The University will be hosting a special public discussion event framed around the concept of “sexual citizens” as part of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The event Sexual Citizens will be held on April 28, in Doheny Memorial Library, from 2:00-3:15 p.m. and is presented by the Academic Senate, the Office of the Provost, the Division of Student Affairs, and USC Student Health. EEO-TIX is also a supporter of the event.
The event will feature Columbia professors and authors of the groundbreaking book, “Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power and Assault on Campus,” Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan. Their work is considered to be the most comprehensive study to date of sexual assault on campus conducted by the Sexual Health Initiative to Foster Transformation (SHIFT) at Columbia University.
The authors’ approach is steeped in empathy, seeking to explain the social roots of sexual assault, and their book offers a roadmap for how to address these events on university campuses. “Sexual Citizens” is available through the USC Bookstores and through the USC Libraries and is highly encouraged.
The event is just one of many events offered throughout the University as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and campus officials are heavily promoting dialogues related to the issue of sexual assault and its impact on students. Other resources include the USC Campus Task Force Report, which included research collected from surveys of our own students’ experiences, to the discussions with our Working Group on IFC Culture, Prevention, and Accountability.