Sexualities, Intersectionalities, and Education

ED 5998 section 003 CRN 27985 | 1 credit hour, online | 1st half of Winter: January 7 - February 25 Instructor: Dr. Truman Hudson, Jr. Email: thudsonjr@wayne.edu

Although the inclusion of all students in PK-12 public education is the stated aim presented in the US national discourse, current approaches do not position every student to be successful. Research suggests that there are multiple systems that influence LGBTQ+ students' success in and outside the classroom, many of which present barriers to their academic achievement and personal well-being. Barriers to their achievement are oftentimes reinforced via homophobic, transphobic, sexist, racist, classist, and bigoted practices that are rooted in deep-seated hetero-patriarchal ideologies. In an effort to identify strategies for creating and supporting more inclusive academic environments that address multiple and interlocking systems of oppression, this course explores the hidden curriculum that are associated with various systems that shape LGBTQ+ students' identities and development in PK-12 public education.

LGBTQ+ Policies, Politics, and Education

ED 5998 section 004 CRN 28085 | 1 credit hour, online | 2nd half of Winter: March 3 to April 30 Instructor: Dr. Truman Hudson, Jr. Email: thudsonjr@wayne.edu

The struggle for human and civil rights that will enable LGBTQ+ individuals to flourish and reach their full potential continues at the local, state, and federal levels. Violence and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression persist in many schools, homes, workplaces, and communities. On the rise are hate crimes and the retrenchment of federal resources in PK-12 education. The rescinding of federal guidance and anti-discrimination laws further exacerbate the challenges that LGBTQ+ individuals face in the US. In states like Michigan, it remains legal to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, and LGBTQ+ youth are being bullied and pushed out of schools with little to no recourse. This course examines how LGBTQ-related policies and politics shape inclusion, access, equity, and safety in PK-12 education. Examples and the impacts of advocacy and mobilization by LGBTQ+ students, educators, activists and their allies will be explored and analyzed.