Work in Progress in the Social Studies (WIPSS): 2016/7
20th ANNIVERSARY YEAR
Tuesday 11 October
Closets, Classrooms, and Conflicts: Sexual Diversity and the (Re)Cognitive Shift in Higher Education
By
Dr Robert C. Mizzi
Welcome back to the seminar series Work in Progress in the Social Studies (better known as WIPSS), convened by Prof. Paul Clough (Anthropology), Prof. Peter Mayo (Education) and Dr. Michael Briguglio (Sociology). This academic year WIPSS celebrates its 20th anniversary, and we are happy to open up with a paper by Dr. Robert Mizzi of the University of Manitoba, Canada, on gender politics and gender education at universities throughout the world. WIPSS seminars have always had three main aims: (1) to provide researchers in any branch of the social studies with a forum in which they can obtain feedback for their ideas or findings in an informal setting marked by lively discussion – on papers they are writing or have recently written, and on their current research; (2) to act as an interface between the University community and civil society in Malta. Provided it is understood that we are an academic seminar series with academic aims and methods, the public is cordially welcome to all our seminars. (3) Amidst the welcome expansion of the seminar culture at University of Malta, WIPSS convenors see our niche as being to encourage inter-disciplinary dialogue between academics and students in the social studies broadly conceived – along a spectrum from film studies, to museums as sites of culture and cultural contestation, to literary theory, to educational and psychological theory, to archaeology, history, international relations, sociology and anthropology. To this end, we welcome both individually written papers, and inter-disciplinary symposia. Academics across disciplines share many social theories. We try to arrange an annual theme of widespread theoretical or political interest – eg., in 2014/15, Post-colonial Theory in Current Research; in 2015/6, The Current Conflict in the Middle East. But presentations are not confined to the annual theme, and are deliberately wide-ranging. WIPSS particularly looks for exciting new departures in social theory or social research.
Speaker
Dr Robert C. Mizzi is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His research focuses on transnational LGBTQ topics in education. Robert has worked in over 15 countries as a researcher or educator, has authored over 50 articles on his research, and has published four books. Robert’s most recent book is co-edited with Professors Tonette Rocco and Sue Shore and is entitled Disrupting Adult and Community Education: Teaching, Learning, and Working in the Periphery (SUNY Press). Visit www.robertmizzi.com to learn more information about Robert’s work.
Abstract
Over the past decade, sexual diversity has grown to be a polarizing topic on campuses. In some parts of the world, there is a shift from the closet to the classroom in order to provide a social and pedagogical space for sexual minorities. In other parts, there is a shift from the closet to conflict as sexual diversity becomes a fierce battleground for equity and inclusion. This presentation discusses and analyzes recent efforts to include or exclude sexual diversity on campuses across the globe. A comparison of these developments will suggest that sexual diversity continues to act as a boundary marker that shapes campus politics.
Tuesday 11 October, 18:00-19:00hrs, followed by discussion. In the Faculty of Arts Library, on the third floor of Old Humanities Building, at the end of the corridor next to Room 301. The stairs are in the corner of the quadrangle behind the Assembly Hall. Students are encouraged to attend. The public is cordially welcome.
Convenors
Prof. Paul Clough
Prof. Peter Mayo
Dr Michael Briguglio