INTERRUPTING HETERONORMATIVITY Copyright 2004, the Graduate School of Syracuse University
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>>>>>> >>>>>> INTERRUPTING HETERONORMATIVITY Copyright 2004, The Graduate School of Syracuse University. Portions of this publication may be reproduced with acknowledgment for educational purposes. For more information about this publication, contact the Graduate School at Syracuse University, 423 Bowne Hall, Syracuse, New York 13244. >> contents Acknowledgments................................................................................... i Vice Chancellor’s Preface DEBORAH A. FREUND...................................................................... iii Editors’ Introduction MARY QUEEN, KATHLEEN FARRELL, AND NISHA GUPTA ............................ 1 PART ONE: INTERRUPTING HETERONORMATIVITY FRAMING THE ISSUES Heteronormativity and Teaching at Syracuse University SUSAN ADAMS.............................................................................. 13 Cartography of (Un)Intelligibility: A Migrant Intellectual’s Tale of the Field HUEI-HSUAN LIN............................................................................ 21 The Invisible Presence of Sexuality in the Classroom AHOURA AFSHAR........................................................................... 33 LISTENING TO STUDENTS (Un)Straightening the Syracuse University Landscape AMAN LUTHRA............................................................................... 45 Echoes of Silence: Experiences of LGBT College Students at SU RACHEL MORAN AND BRIAN STOUT..................................................... 55 The Importance of LGBT Allies CAMILLE BAKER............................................................................. 65 Queer TAs in the Classroom: Perspectives on Coming Out ELDAR BEISEITOV AND PAYA L BANERJEE................................................ 71 ENGAGING NUANCES Understanding Current LGBT-Related Policies and Debates NICOLE DIMETMAN......................................................................... 79 (Trans)Gendering the Classroom ROB S. PUSCH.............................................................................. 87 International Students and Sexuality at Syracuse University SIDNEY GREENBLATT........................................................................ 95 PART TWO: RESPONSIBLE PEDAGOGY Constant Queerying: Practicing Responsible Pedagogy at Syracuse University ELIZABETH SIERRA-ZARELLA................................................................ 105 Toward a LGBT Studies Minor MARGARET HIMLEY, ADREA JAEHNIG, ANDREW LONDON, AND JONATHAN MASSEY.................................................................. 131 PART THREE: LGBT TEACHING RESOURCES Using Film Inclusively: Or, Queering Your Classroom DEAN ALLBRITTON.......................................................................... 143 Syracuse University Campus LGBT Resources JUSTIN WELCH............................................................................... 153 City of Syracuse LGBT Resources JUSTIN WELCH............................................................................... 157 Online LGBT Resources KATHLEEN FARRELL.......................................................................... 167 Citations for Classroom and Other Campus-Related LGBT Texts ADINA MULLIKEN........................................................................... 173 Academic Resources Related to Sexuality and Gender Studies KATHLEEN FARRELL.......................................................................... 179 Glossary of LGBT Terms KATHLEEN FARRELL.......................................................................... 183 CONTRIBUTORS >>acknowledgments he editors are indebted to the members of the editorial board who initiated and supported this project from inception to print. We thank Margaret THimley, Adrea Jaehnig, and Andrew London for their sustained commitment to the lives and concerns of LGBT people at SU. Their critical engagement with LGBT issues continues to both encourage and challenge SU’s community—students, faculty, staff, and administrators—to make the lives of LGBT people central to the goals of the university. In addition, we are grateful to Derina Samuel and Stacey Lane Tice for providing their support, advice, and the professional opportunity to make this volume a reality. We also appreciate the generous contribution of time, experiences, and ideas offered by the faculty and instructors who agreed to be interviewed for Part Two of this volume. This includes: Linda Alcoff (Philosophy), Barbara Applebaum (Cultural Foundations of Education), Sari Biklen (Cultural Foundations of Education), Linda Carty (African American Studies), Marj DeVault (Sociology), Lauren Eastwood (Sociology), Beth Ferri (Teaching and Leadership and Cultural Foundations of Education), Winston Grady-Willis (African American Studies), Karen Hall (English Textual Studies), Margaret Himley (Writing Program), Adrea Jaehnig (Higher Education), Kim Jaffee (Social Work), Tom Keck (Political Science), Claudia Klaver (English Textual Studies), Andrew London (Sociology), Vivian May (Women’s Studies), Jackie Orr (Sociology), and Charles Sprock (Law School). In addition, the editors would like to acknowledge the support for this volume from the Senate Committee on LGBT Concerns and the LGBT Resource Center. The Professional Development Programs of the Graduate School provided significant support and funding for the overall project and the Divisions of Undergraduate Studies and Student Affairs provided partial financial support for the printing of this volume in order to enhance, broaden, and support the i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS academic and social experience of Syracuse University students. Special thanks to Andrew Augeri for his creative genius in designing the cover and page layout, as well as for his patience with our often chaotic editorial process. Also, special thanks to Tina Mishko for her administrative support and excellent organizational skills. This book is the product of a collaborative effort by over 30 volunteers. We would like to express our deep appreciation to the following contributors who volunteered their time, energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to help make this project a substantial contribution to the Syracuse University teaching community: Susan Adams, Ahoura Afshar, Dean Allbritton, Katrina Arndt, Camille Baker, Payal Banerjee, Eldar Beiseitov, Jeremy Brunson, Rachel Burgess, Paul Butler, Kelly Concannon, Melissa Conroy, Nicole Dimetman, Tom Dunn, Deborah Freund, Cyril Ghosh, Sidney Greenblatt, Patricia Hayes, Gerry Lambert, Huei-Hsuan Lin, Aman Luthra, Jonathan Massey, Rachel Moran, Adina Mulliken, Rob Pusch, Kristenne Robison, Elizabeth Sierra- Zarella, Brian Stout, Justin Welch, and Jennifer Wingard. >>>>>> ii >>preface Diversity at Syracuse: An Open-ended Commitment yracuse University is a microcosm of today’s world, enrolling representatives of most races and ethnic groups found in the United States Sand more than 2,000 international students from 100 countries. This is not by chance. The University embraces diversity as one of its core values and enjoys a reputation for being an institution where disparate groups among its students, faculty, and staff come together as one community of scholars to learn from each other and to prepare for a world that every day grows increasingly more intricate and interconnected. Diversity has been a part of the University’s fiber from its very beginning. Syracuse educated the first African American woman to become a physician, never had quotas for Catholics or Jews when that was a common practice, and admitted Japanese-American students during World War II. Our commitment to diversity is, in part, a matter of upholding that tradition. Diversity at Syracuse, however, goes beyond tradition. Cultural, ethnic, intellectual, and racial diversity has been adopted as pedagogical policy because of the richness such diversity brings to the educational environment. Academic research on the subject has been indisputably clear: Diversity within a campus community has far-ranging and significant educational benefits for everyone. As the world becomes more culturally and ethnically heterogeneous, the lessons of diversity grow increasingly relevant, helping students develop and appreciate a variety of cultural and intellectual perspectives. Students in diverse learning environments learn more, have higher levels of satisfaction, and tend to become more engaged in community life both on and off campus. For the most part, discussion about diversity at SU has centered on issues of race and ethnicity. Now, the Graduate School, in association with the University iii PREFACE Senate Committee on LGBT issues and the LGBT Resource Center, is proactively extending that discussion to include diversity of sexual and gender identity. Only recently has social discourse opened itself to frank discussion on the subject of sexual and gender identity and the issues facing those who do not conform to traditionally recognized cultural norms. The term heteronormativity, which you will encounter repeatedly as you use this guide, describes an ideology based on definitions of what it means to be a woman or a man that exclude and discriminate against a significant minority population. Society as a whole must come to terms with heteronormativity and related social and cultural issues. However, as a leading academic institution—and in particular one that has been at the vanguard of social justice—it is incumbent on us to engage these issues, introduce them into our classroom discussions and lead the way to a more harmonious society based on acceptance,