Collisions of difference: Teaching gender and sexuality in a conservative and religious culture

Abstract

Gender and sexuality have been at the forefront of societal debate in recent years with various legal battles concerning LGBT rights and religious liberties taking center stage. Shifts in attitudes and gains in legal protections have served to entrench conservative religious beliefs and to perpetuate generational “bitter” knowledge. This study seeks to understand the types of beliefs brought into the classroom by students and to examine the role of religious socialization in shaping and maintaining problematic beliefs in the context of learning new discordant knowledge. The data demonstrate that students bring “bitter” or problematic knowledge into the classroom, which serves as an obstacle to engaging in critical inquiry. We explore how the educational technique of engaging in pedagogies of discomfort invites students to see things differently and to examine how the religious institution has shaped their beliefs and values. We conclude with the call for educators to create authenticity and safety through sharing in self-examination and presenting their own vulnerability within the course.

The relationship between sexual myths and intercultural sensitivity in university students

“…Social beliefs, stereotype judgments, and dominant cultural norms can lead to a deficiency of knowledge about sexuality, and this may narrow down the perspectives of individuals about different sexual orientations. It can also limit individuals in terms of receiving information about sexuality (Ingersoll & Cook, 2022; Lynch & Joosten, 2022). In studies conducted with the participation of university students, it has been reported that the geographical region where the individual was raised can be effective on sexual myths (Evcili & Golbasi, 2017; Örüklü et al, 2021).…”

Familia y escuela. Educación vinculante: caso de una institución en don Matías- Antioquia, Colombia

“…Finalmente conviene abordar tres ideas fundamentales ahondadas ya por autores como Ingersoll & Cook (2022), Miller (2022) y Miller et al (2022, el tema de las identidades y el género continúa siendo una reflexión permanente al interior de las instituciones educativas; un punto de inflexión y conexión a la vez sustenta la idea de la equidad en la educación desde donde los estudiantes se implican y aúnan esfuerzos para encontrarse con sus pares y el liderazgo en la escuela con sus estudiantes posibilitan aprendizajes significativos que surgen como posibilitadores de una educación siempre vinculante.…”