Gender and Sexualities in Education – serie

Bullying is a contemporary wildfire of a social problem that continues to burn, scar, and even kill U.S. schoolchildren on a daily basis. Not only do the targets of bullying suffer in their abilities to grow, learn and succeed; so do bystanders, and even the bullies themselves. Generation BULLIED 2.0 details the nature of bullying as a tremendously negative force in schools today and offers practical, research-based strategies for constructing and cultivating cultures that support learning, safety, and dignity for everyone. Analyzing the nature and inadequacy of current anti-bullying policies, Generation BULLIED 2.0 explores how stereotyping and other negative behaviors are reinforced and sustained in both large and small ways at school. Its critical narratives of commonly bullied individuals and groups are representative of events that transpire every day across the country’s education system. Focusing on the most common targets of bullying: race, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, physical and mental disability, and cyber-abuse, this book does not offer simplistic solutions. Instead, it offers empowerment to readers while providing tools for elevating social justice and preventing bullying from taking root as a supposedly «normal» part of life in our society.

Bullying is a contemporary wildfire of a social problem that continues to burn, scar, and even kill U.S. schoolchildren on a daily basis. Not only do the targets of bullying suffer in their abilities to grow, learn and succeed; so do bystanders, and even the bullies themselves. Generation BULLIED 2.0 details the nature of bullying as a tremendously negative force in schools today and offers practical, research-based strategies for constructing and cultivating cultures that support learning, safety, and dignity for everyone. Analyzing the nature and inadequacy of current anti-bullying policies, Generation BULLIED 2.0 explores how stereotyping and other negative behaviors are reinforced and sustained in both large and small ways at school. Its critical narratives of commonly bullied individuals and groups are representative of events that transpire every day across the country’s education system. Focusing on the most common targets of bullying: race, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, physical and mental disability, and cyber-abuse, this book does not offer simplistic solutions. Instead, it offers empowerment to readers while providing tools for elevating social justice and preventing bullying from taking root as a supposedly «normal» part of life in our society.

This volume is about the education of gender and sexualities, which is to say it explores how gender and sexuality identities and differences get constructed through the process of education and «schooling». Wittingly or not, educational institutions and educators play an important role in «normalizing» gender and sexuality differences by disciplining, regulating, and producing differences in ways that are «intelligible» within the dominant or hegemonic culture. To make gender and sexuality identities and differences intelligible through education is to understand them through the logic of separable binary oppositions (man-woman, straight-gay), and to valorize and privilege one normalized identity within each binary (man, straight) and simultaneously stigmatize and marginalize the «other» identity (woman, gay). Educational institutions have been set up to normalize the construction of gender and sexual identities in these ways, and this is both the overt and the «hidden» curriculum of schooling. At the same time, the «postmodern» times in which we live are characterized by a proliferating of differences so that the binary oppositional borders that have been maintained and policed through schooling, and that are central to maintaining highly inequitable power relations and rigid gender roles, are being challenged, resisted, and in other ways profoundly destabilized by young people today.

This volume is about the education of gender and sexualities, which is to say it explores how gender and sexuality identities and differences get constructed through the process of education and «schooling». Wittingly or not, educational institutions and educators play an important role in «normalizing» gender and sexuality differences by disciplining, regulating, and producing differences in ways that are «intelligible» within the dominant or hegemonic culture. To make gender and sexuality identities and differences intelligible through education is to understand them through the logic of separable binary oppositions (man-woman, straight-gay), and to valorize and privilege one normalized identity within each binary (man, straight) and simultaneously stigmatize and marginalize the «other» identity (woman, gay). Educational institutions have been set up to normalize the construction of gender and sexual identities in these ways, and this is both the overt and the «hidden» curriculum of schooling. At the same time, the «postmodern» times in which we live are characterized by a proliferating of differences so that the binary oppositional borders that have been maintained and policed through schooling, and that are central to maintaining highly inequitable power relations and rigid gender roles, are being challenged, resisted, and in other ways profoundly destabilized by young people today.

Have you ever been told that you’re too girlish or too boyish? We are all potential targets of the gender police, some more so than others. And how did you respond? Did you hide or change or rebel or hurt or gleefully celebrate your style? Tomboys and Other Gender Heroes is a study that brings together gender stories from approximately 600 children and youth. Set in both urban and rural contexts, these young people show how their schools and communities respond to their bodies, passions, and imaginations. As one 13-year-old student expresses, «My flowered jeans make me feel happy because they represent the sort of feminine side to me and at the same time show my masculine side. They also make me feel like I’m a part of a large force that stands up to bullying and criticism, to express themselves and to show the world that our lives have meaning.» In this book, student writings are framed by teaching strategies and gender theory, featuring themes of sports, film, media, landscape, joyfulness, and gender creativity. The research will be of great interest to university students in the fields of education, gender, sexuality and women’s studies, sociology, social work, psychology, counseling, and child development. This book is ideal for teachers, professors, parents, and community members who hope to create accepting environments for gender diversity.

Beyond Borders compiles essays from various authors who explore the queerness of young adult literature that contains lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and questioning characters, some written by LGBTQ identified authors, while presenting lessons for secondary English classrooms. As queer theorists, the authors ask if young adult literature can imagine other spaces, representations, ways of being, identifications, and inclusion of LGBTQ characters and stories. This collection examines questions of theory as well as classroom literacy practices, while employing new theories in novel and creative intersections with literary texts. The book is perfect for teacher education courses focused on young adult literature, as well as secondary English education courses including methods of teaching English courses, teaching literature methods courses, queer theory in education courses, teaching of writing courses, and content area literacy courses.

Beyond Borders compiles essays from various authors who explore the queerness of young adult literature that contains lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and questioning characters, some written by LGBTQ identified authors, while presenting lessons for secondary English classrooms. As queer theorists, the authors ask if young adult literature can imagine other spaces, representations, ways of being, identifications, and inclusion of LGBTQ characters and stories. This collection examines questions of theory as well as classroom literacy practices, while employing new theories in novel and creative intersections with literary texts. The book is perfect for teacher education courses focused on young adult literature, as well as secondary English education courses including methods of teaching English courses, teaching literature methods courses, queer theory in education courses, teaching of writing courses, and content area literacy courses.