From I to we: Sex education as a form of civics education in a neoliberal context

ABSTRACT

This research explores the question of how a sex education curriculum can be a form of civics education, moving students from a discourse of personal responsibility to a discourse that represents a “we” voice and takes into consideration not only the other person but society.

In two 8-week classes delivered in a charter school to a racially and ethnically diverse group of ninth graders, an individualized neoliberal discourse met up against critical consciousness around an ethic of care regarding sex in relationship and sex in society. Current evidence-based sex education programs are health- and risk-focused, necessitating an approach that emphasizes individual choice and self-care. In this paper we explore several ethical dialogues that occurred during classroom discussions of consent, coercion and media objectification. Through a discourse analysis, we explore the positions of students regarding sex education topics as they sometimes adhere to a neoliberal perspective of choice and sometimes adopt a “we” voice with regard to society and social change.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex education
• ethics
• discourse
• neoliberalism
• gender

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the charter school who collaborated in the research, the teachers, and the research team, specifically Madeline Brodt, Lucas Dangler, Aleksandra Plocha, and Tangela Roberts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. When names are used, they have been changed. We chose gendered names so that the reader will know the gender of the speaker.

Additional information

Funding

The authors wish to acknowledge the Spencer Foundation for funding in the form of a “The New Civics” grant. This funding supported the teaching of the curriculum and an in depth qualitative analysis.

Notes on contributors

Sharon Lamb

Sharon Lamb, EdD, PhD, is a professor in the Counseling and School Psychology Department in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is past president of the Association for Moral Education and coauthor of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls Report. Her nine books span topics of abuse and victimization, forgiveness, media influences on gender stereotyping, sexual ethics and sex education. She combines her experience and position as a psychologist with her newer interest in philosophy of education for which she received her PhD in 2014 at the Vrije University in Amsterdam.

Renee Randazzo

Renee Randazzo has a master's in mental health from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Formerly she worked as an activist and development with NGOs such as Hardy Girls in Waterville, Maine. She won an award for her research on queer women and media objectification and presented this research at the Association for Women in Psychology. She hopes to continue her work that combines psychotherapy with activism around LGBTQ concerns.