Using Young Adult Literature to Facilitate Conversations About Sexual Violence: Transformative Action in the High School Classroom

• In Event: 28.072 - Literary Study as Transformative Practice in a Post-Truth Age

Abstract

Purpose: Sexual violence has become highly politicized in the post-truth era, with responses to sexual violence being divided along ideological lines. When deciding whether to continue Title IX protections, education secretary Betsy DeVos decided to forego meeting with survivors of sexual violence to instead meet with Men's Rights groups, who frequently use intimidation to silence survivors (Jahangri, 2017). In reality, sexual violence is incredibly common in the United States, with an assault occurring an average of every 98 seconds (RAINN, 2018), and allowing issue to be debated only further contributes to a culture that normalizes sexual violence (otherwise known as rape culture). In contrast, educating youth about sexual violence and how it is normalized by society allows for productive critical conversations that work toward dismantling the cultural normalization of sexual violence. The purpose of this project was to address sexual violence by using the young adult novel The Mockingbirds to engage two 11th grade classes in a conversation about sexual violence.

Theoretical framework: This project was theoretically informed by transformative research paradigms (Mertens 2012), critical pedagogies (Freire, 1977), and by feminist theories of sexual violence (Buchwald et al., 1993; Friedman & Valenti, 2008). The merging of these three theoretical tenants results in a project that used the transformative power of education and action research to address sexual violence which is positioned as a systemic, rather than individual, problem.

Methods: In a partnership between a high school English teacher and a graduate action researcher, students participated in a six week interdisciplinary unit in which they received direct instruction about sexual violence, read and discussed the novel, and completed photography, arts-based, and action planning assignments. The text facilitated discussions of both the practical (recognizing sexual violence) as well as the critical (understanding how sexual violence is normalized and how to take action).

Data sources: This project used classroom data such as journals, art, photography, and action plans from a classroom unit about sexual violence along with surveys and interviews from students in the classes from before beginning and after completing the unit.

Results: Students in the program expressed belief in the importance of education about sexual violence. Students demonstrated a nuanced understanding about the normalization of sexual violence and how it pervades many facets of daily life. Students were able to tie the normalization of sexual violence to ideas such as dress codes, slut-shaming, and rape jokes. Students also identified the importance of classroom conversation about sexual violence and many advocated for curricular approaches to sexual violence in their final action plans.

Scholarly significance: Previous efforts to educate students about sexual violence have focused largely on college students and have focused on safety (Degue et al, 2014). This project is unique in its approach because it examines the systemic nature of sexual violence and underlying causes. Working with high school students also allows for more people to gain knowledge about sexual violence. It further demonstrates that comprehensive sexual assault education need not detract from content-area learning objectives and can advance interdisciplinary studies in the classroom.

Author

• Victoria Dickman-Burnett, University of Cincinnati