Why is sexual assault such a common feature of college life? What can be done to prevent it? Two Columbia professors, Jennifer S. Hirsch (bio) and Shamus Khan (bio), present an entirely new framework for understanding campus sexual assault in their new book, Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus. Book signing and a reception will follow the authors’ presentation and panel discussion.
The book presents findings from the Columbia study called the Sexual Health Initiative to Foster Transformation (SHIFT), for which our School’s Louisa Gilbert (bio) has served as co-investigator.
As Professor Gilbert told us: “The SHIFT study uses rigorous mixed methods to shed new light on social determinants and risk environments associated with campus sexual assault. The book reframes sexual assault as a critical social justice issue. It captures the many compelling narratives that arise from the data and highlights the urgent need for structural and community-level approaches to tackle the problem of campus sexual assault as an ultimate expression of power and oppression.”
NOTE: The Columbia Population Research Center, co-directed by Jane Waldfogel (bio) and Jennifer Hirsch and housed within our School, is one of the cosponsors for this event.