Seminar 6: Taxonomies of Sex, Bodies Seeking Pleasure, and Romantic Attachments in Rhetorical Work
June 7, 2027 @ 8:00 am - June 10, 2027 @ 12:00 pm
$225.00 – $400.00Leaders: Cindy Tekobbe (University of Illinois Chicago), Timothy Oleksiak (University of Massachusetts Boston) and Sherri Craig (Virginia Tech)
This seminar gathers scholars across the professional spectrum to collectively imagine sex (the experience of bodies experiencing pleasure) as a resource for rhetorical invention. We wish to create an intellectual space to pursue the taxonomies of sex, bodies seeking pleasure, erotics, and the new forms of writing and theorizing that might emerge when we talk about sex, what sex means, how sex moves, and how sex talk might shape rhetorical work. We invite participants to bring their curiosities regarding our seminar’s central question: what can we imagine together with a sustained attention to sex, actual bodies, liberation, and justice?
Registrants will receive a complete reading list and initial agenda by February 15, 2027. Participants will also be asked to study the readings and submit an informal, 5-page (or less) piece of writing in late May 2027 that charts the sexy, ridiculous, risky, absurd, imaginative, and exciting possibilities for thinking about sex and the rhetorical together. These pieces of writing will be circulated to everyone as a way of getting to know each other prior to our meeting.
Given the nature of our seminar which focuses on sex and sexuality and the identities and perspectives represented within this group, participants will be expected to rely on an ethic of care and the RSA Professional Code of Conduct which seminar leaders will invoke if necessary.
We welcome and encourage potential seminar participants to reach out to seminar leaders with questions.
There will be no A/V equipment available in this seminar. The seminar leaders encourage participants to bring charged devices with their preferred hardware and software pre-loaded, especially for any participants who have accessibility needs. You should indicate any accessibility needs on your registration form.
