A Discourse Analysis on Gender Diversity in Irish Sexuality Education

• Main Authors: CHEN, LU-AN, 陳履安
• Other Authors: HUNG, WEN-JOU
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/3959x5

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 國際文教與比較教育學系 === 105 === This research begins with the problems faced by LGBT people in the mainstream society in Taiwan. Given that education reproduces gender ideology, this study therefore examines the interpretation and response of LGBT issues in education in Taiwan. Although the concept of gender diversity exists in the curriculum guideline, the curriculum and materials used are still deeply influenced by heterosexual hegemony. In view of this, it is a contemporary issue unresolved. Ireland, ranking high as an LGBT friendly country, the recent progress of LGBT rights seem to be extraordinarily successful within its Roman Catholic context. The turning point of the value shift in society, the arrangement of sexuality education, and the discourses on sexuality deserve further research. This research employs Michel Foucault's ideas of knowledge, power and discourse as a path to analyze discourses and ideologies in Irish sexuality education. The discourse analysis of this research is mainly focused on the curriculum and resource material from a perspective of gender diversity, with a view to explore possible concepts and discourses for Taiwan as a reference. This research finds that sexuality education in Ireland puts emphasis on holistic development of one’s sexuality, appreciates the value of gender equality, depreciates bullying on grounds of gender discrimination and gender stereotype, advocates to respect and tolerate the difference of homosexual people, appreciates the values of marriage, family and human reproduction, recognize the moral framework of sex, denies conservative sex education discourse whilst remains under its discipline. In a nutshell, sexuality education in Ireland remains limited within heteronormativity. This research suggests that education in Taiwan should put emphasis on holistic development of one’s sexuality, promote core competencies that are linkable to gender issues, cultivate students’ autonomy in demanding the knowledge of sexuality, develop sexuality education that critically analyze stereotypes and prejudices, be active in building an LGBT friendly environment, carefully examine the use of pronouns in educational texts and choose to use gender neutral pronouns, and be active in presenting queer perspective content in materials of every subjects.