Sexual Citizen

June 10, 2021

Sexual assault on college campuses is not a new topic. We have discussed previously on this program issues with Title IX and the prevalence of sexual violence on campus. Despite prevention efforts such as Bystander Intervention training and consent education, the statistics haven’t changed in decades.

What is new are the findings of Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Kahn in their book Sexual Citizens – A Landmark Study Of Sex, Power, And Assault On Campus. The book has been named as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. The research, conducted over 5 years at Columbia University and Barnard College, takes a unique look at the sexuality of college students- who is having it and why and, perhaps most disturbingly, how sexual assault within this environment is inevitable to a certain degree.

 

Topics covered include:

  • How the research was conducted
  • The concepts of Sexual Projects, Sexual Geographies, and Sexual Citizenship
  • How addressing racial inequality is a form of sexual violence prevention
  • How the information from the research can help us create more effective prevention plans.

 

Sources

Sexual Citizens website

Sexual Citizens (YouTube)

Jennifer Hirsch (Twitter)

Shamus Kahn (Twitter)