Women's Studies in Canadian universities is not always offered from a programme or department. Frequently courses including women are offered by various disciplines with no real guarantee that they are grounded in feminist scholarship or pedagogical practices. While often such courses are initiated by feminist scholars, they may fall at any time into the hands of professors who are neither interested nor trained in feminist scholarship. This is especially common because of the precarious untenured positions of many Women's Studies teachers. It is often difficult for Women's Studies personnel to assure that courses cross-listed between departments and Women's Studies programmes are in fact appropriate for Women's Studies. It is especially difficult to take on the male academy which is likely to call upon academic freedom whenever a fundamental criticism is levelled at course content.

It is time that a detailed study be made of Women's Studies at English and French. Canadian universities. The Groupe Interdisciplinaire d'enseignement et de recherche féministe (GIERF) of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) has just published an excellent directory of courses on women, feminism and the relationship between the sexes in 13 francophone Canadian universities. The book has an interesting short introductory essay by Louise Vandelac (2). However, neither this directory nor other articles on women's studies in English or French Canadian universities address the following questions which require a detailed response: Does your institution offer Women's Studies courses under the rubric of departments, a Women's Studies Programme, an Interdisciplinary Programme, or a Women's Studies Department? Is there a specific feminist bias or are there clearly articulated criteria for Women's Studies courses? What are the ranks and what is the continuity of those teachers involved in Women's Studies courses? Is there a budget for Women's Studies and, if so, how much? Is it possible to earn an Honours, Major or Master's Degree in Women's Studies in your institution? What is the future of Women's Studies at your institution?

It is also important to collect more anecdotal information about the kind of obstacles faced when mounting Women's Studies courses. It is naive to assume that one's presence is permanent or that Women's Studies is widely accepted in academe. Never interpret silence as support.

Women's Studies is offered in numerous French and English community colleges where it is often hidden beneath the rubric of a "real" discipline. In the heady days when Women's Studies was newsworthy, there were many burgeoning programmes in the Continuing Education departments of colleges and school commissions. Many of those have disappeared; those which remain are often of such a precarious nature that they end up exploiting the women hired to pass on empowering knowledge to other women. Women's Studies at this level is often restricted to the particular population who are registered in "bridging programmes" which prepare women who have been out of the paid labour force for re-entry into jobs or further training. While these programmes are important, it is essential that Women's Studies be treated as more than a "conceptual tool" to ease women into more confidence for their re-entry into the work force. Women's Studies must be recognized as a legitimate course of study which can be integrated into academic, professional and vocational training much as language is: as a form of knowledge in itself and as a tool for use in particular fields.