One thing that has stood out to me after taking GSS101 this semester is how feminist and queer theory is inherently inaccessible to the average person. Theory has been kept in the realm of academia and most do not ever interact with or see feminist and queer theory until college, if ever. In my experience, I never learned about any theory in any of my years in public school and I had never heard of most of the scholars we discussed until reading their work in class. This course has been eye opening for me and I feel a more informed person after taking it. I personally think that it is important for everyone to, at the very least, know the basics of feminist and queer theory because I believe it informs critical thinking and social awareness.
I am interested in the development of an interdisciplinary course that would be a part of the educational studies department and the gender and sexuality studies department at Davidson College. This course would cover how we can incorporate theory into elementary and middle school education. A focus would be on how we can create a standardized curriculum that would educate students on feminist and queer theory but in accessible terms so that it is easy to understand. Examples of projects in the course would be: to pare down Michel Foucault’s “History of Sexuality” into a simpler, easier to understand format, to develop a lesson plan that teaches about the waves of feminism and how they have shaped women’s rights, or to incorporate bell hook’s theory from “Black Women Shaping Feminist Theory” into a presentation and assignment suited for different grade levels. Throughout the development of this course and then into how this course is taken into the real world, it will be important to ensure that the information covered is intersectional and inclusive.
Young students that do not feel like they fit in society’s definitions of gender or labels of sexuality will see early on that they are valid and that the whole concepts of gender and sexuality are ever changing and fluid. Introducing these ideas at a young age will cultivate a generation that will break down the gender binary, sexuality labels, and will create a more inclusive and accepting society.
Sarah, absolutely fabulous idea😋 i can think of more than a few middle schoolers that could GREATLY benefit from some queer theory in their curriculum🤕
Hi Sarah, this sounds like a wonderful idea! Additionally, I wonder if queer and feminist history could be promoted and taught as American history. I think our education tends to white-wash history, and an important step to teaching queer and feminist history is to recognize them as fundamental to American development.
This is an amazing and very much needed idea! I agree that this class alone has been extremely eye-opening for me, and I have found myself wishing everyone around me to take it so they, too, could experience all of the readings and lessons. I wonder how not only our generation, but those younger, might grow to become more socially aware, accepting, and open-minded students having been exposed to this material sooner.