Melissa Fore

Melissa Fore, PhD teaches in the Humanities, Culture and Writing department at James Madison College. Her writing classroom explores how concepts of race, class, gender, and sexuality are socially and culturally constructed through social, political, and economic values. She asks students to consider how the cycles of socialization have influenced their understanding of identity and community in order to engage in writing assignments that examine structural racism, the affordable housing crisis, and challenging gender norms. Her courses examine approaches to outreach and engagement in order to give students models for addressing inequities that plague their communities. Dr. Fore’s teaching helps students see how identity formation is linked to power and privilege, and how dismantling white supremacy is central to social, political, and economic justice. Current research interests include challenging the notion that sex education curriculums can teach students about “consent” without a clear focus on gender norms and the role masculinity (both traditional and violent) plays in relationships. She is also working with undergraduate researchers on a project that examines representation of race and gender in high school history textbooks.

Professor Fore teaches courses in the first-year writing program and is a core faculty member of Michigan State University's Center for Gender in a Global Context.