Teaching entangled Australian sexual histories: Pedagogy and approaches

This is an era of significant shifts in power dynamics pertaining to sexualities, the body and the law reflecting major changes in the socio-political landscape, as evident in, for example, the #MeToo movement; inquiries into systemic child sexual abuse; and campaigns for equal rights, including marriage equality. This article examines the theme of controversies throughout history and provides a series of pedagogical examples drawn from the authors' innovations in teaching an upper-level university course on sex and scandal. Although the course spans the ancient, early modern and modern worlds, covering sexual scandals throughout the west, the focus herein is on Australian examples. It begins by introducing the theme of controversy and its place in history, then teases out the related topics of sexual scandal and contestation. This is then followed by some case studies from the course to demonstrate the subject matter included, and to elucidate specific pedagogies employed to maximize engagement and to enhance understanding in a student-centred and supportive learning environment.