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Representations of minority sexual identity in educational curricula

Representations of minority sexual identity in educational curricula. Sandy Pensoneau-Conway, Ph.D. Department of Communication. Setting the Scene. Arkansas, Spring 2003 (Geralds, n.d.) Kirkwood, MO, May 5, 2003 (Erutti, 2003) Sublette County, WY, Sept. 12, 2003 (Curtis, 2003)

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Representations of minority sexual identity in educational curricula

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  1. Representations of minority sexual identity in educational curricula Sandy Pensoneau-Conway, Ph.D. Department of Communication

  2. Setting the Scene • Arkansas, Spring 2003 (Geralds, n.d.) • Kirkwood, MO, May 5, 2003 (Erutti, 2003) • Sublette County, WY, Sept. 12, 2003 (Curtis, 2003) • Pacifica, CA, Fall 2003 (“Boy Endures Taunts,” 2003, p. 9) • Clarksville, MD, Nov. 5, 2003 (Johnston, 2003)

  3. Overview • Definitions • Categories of representation • Effects on students • Looming questions

  4. Definitional workRepresentations of minority sexual identity in educational curricula • Representations • Conscious • Unconscious • Sexual identity • Minority sexual identity • Curricula • Hidden curriculum (McLaren, 2003)

  5. How do representations of minority sexual identity in a standard curriculum contribute to a hidden curriculum, and to what ends?

  6. The Educational Process • Hixson and Tinzmann, 1990 Larger community Familial background & characteristics/experiences of students Academic & social school organization Relationships among these Education

  7. The Educational Process • Bronfenbrenner, 1977 • Used by education researchers—ecological model of education (Johnson, 1994)

  8. The Educational Process • Bronfenbrenner, 1977 (Johnson, 1994) Exosystem Microsystem Education Mesosystem Macrosystem

  9. Questions • What sorts of representations exist? • How are educational processes of sexual minority students specifically affected by representations of minority sexual identity? • How are these effects enmeshed with these relationships (Hixson and Tinzmann) and nested systems (Bronfenbrenner/Johnson)?

  10. Categories of representation • Friend, 1993 • Systematic exclusion • Systematic inclusion

  11. Categories of representationsystematic exclusion • Ignoring or denying • Lack of acknowledgement of positive contributions • Refusal of making resources available

  12. Categories of representationsystematic inclusion • Negative context • Out-of-the-ordinary • Attempts to reframe experience

  13. Effects on youth • Martin and Hetrick, 1979/1988 • Cognitive isolation • Social isolation • Emotional isolation

  14. Effects on youthcognitive isolation • Lack of accurate information • NOT absence • Often, lack of accurate information = abundance of negative information • Results?

  15. Effects on youthsocial isolation • Direct social isolation • Indirect social isolation • Results?

  16. Effects on youthemotional isolation • Feeling alone • No one to trust • Results?

  17. Recap: • Systematic exclusion and systematic inclusion (representations) lead to: • Cognitive, social, and emotional isolation (effects)

  18. HOPE! • GSAs • Raised awareness • Community groups • http://www.cuuf.net/rainbowcafe/

  19. Looming questions: • When do we raise the issue of sexual identity, of whatever nature? • What are likely places to have open, frank discussions with youth? • How can we better orient educators to alleviating negative representations and negative consequences? • How can we help educators to understand that these sorts of phenomena do not just harm sexual minority students, but all students and all educational participants?

  20. References Boy endures taunts at school; father sues. (2003, November). Prairie flame, p. 9 Curtis, C. (2003, December 11). School reverses, allows gay dates at dances. PlanetOut.com network. Retrieved December 11, 2003, from http://www.planetout.com/news/article-print.html?2003/12/10/3 Erutti, D.K. (2003, May 9-22). Kirkwood GSA lobbies school board for protections: Faculty advisor quits, says he’s had enough. Vital Voice, p. 3. Friend, R.A. (1993). Choices, not closets: Heterosexism and homophobia in schools. In L. Weis & M. Fine (Eds.), Beyond silenced voices: Class, race, and gender in United States schools (209-235). Albany: State University of New York Press. Hixson J. & Tinzmann, M.B. (1990). Who are the ‘at-risk’ students of the 1990s? North central regional educational library. Retrieved July 31, 2003, from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/rpl­_esys/equity.htm Geralds, A. (n.d.) Ark. pupil claims civil rights violations: School district denies allegations as lawyers mull possibility of suit [Electronic version]. Dallas voice. Retrieved December 15, 2003, from http://www.dallasvoice.com Johnson, G.M. (1994). An ecological framework for conceptualizing educational risk. Urban Education, 29, 34-49. Johnston, E. (2003, November 14). High school expels two girls for kissing. PlanetOut.com network Retrieved November 17, 2003, from http://www.planetout.com/news/article-print.html?2003/11/14/2 Martin, A.D. & Hetrick, E.S. (1988). The stigmatization of the gay and lesbian adolescent. Journal of homosexuality,15, 163-83. McLaren, P. (2003). Critical pedagogy: A look at the major concepts. In A. Darder, M. Baltodano, & R. Torres (Eds.), The critical pedagogy reader (69-96). New York: RoutledgeFarmer.

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