Fall Speaker's Series - Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies starts October 6th!

[Tracy Penny Light]

Hello All,

I am pleased to announce the Department of Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies Fall speaker's series.  Our first event is this Thursday October 6th (details below and see poster at http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/Temp/SMFEventsposterF11-1.pdf ).  All are welcome at these events - hope to see you!

Thursday October 6, 6:30pm (Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome's)

Dr. Kelly Grindrod (Pharmacy); Dr. Doris Jakobsh (Religious Studies); Dr. Shannon Dea (Philosophy); Carm De Santis (Couple and Family Therapy).
Sex and the Pharmaceutical Industry: Exploring Gender, Sexuality, Relationships and Pills

This event explores the ways that the pharmaceutical industry seeks to capitalize on sexual disorders by developing and marketing “better sex lives” to consumers. After watching the film, Orgasm Inc., a panel of experts will discuss the pros and cons of using drugs to enhance sexuality and relationships from the perspectives of pharmacy, philosophy, therapy, and religious studies.


Our other events this fall are:

Dr. Steven Mock (Recreation and Leisure Studies): Tuesday Oct. 18, 4pm (STJ 2017)
Adult Developmental Processes among Sexual Minorities: An Examination of Common, Unique, and Diverse Experiences
Despite stigmatization and a sometimes hostile or ambivalent policy climate, many sexual minority adults (e.g., gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and women) manage to cope and meet their social and developmental needs. For this presentation, I integrate results from a series of studies in the contexts of family decision-making, management of sexual orientation identity in the workplace, and social contexts with the potential to enhance well-being for sexual minorities. This research is guided by a framework that acknowledges common developmental processes important for well-being regardless of stigmatized status, the unique experiences of sexual minorities, and diversity between sexual minority individuals. Use of this framework reveals how sexual minorities meet fundamental needs for affiliation, cope with stigmatization, plan for the future, and vary in how they manage sexual orientation identity.

Dr. Toni Serafini (Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies): Monday Nov. 7, 2:30pm (STJ 2017)
"My identifier is 'big tits'?!": Considering Cosmetic Enhancements in the Process of Identity Construction for Adolescent Females
In the recent film, Easy A, the character, Rhiannon, is ecstatic to learn that her teen “identifier” is “big tits.”  What does this say about teen culture and identity formation for adolescents when large, augmented breasts signify being sexy and memorable to peers?  The literature on cosmetic enhancements is diverse in terms of its support or condemnation of the practice when considering female sexual identity.  Using a theoretical framework, I explore the dangers surrounding the process of identity formation when it is grounded in the need to pursue significant physical changes in order to fit into cultural constructions of beauty, gender, and sexuality. What impact does this have on adolescent identity development and relationship formation, particularly when the use of cosmetic enhancements is normalized and featured widely in the media?  These themes are explored and the prevalence of these issues discussed in a group of female late adolescents.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tracy Penny Light, Ph.D.
Acting Chair, Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies

Assistant Professor, Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies/History
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Health Studies and Gerontology (UW)

St. Jerome's University
STJ 1013B
290 Westmount Road North
Waterloo, ON Canada N2L 3G3
519-884-8110 x.28291

tplight at uwaterloo.ca

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

  ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://artsservices.uwaterloo.ca/pipermail/artsannounce/attachments/20111003/93d2a7fa/attachment.html