The Ace-B-Cs: An Open Syllabus on Asexualities for Queer and Feminist Studies Curricula
Mentor: Michelle Grue
“The Ace-B-Cs” is a political and scholarly intervention into feminist and queer studies curricula, which seeks to therein incorporate a-spec (asexual and/or aromantic) voices, politics, and theory. Asexuality studies has blossomed in the last two decades, now spanning cultural theory, literary studies, sociological research, clinical psychology, linguistics, and critical sexualities studies, in addition to a proliferation of community activism and creative work—all of which, implicitly or explicitly, has potential application to feminist and/or queer studies. Despite this, ace theory and worldviews have been largely overlooked or unconsidered in the classroom, save only for glancing definitions of “asexuality” itself. To remedy this, “The Ace-B-Cs” will present how this field can augment feminist and queer studies curricula at multiple levels, and how ace and aro thought implicates how sexuality is taught at large. The resulting open syllabus will be published on a dedicated website alongside an appended library, and the syllabus will be submitted for publication in an academic journal.