Disrupting cisheteronormativity in STEM through humanism

Meg C. Jones; Desiree Forsythe; Rachel Friedensen; Annemarie Vaccaro; Ryan A. Miller; Ezekiel Kimball; Rachael Forester

doi:10.3389/feduc.2023.1154275

Frontiers in Education (May 2023)

Disrupting cisheteronormativity in STEM through humanism

Meg C. Jones,
Desiree Forsythe,
Rachel Friedensen,
Annemarie Vaccaro,
Ryan A. Miller,
Ezekiel Kimball,
Rachael Forester

Affiliations

Meg C. Jones: Education and Professional Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
Desiree Forsythe: Biological Sciences, Chapman University, Orange, CA, United States
Rachel Friedensen: Educational Leadership & Higher Education, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN, United States
Annemarie Vaccaro: Education and Professional Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
Ryan A. Miller: Higher Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
Ezekiel Kimball: Education and Human Development, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
Rachael Forester: Women’s and Gender Studies and Educational Leadership in Higher Education, Nonprofit HR, Washington DC, WA, United States

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1154275
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8

Abstract

Read online

Cisheteronormativity is prevalent throughout college STEM discourses and classrooms. In this paper, we present findings from a U.S. based study focused on the experiences of collegiate STEM students with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender (MIoSG) as the backdrop for discussing how current harmful ideologies in STEM perpetuate cisheteronormativity through discursive practice. We propose that humanistic classrooms and pedagogy can work to dismantle cisheteronormative D/discourses in STEM and create MIoSG inclusive STEM classrooms and programs. Our findings highlight the ways participants experienced cisheteronormative D/discourses in their collegiate STEM contexts. We discuss how these experiences might be mitigated through humanistic educational approaches in college STEM contexts. Our aim is for readers to gain simultaneous theoretical and pragmatic insights on how cisheteronormative D/discourses operate in collegiate STEM classrooms and educational programs.

Published in Frontiers in Education

ISSN: 2504-284X (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Education: Education (General)
Website: http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/education

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords