Ideological Movements in/Through Queer-Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy

• In Event: Bridging the Rainbow Gap: Exploring Tensions and Possibilities in Queer Studies in K–12 and Higher Education

Abstract

In this paper, the authors will examine queer-inclusive curriculum and pedagogy at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Both authors explore this topic through concepts of ideological “movements” in and through curriculum and pedagogy. One author considers queer-focused curricular design and pedagogical implementation in secondary English language arts classes through the conceptual framework of ideological movement, as discussed by Waite (2017) and Ahmed (2000). This author examines how high school students engage with literature to move across differences defined by significant social and cultural markers, including but not limited to sexuality and gender. Complementing this discussion, the other author examines ideological movements and shifts in doctoral-level education through a “pedagogy of refusal” (Britzman, 1995; Tuck & Yang, 2014), pushing students to reject methodological status quo in their scholarship and learning. The qualitative data informing these two studies include observations, documents such as curricular materials and student work, individual interviews, and discussion groups, and through these engagements, the paper examines the ways that these ideological movements afford opportunities to examine how cisheterosexism gets upheld and enacted through learning materials, classroom experiences, and everyday interactions, and the ways that queer-inclusive pedagogies emphasizing ideological movements challenge these norms in powerful and productive ways. At both the secondary and postsecondary levels, findings emphasize the importance of centering queer-focused curricula and teaching to support and empower LGBTQ+ students and educators and to support greater equity and representation across educational spaces and levels.

Authors

• Stephanie Anne Shelton, University of Alabama
  Presenting Author

• Mollie V. Blackburn, The Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• Lindsey Allen, University of Maryland
  Presenting Author