Continuing Education Press Releases

How Clear Are the Lines Between "Normal" and "Queer"?

60th Annual Reynolds Lecture Questions Assumptions About Sexuality in Contemporary Society

Oct. 14, 2010 – The common use of the word "queer" to refer to the LGBT community rests on a widely-held assumption: that there is a clearly-definable sexual "normal." Raging national debates about the rights of "queer" couples rest heavily on this notion of traditional vs. non-traditional, of normal vs. deviant. But are things really so black and white?

On Oct. 28, 2010, the 60th annual Frederick W. Reynolds Lecture at The University of Utah — featuring Dr. Kathryn Bond Stockton, Professor of English and Director of Gender Studies for the U — will present research at the cutting edge of critical theory about gender and sexuality.

Drawing on a close examination of sexuality in contemporary society, Dr. Stockton will deconstruct definitions of "normal" and "deviant" behavior in today's world in this free lecture presented by Continuing Education at The U of U.

"When you start to look at how people actually behave, there's a whole strange world to discuss surrounding ‘normal' sexuality," said Stockton.

Dr. Stockton's work pulls from a wide range of sources — from queer theory (which she will introduce) to childhood studies to contemporary pop culture — to develop a broader, more inclusive understanding of gender and sexuality. She will present her latest research in a lecture titled "The Strangeness of Sexuality: What is Queer Theory? Are Children Queer?"

"It's easy to discount, and even discriminate against people once you are able to define them as ‘other,'" added Dr. Sandi Parkes, Associate Vice President of Continuing Education at The U. "But when the lines aren't so clear, people tend to take a more open-minded and compassionate approach. That is our hope with this lecture."

Presented by Continuing Education at The University of Utah, the annual Frederick W. Reynolds lecture is designed to pose and answer hard questions and provide insight into exciting aspects of the University. Established in 1936, the Reynolds Lecture was developed for members of the faculty to present important, timely subjects to audiences of their peers and the public.

"The goal of the Reynolds Lecture has always been to challenge and educate," said Dr. Sandi Parkes, Associate Vice President of Continuing Education at The U. "Dr. Stockton's work asks incredibly relevant and timely questions, and we're honored to present her this year."

The 60th Frederick W. Reynolds Lecture will be held on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010, at 7 p.m. in the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Building, room 210, on The U of U campus. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To RSVP (required) or for more information, call 801-585-0911 or visit continue.utah.edu/reynolds/.

About Dr. Stockton

Kathryn Bond Stockton is Professor of English and Director of Gender Studies at the University of Utah, where she teaches queer theory, theories of race, the nineteenth-century novel, and twentieth-century literature and film.  Her recent book, Beautiful Bottom, Beautiful Shame: Where "Black" Meets "Queer", was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, and she has received the Crompton-Noll Prize, awarded by the Modern Language Association, for the best essay in gay and lesbian studies.  She has also authored God Between Their Lips: Desire Between Women in Irigaray, Bronte, and Eliot (Stanford University Press) and a new book, The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century, published by Duke University Press and a finalist this year for the Lambda Literary Award in LGBT Studies.  Next summer she will teach at Cornell University's School of Criticism and Theory, where she will lead a seminar on "Sexuality and Childhood in a Global Frame."

Continuing Education at the U enriches the lives of people of all ages in the greater community and beyond by providing extraordinary learning opportunities from the university. The division encompasses nine programs: Academic Non-Credit, Lifelong Learning, Exam/Test Preparation, Professional Education, Technology Education, Youth Education, Distance Education, the Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning and the English Language Institute. Founded in 1911, Continuing Education offers credit and non-credit courses that serve over 30,000 students annually from around the world. Information about each of Continuing Ed's programs can be found at www.continue.utah.edu.