Sherlock, Leslie, PhD student

By Katherine Harrison on 21 May | 0 comments

GEXcel project: International best practice in sex education: exploring success stories and gaps through dialogue between cultures, approaches and theories

This project contributes to the GEXcel international think tank by compiling research on Swedish, Irish and international best practice in sex education, specifically concentrating on success stories and the use of creative methods such as peer-led and drama.  I use feminist and queer theories to examine conceptual and cultural frameworks in international sex education methods via a two-phase interview process and resulting conclusions.  The first phase compares and contrasts Swedish and Irish sex education on an in-depth level, concentrating on areas of achievement and uniqueness.  The second phase obtains a sense of best practices in sex education internationally, through dialogue with GEXcel’s International Network, interrogating cultural specificities and incorporating an examination of creative and innovative theories.  The project compiles findings in a way which theorises practical strategies for filling unmet needs through international productive synergies, dialogues and alliances.  The researcher brings Irish historical and theoretical perspectives, and incorporates these in international dialogue on sex education in the context of the GEXcel fellowship. 

Biographical notes:

Leslie Sherlock is an American doctoral student researching in Ireland, funded by the Government of Ireland’s Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences.  She studies in Trinity College Dublin’s Children’s Research Centre under supervision of Dr. Paula Mayock, having previously obtained an MA in Women’s Studies (University College Dublin, 2007) and BA degrees in Accounting and Business Administration (Graceland University, Iowa, 2000).  Leslie’s professional background includes an extensive career in NGO administration, rape crisis, homelessness and in research.  She also serves on the board of Transgender Equality Network Ireland.  All of Leslie’s work has utilised feminism and queer theory, and focused on topics concerning gender, sex and sexuality.