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Volunteer Forum New thoughts on themes

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  1. I've had a couple of thoughts about possible themes - I'm not sure whether we've still got room to create new ones or if we're settled on doing only the 4 previously discussed, but anyway here are my thoughts. One is "sex". Obviously this is related to some of the other themes we've got, but I thought it might be interesting to have it as its own topic. It's a bit different, perhaps even slightly edgy, would definitely allow for contributions from all faculties and would be eyecatching on posters etc. Could be interesting to look at such a fundamental human (and animal) activity from lots of different angles. And is different from "sexuality" which I think has become fairly closely associated with discussions of queer (at least in my head). The other is "normal". This is growing out of our discussion, at the first meeting last Monday, of the place of masculinity, heterosexuality and monogamy in studies of "gender and sexuality" and how these seemingly tend to get less interest than various kinds of non-normative practices. In film studies there are very significant strands of scholarship around investigating representations of hegemonic masculinity and it seems like this might actually be a relatively uncommon angle in other areas of study? "Normal" is meant to invoke both normativity and normality/everydayness. I actually see has having potential to become an interesting and possibly radical pedagogical intervention: I can envision a module aimed at investigating "the normal" that would both be about hegemonic normativities and about investigating students' own relationships to these normativities.
     
  2. I love both of these suggestions! "Sex" - absolutely, allows for so much exploration within all faculties, and I agree that it's eye catching on any literature/posters. It would enable lots of questions to be asked, lots of deconstruction of theory and practise, and generate debate. "Normal" - I think all of the above points could be said for this theme too. I hate the word normal, and deconstruct it at any given opportunity. I think this could be a really challenging theme.
     
  3. Further thoughts: Maybe "Normal" could be incorporated into each one of the themes rather than being a theme in itself? I think it fits quite nicely; 'normal bodies', 'Queer vs "normal"', 'power - the normalising of power, the normalising of unequal power relations, etc'. And 'normal sex' also works, obviously I think it opens up a whole area of debate within each theme and promises for some lively and exciting discussions! Plus the deconstruction of each allows for some in-depth exploration, always good!
     
  4. I really like these two themes too - definately keep them on the agenda as sub/interconnecting themes with the others. Some of these 'subthemes' may well end up becoming key curricula contenet if they emerge as productive in interdisciplinary terms. Cath
     

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