Leigh Potvin
Assistant Professor, Community Studies Cape Breton University
- Sydney NS
Educator, activist, academic. Interests: straight privilege, urban farming, backyard chickens, fat activism & active transportation.
Media
Social
Industry Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Education
Lakehead University
PhD
Education
2017
Straight privilege, queer theory
Lakehead University
M.Ed
Education
2011
Critical masculinity studies
Lakehead University
B.Ed
Education
2005
McGill University
B.A.
Political Science/African Studies
2003
Languages
- English
Media Appearances
More than pink shirts and posters: Straight allies in schools
CBC Information Morning (Cape Breton) radio
2017-03-06
Radio interview for Cape Breton University research month about research entitled, More than pink shirts and posters: Straight allies in schools.
Backyard chickens in Thunder Bay
CBC Superior Morning radio
2016-04-06
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.
Research Grants
Doctoral Fellowship
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada $40000
2015-05-01
Two-year doctoral fellowship to pursue doctoral research
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Lakehead University/Government of Ontario $15000
2014-05-01
for doctoral studies
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Lakehead University/Government of Ontario $15000
2013-05-01
for doctoral studies
Articles
Radical heterosexuality: Straight teacher activism in schools
Confero: Essays on Education, Philosophy, and Politics2016-07-01
http://www.confero.ep.liu.se/issues/2016/v4/i1/160614/confero16v4i1_160614.pdf
Exploring Gender Norms through the "Colour Blind" Initiative
Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education2010-01-13
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
Spaces for Difference: An Interdisciplinary Journal2009-11-10
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.
