Australiawww.latrobe.edu.au/arcshsMelbourne, Australia Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society Gary Dowsett, PhD, FASSA Professor and Deputy Director Australia Critical Sexuality Studies and Pedagogy: an adventure in ‘Southern Theory’

The project Ford Foundation International Association for the Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society (IASSCS) La Trobe University’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) ‘DEVELOPMENT OF A SHORT COURSE IN ADVANCED SEXUALITY THEORY AND METHODOLOGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES’

Development of the short course – hypothesis & rationale Dominant models drawn mainly from Western science, mainly from sex research and sexology, and the psychological and behavioural sciences The training of sex researchers has failed to keep pace with the remarkable shifts in the study of sexuality Globalization? ‘Universal’ categories dominate, where Universal = Western (global ‘North’?) We export Western notions of sexuality in the name of HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health? How do we develop an international sexuality course that is sensitive to these power relations?

Description of the project - four phases Phase one – a scoping and feasibility study (1 year) Phase two – curriculum development (1 year) Phase three – piloting and evaluation (1 year) Phase four – roll-out (2 years)

Audit aims Provide an overview of current key theories and research methodologies Map the extent, range and nature of current social science research activity in the field of sexuality Assess current gaps in the field of critical sexuality studies, sexuality social science research, and advanced sexuality training Identify potential collaborators, partners, and host institutions who might help to develop curriculum and to pilot the course

Audit results Plenty of ‘101’ training opportunities A minority of sexuality research conducted and published in the past 6 years was linked with the handful of training programs available There was a need for advanced training in critical sexuality studies in the developing world

Where do sexuality researchers get their training (1)? HIV/AIDS –Public health frameworks –Sexual behaviour equates to sexual risk; pleasure and meaning absent –Some sexualities were absent, e.g. lesbians Sexology –highly medicalised, search for origins or explanations, e.g. hormones or genes — but is a contested field –concentrates on sexual pathologies & dysfunctions; clinical responses Sex Research –behavioural and descriptive strand focused on diversity of human sexual behaviour

Where do sexuality researchers get their training (2)? Sexual and Reproductive Health –In West: reproduction, less on STIs; highly individualised –In the developing world: SRH overtaking STIs & fertility; extends to social and political questions, including male & female circumcision, & sexual violence; new focus on sexual rights Gender Studies –Often gender = women; gender as a relational system of power often neglected (men?) –Relation between gender, sexuality and biological sex sometimes poorly theorised –interdisciplinary nature of gender studies is often not profiled in Health

Site visits South Africa and East Africa Indonesia and Vietnam Seeking partners, institutions, piloting sites Assessing capacity for an advanced course Using Ford and IASSCS connections Finding local resources Identifying potential participants

Phase two: Curriculum and Resource Development

CWG process objectives Ensuring that the curriculum are responsive to local concerns and to international trends Building capacity among emerging developing-country academics through production of curricula based upon local and international content Boosting local ‘buy-in’ so that the final course is genuinely developed with diverse input. This also served to help consolidate the collaborating team in the pilot sites and maintain focus among our local partners

CWG tasks Not “sexuality 101” –What are the cutting edge issues? –What will be significant in the coming years? –Which old issues need to be rethought? How? Developing and refining course aims and learning objectives Clarification of process for curriculum development Pedagogy Target audience Input from people working in development aid for their experience of these issues

Aims Increase the quality and diversity of research and training activity into human sexuality in the developing world. Develop and enhance existing skills levels in undertaking complex research into, and the development and application of theory in, the field of critical sexuality studies. Connect with other multi-disciplinary investigations and initiatives in international sexuality research and advanced training. Create a wider network of researchers and practitioners using critical sexuality studies to investigate and contribute to cultural analysis and production, global sexual and reproductive health, HIV & AIDS, and justice in gender and sexuality. Contribute to the development of an increased global dialogue on human sexuality particularly through IASSCS

Objectives Participants will: Show an increase in skills, knowledge and networking capacity in sexuality research and theoretical development. Initiate and stimulate dialogue between locally based knowledge frameworks, critical sexuality studies and global discussions of sexuality. Work critically with advanced sexuality theory and research methodologies. Employ innovative methods for researching human sexuality in specific settings. Gain enhanced capacities to encourage sexuality research in their own countries and regions.

Target audience Individuals with capacity to enact change at a senior or advanced level in research design, implementation and application to practice. Those likely to have (but not limited to) responsibilities for research and/or training Priority to the academy—post-masters level By invitation based on scoping studies and advice from partners.

Scoping Studies: tailoring the course for local contexts Gather local published data about sexuality, especially grey literature. Assess pre-existing opportunities for the study of sexuality in the chosen location. Map current local issues in relation to sexuality. Locate institutional partners, course facilitators, potential participants and venues.

Phase three: Piloting and Evaluation

List of module titles (1) Young people and sexuality Sexual rights Postcolonialism and sexuality Kinship and sexuality Gender and sexuality Biopower, governmentality and technologies of the self The body and sexuality: personhood, disability, chronic illness and bodily futures Translating sexuality

List of module titles (2) Christianity and sexuality Islam and sexuality Sexual identities and sexual cultures Media and sexuality Development and sexuality ‘African’ AIDS Men and masculinities Research methodologies in critical sexuality studies

Pilots The aims of the pilots were to: Validate the course content and delivery modes in two different cultural contexts; Gauge the balance between the international and local content; Assess the ‘pitch’ and ‘register’—e.g. the appropriateness of language and vocabulary, the level of conceptual difficulty, suitability of reference and other bibliographic materials, and the local applicability of course content; Appraise the various learning activities and pedagogical approaches; and Conduct participant evaluations of the course with a view to its refinement as we work towards Phase Four roll-out.

Phase four – roll out IASSCS to roll out from 2010 evaluation of phase 3 pilot will feed in Ford has funded IASSCS for phase 4 licence course through Creative Commons explore university accreditation

Creative Commons Creative Commons is a non-profit organization which works to increase the amount of creativity (cultural, educational, and scientific content) in “the commons” — the body of work that is available to the public for free and legal sharing, use, repurposing, and remixing. CC provides free, easy-to-use legal tools CC’s tools give everyone from individual creators to large companies and institutions a simple, standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work. Creative Commons licenses enable people to change their copyright terms easily from the default of ‘all rights reserved’ to ‘some rights reserved’.

External evaluation Qualitative Pre-course assessment Done for each module on completion Post- course assessment Questionnaire format with forced-choice and open-ended questions Participant questionnaires and focus groups Facilitator questionnaires Evaluator questionnaires Observer questionnaires

Reflections

And then……

Southern Theory Raewyn Connell 2007

I don’t know how much work is available on African sexuality. I hope it is available. I think what I feel most challenged by the course is to do more research. If the materials are there well and good and certainly I will look for more [local] materials. We have a lot of stereotyping and the local research can be most effective in dealing with these issues.

Australiawww.latrobe.edu.au/arcshsMelbourne, Australia Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society Acknowledgements Ford Foundation International Association for the Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society The International Advisory Committee and the Curriculum Working Group Module developers and evaluators Deb Dempsey (course evaluator) Sean Slavin PhD, Duane Duncan, PhD, Gillian Fletcher, Joni Meenagh, Jules Corboz, Jayne Russell, Maureen Rietze, Naomi Jones, Paul ARCSHS