"Year of Science" Speaker Nancy Jesser
Dr. Nancy Jesser was a featured speaker on September 21 for the "Year of Science" program at the First Unitarian Universalist Church (UUC) of Columbus. Dr. Jesser, who regularly teaches a course on gender, sexuality, and science for the Sexuality Studies Program, led a discussion on the history of the relationship of science to sexuality (and gender) including the rise of modern science as arbiter of norms, the emergence of sexual identity, and the conflicts over biological and pyscho-social explanations made by scientists over the 20th century.
The UUC group also discussed contemporary approaches to the scientific study of sexuality--methodological problems as well as how studies are funded and then taken up by the popular media. Dr. Jesser then turned to the implications of asking scientists to answer questions we have about sexualities, and what the social-political implications are/should be if they offer an answer. Should we use "science" to tell us how to treat people legally, medically and socially? The discussion was lively, the audience engaged and informed. The final issue they covered was what these forays into studying sexuality tell us about how to do science better in a more general way. Dr. Nancy Jesser is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Comparative Studies at Ohio State and a participating instructor in the Sexuality Studies Program.
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