Paglia Criticizes Women's Studies

Outspoken cultural critic Camille Paglia railed against Harvard, women's studies, political correctness and multiculturalism in a freewheeling speech to an audience of more than 400 last night at the ARCO Forum.

Paglia, professor of humanities at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, gave a speech officially titled "The Future of the American University" to a full lecture hall. "There is no one on the current academic scene with a scrap of honesty." said Paglia.

Professors employed by American universities today are "simply academics, not scholars," she said. "They are warm bodies at the head of your classroom.'

Paglia, best known for her books Sexual Personaeand Sex, Art, and American Culture, Criticized both professors and administrators for failing to live up to the ideals of "60s radicalism."

Instead, she said, they are "playing the sycophantic career game" at the expense of students' educations.

Paglia outlined a series of nine proposals that would completely revamp modern American universities.

One of the more radical of these called for the complete elimination of women's studies programs in favor of what she called "sex studies," which she described as the study of human sexuality in all of its various forms. She charged that current women's studies programs paint a false picture of human sexuality.

"Women's studies is draining the life out of America's best women students," Paglia said. She called women's studies scholars "incompetent in terms of intellectual history," accusing them of selectively reading history to create am exaggerated myth of an oppressive, patriarchal system.

Paglia also proposed, among other things, that universities undertake serious study of popular culture, require courses in the history of mass media and teach literature of the remote past, especially that of ancient religious traditions.

She said that studying the world's religious traditions is the only way to get a true multicultural education. "The multiculturalism of today has been shot through with trendiness and fraud," she said.

Paglia was introduced by Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield '53, who agreed with her view of a declining American university system.

His introduction, which drew many laugh, included numerous swipes at Harvard. He portrayed the University as espousing a hypocritical, trendy liberalism.

Mansfield called Paglia a "savior" and said that she can cure the ills of the modern American university. "She's above and beyond the trend," he said.