York University's sexuality studies program marks the graduation of its first class with a conference today, showcasing the research of its faculty.
"Sexuality studies is increasingly being recognized as an important area of study, not just in academia but also in its application to the world at large," says program coordinator Marc Stein (right).
The York program features faculty with a wide range of specialties. They include leading experts in women's studies, feminist studies, gender studies, masculinity studies, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersex and queer studies.
Conference speakers and workshop leaders include the following York faculty:
- Sheila Cavanagh, author of Sexing the Teacher: School Sex Scandals and Queer Pedagogies (Vancouver: Univ. of British Columbia Press, 2007).
- John Greyson, award-winning director of Proteus, Zero Patience and Urinal.
- Kamala Kempadoo, author of Sexing the Caribbean: Gender, Race, and Sexual Labor (New York: Routledge, 2004).
- David Murray, author of Opacity: Gender, Sexuality, Race and the 'Problem' of Identity in Martinique (New York: Peter Lang, 2002).
- Bobby Noble, author of Sons of the Movement: FtMs Risking Incoherence in a Post-Queer Cultural Landscape (Toronto: Women's Press, 2006) and Masculinities Without Men?: Female Masculinity in Twentieth-Century Fictions (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2004).
- Marc Stein, author of City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945-72 (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2000) and editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America (3 volumes) (New York: Scribners, 2003).
York University's sexuality studies program was established in 2004. More than 20 faculty members are affiliated with the program and more than 40 students are currently pursuing a minor or a certificate in sexuality studies. Students may pursue an Honours Minor BA or Cross-Disciplinary Certificate in Sexuality Studies within the Faculties of Arts, Atkinson or Glendon.
For more information, visit www.arts.yorku.ca/wmst/sxst/.