Higher Education
This semester on campus: ‘Sociology of Sexualities’
August 11, 2025
Staff
Institution
University of Oklahoma
Department
Sociology
Course Code & Title
SOC 6373 — “Sociology of Sexualities”
Course Description
“Considers sociological understandings of sex and sexualities, LGBTQ identities/experiences, and heteronormativity with an emphasis on gender, power, and intersectionalities.”
- Bi: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid, And Genderqueer Youth
- Semi Queer: Inside The World Of Gay, Trans, And Black Truck Drivers
- Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex In Public Places
- Coming Out To The Streets: LGBTQ Youth Experiencing Homelessness
- The Tragedy Of Heterosexuality
- Other, Please Specify: Queer Methods in Sociology
- The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members
- Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
- Faeries, Bears, and Leathermen: Men in Community Queering the Masculine
- Sex and Sensibility: Stories of a Lesbian Generation
Instructor
Meredith Worthen
Instructor Bio
“Dr. Worthen’s work is focused on understanding and confronting pervasive negative prejudices in society through three main areas of research: sexualities, stigma, and queer/feminist criminology. She is also the founder of the LGBTQ Research & Engagement Collective at OU. Dr. Worthen’s work in LGBTQ studies critically analyzes the relationships between attitudes toward LGBTQ people, stigma, and sexual behavior, as well as LGBTQ people’s experiences with violence and discrimination. Her books include: Queers, Bis, and Straight Lies: An Intersectional Examination of LGBTQ Stigma (2020) and Interrogating the Use of LGBTQ Slurs: Still Smearing the Queer? (2024). She is a social justice activist for the LGBTQ community, especially through her creation of The Welcoming Project, and an advocate for survivors of sexual assault through her work as #MeTooMeredith. As a researcher, teacher, and activist, she dissects multiple dimensions of prejudice in efforts to cultivate understanding, empathy, and social change.”
Instructor Annual Compensation
$108,443
[Cover images via Amazon.com]