmediated experience.”

She added that the most controversial issue discussed in her classes is race.

“The white students speak out of ignorance, and insensitivity,” she said. “And black students are not being heard.”

When the panelists were done with their five-minute speeches, the floor was opened to questions.

One student asked the panel whether they thought it was appropriate to combine feminist theory and queer theory when teaching courses.

“I think it depends on how you do it,” said Carlin. “I guess I don’t see anything inherently wrong, provided that you chose people who might be in dialogue with each other, and pick essays that people can read and understand.”