Talk on 'Sex & Sexuality: Biology or Fashion'

As part of the Women's Studies Colloquium, Dr. Pamela Davey Huggins and Frances E. Davey will present the lecture "Is Jamie Lee Curtis a Man? Sex & Sexuality: Biology or Fashion?"

The talk is planned for 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, in Room 303 of Jaynes Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. Due to popular demand, the lecture has been presented annually for the past four years.

Huggins, Assistant Professor of Biology, says this presentation arose out of a number of conversations between herself and her sister. Huggins has a Ph.D. in Oceanography, and her sister, Frances E. Davey, is earning a Ph.D. in American History/Material Culture. The two compared the idea of "male" and "female" from both biological and social viewpoints.

"Concepts which seemed obvious to each of us in our respective fields were poorly understood by the other," Huggins said. "We found the differences in perspective fascinating and so, encouraged by our colleagues, we pooled our knowledge in a combined talk which addresses both aspects of sex and gender. We hope to impress upon our audience that, as with many topics, determination of sex and gender is not as simplistic as commonly thought."

The lecture describes the basic mechanisms of both sex and gender determination and addresses some conceptions' and misconceptions'of each.

"Although we tend to think of sex and gender as interchangeable terms with only two options: male or female, in fact the distinction is considerably more complex. 'Sex' is biologically determined, and the sex of a human is controlled by the proper combination of genetic coding and hormonal exposure," Huggins said. "Abnormalities during embryonic and/or pubertal development, while rare, can cause the formation of a person who is intersex. In contrast, "gender" is a social construct which refers to the masculinity or femininity of a person at a particular time and location in society. Just like biological sex, gender manifests along a spectrum of types, and may or may not match the biological sex of an individual."

Originally from Cape Ann, Mass., Assistant Professor Pamela Davey Huggins received her Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology from the University of New England, her Master of Science degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina, and her Ph.D. in Coastal Oceanography from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She then worked as an adjunct professor and visiting assistant professor at several colleges and universities on the East and Gulf coasts before joining the FSU Biology program in 2002.

Her research interests include benthic ecology and, more recently, an examination of the attitudes towards evolution in Appalachia. Although her background is in marine science she teaches a wide variety of courses at Fairmont State, including Human Biology, Biological Principles, Anatomy & Physiology, Zoology, Vertebrate Zoology, Fundamentals of Ecology and Senior Seminar. She also directs a group of undergraduates (informally known as the Fishheads) who are establishing live animal exhibits in Hunt-Haught Hall. In addition, Huggins teaches at the Governor's Honors Academy, serves as a consulting editor for Marine Ecology Progress Series and participates in a number of community-related activities. Other areas of academic interest include paleontology, the evolution and history of sexuality, the role of women in both early American and ancient societies and the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Outside of academia, Huggins enjoys distance running, gardening and chasing around after her toddler.

Huggins will also present the 18th annual Presidential Lecture at 7 p.m. Monday, April 16, in Multi-Media Room A of the Ruth Ann Musick Library on "The Intelligent Design Debate."

Frances E. Davey received her Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies at Smith College, her first Master of Arts degree in American Studies/Material Culture at the College of William and Mary, her second Master of Arts degree in American History/Material Culture at the University of Delaware and expects her Ph.D. in American History/Material Culture at the University of Delaware later this year. Her research interests include the interpretation of societal norms through the examination of women's clothing in the 19th and 20th centuries. She has received several prestigious fellowships, including the Friends of Rockwood Research Fellow, the Wood Institute Research Fellow and the Winterthur Dissertation Research Fellow.

She has worked as a curator and collection manager at the Treasure Island museum in San Francisco and the Burritt Museum in Huntsville, Ala., and served as an educator at a number of museums on the East Coast. Recent presentations include "Thoroughly Democratic in Principle: Bathing Suits and the Negotiation of Social Class on the Beaches of Coney Island, 1873 to 1914," given at Columbia University, and "Female Weakness: The Management of Menstruation and Social Class, 1880-1914," presented at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Women's Studies Colloquium is an interdisciplinary lecture series organized by the Women's Studies Program at Fairmont State. The series features speakers from diverse areas of expertise, including biology, history, criminal justice and francophone culture. Each presentation introduces a topic relevant to women's and human issues' like the penal system, biological and social determinants of sex and gender or the contributions of women firefighters' with a 20-minute talk. The talks are followed by a discussion inspired by the lecture, and connections among each installment are made by regular attendants, particularly students.

For more information about the Women's Studies Colloquium, contact Elizabeth Savage at savage@fairmontstate.edu or (304) 367-4085 or Donna Long at dlong@fairmontstate.edu or (304) 367-4180.