Media
CBC Information Morning (Cape Breton), March 6, 2017Radio/Podcast
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/programs/informationmorningcapebreton
Radio interview for Cape Breton University research month about research entitled, More than pink shirts and posters: Straight allies in schools.
CBC Superior Morning, April 6, 2016Radio/Podcast
What is it like having backyard chickens in Thunder Bay? Leigh Potvin knows and is a community advocate for greater access to urban livestock, like chickens.
Radical heterosexuality: Straight teacher activism in schools
Published by Confero: Essays on Education, Philosophy, and Politics
July 1, 2016
http://www.confero.ep.liu.se/issues/2016/v4/i1/160614/confero16v4i1_160614.pdf
URL: http://www.confero.ep.liu.se/issues/2016/v4/i1/160614/confero16v4i1_160614.pdf
Exploring Gender Norms through the "Colour Blind" Initiative
Published by Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education
January 13, 2010
Recently, the authors have been collecting data for a research project that explores secondary school boys' perceptions of masculinity. They spent a week in Leigh's grade 11 philosophy class discussing gender while observing and video recording students' perception for analysis. In their research, they used Colour Blind as a vehicle for unearthing students' perceptions about masculinity. Colour Blind is a group initiative task that involves a blindfold for each participant and a structured array of coloured shapes. After completing the blindfolded problem-solving task, their group was able to make a list of typically masculine leadership strategies. The authors propose that, as time goes by, the Colour Blind experience may help these students to name and challenge dominant gender norms that would otherwise go unquestioned. The initiative can also be used as an innovative experiential approach for exploring concrete or abstract concepts across the Ontario K-12 curriculum.
Boobs, Boxing, and Bombs: Problematizing the Entertainment of Spike TV
Published by Spaces for Difference: An Interdisciplinary Journal
November 10, 2009
Spike is the only television network in North America “for men.” Its motto, “Get more action,” is suggestive of pursuits of various forms of violence. We conceptualize Spike not as trivial entertainment, but rather as a form of pop culture that erodes the gains of feminists who have challenged the prevalence of normalized hegemonic masculinity (HM). Our paper highlights themes of Spike content, and connects those themes to the literature on hegemonic masculinity. Moreover, we validate the identities and lives of men who cannot or refuse to subscribe to the pressures of hegemonic masculinity.
Biography
Dr. Leigh Potvin (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism at Lakehead University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and African Studies from McGill University. After completing her Bachelor of Education (J/I/S), she also holds a Master of Education and PhD in Sociocultural and Political contexts of Education from Lakehead University with a focus on gender equity and LGBTQ advocacy. Her research interests focus on straight (white) privilege, respectful allyship, food security, and fat studies. She is interested in collaborative, social justice, and feminist-oriented research that is driven by and has a positive impact on communities.
Research Grants
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Organization: Lakehead University/Government of OntarioDate: May 1, 2014
Grant amount: 15000
Details:
for doctoral studies
More information: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/academics/graduate/graduate-funding/funding-records/node/11231
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Organization: Lakehead University/Government of OntarioDate: May 1, 2013
Grant amount: 15000
Details:
for doctoral studies
More information: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/academics/graduate/graduate-funding/funding-records/node/11231
Doctoral Fellowship
Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of CanadaDate: May 1, 2015
Grant amount: 40000
Details:
Two-year doctoral fellowship to pursue doctoral research
More information: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx