3117 - Is My Sexualities Course Too Sexy?: Teaching Sex and Sexualities in the College Classroom

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Description

Abstract:
In the context of the current political climate, the #MeTooMovement, and increasing cases of sexual misconduct and harassment involving faculty, how do those of us who teach gender and sexuality-related topics and courses navigate challenging conversations in our classrooms? What are the potential risks and rewards of teaching sexually explicit content as part of our courses? How do we frame the materials we use in the most pedagogically useful ways? Particularly for graduate students, junior faculty, LGBQ faculty, faculty of color, and women, trans, and nonbinary faculty, who are most susceptible to accusations of lack of professionalism by students, how do we both work to protect ourselves from attacks by students and groups working from right-wing coalitions to silence conversations about sexualities, LGBQ identities and experiences, abortion, sexual violence, and other topics that are important components of sexualities courses? How do we navigate whether, what, and how to share our own identities and experiences in the context of sexualities courses? In this teaching workshop, panelists representing a broad range of identities, institutional contexts, and career stages share their own challenges and successes in teaching about sex and sexualities.
Session Objectives:
• Identify special issues in teaching courses with sex and sexualities content
• Reflect on ways that personal identity shape teaching experiences and interactions with students
• Develop an understanding how the current political climate shapes potential challenges in relation to teaching sexualities content, particularly as LGBQ, trans, women, and/ or scholars of color
• Build skills for teaching about sex and sexualities across diverse institutional contexts, student populations, and campus climates
• Create shared support network among sexualities teacher-scholars

Sub Unit

• Workshops / Teaching Workshop

Session Organizer

• Brandy L. Simula, Emory University

Co-Leaders

• Brandy L. Simula, Emory University

• Andrea D. Miller, Webster University

• Lisa Wade, Occidental College

• Theo Greene, Bowdoin College

• Katie Linette Acosta, Georgia State University

• Alison S. Better, CUNY Kingsborough Community College

• Jason Orne, Drexel University

• D'Lane R. Compton, University of New Orleans

• Vrushali Patil, Florida International University