SCIENCE ON SCREEN: KINSEY
BILL CONDON | USA | 2004 | 118 MIN | R
This Event is SOLD OUT!
Tickets may be available at the door.
Sexuality Research in Society Today
Experts from Widener University’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies discuss how the field of sexuality studies has evolved since the Kinsey era.
This Oscar-nominated film chronicles the work of researcher Alfred Kinsey, whose groundbreaking studies reshaped the ways we think about human sexuality. While teaching at Indiana University, Kinsey (Liam Neeson) meets free-thinking Clara McMillen (Laura Linney) and falls in love. As he discovers his own sexuality, Kinsey becomes aware of the surprising lack of data on human sexual habits. With a team of eager young researchers, Kinsey embarks on an ambitious study to combat the prudishness of the era by getting ordinary Americans to talk about their sex lives in intimate detail. Though the publication of Kinsey’s findings turns him into an international celebrity, it also turns him into a lightning rod for controversy, as Kinsey is labeled everything from a pervert to a communist subversive. Providing fascinating insight into Kinsey’s process, the film also offers a moving portrait of a man whose forward-thinking ideals led to a complicated personal life.
Cast: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O’Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard
About the Speakers:
Justin Sitron is associate professor and director of the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University. Dr. Sitron’s perspective is rooted in an appreciation of sexual diversity, community-focused programming, and intercultural sensitivity. He regularly trains human service and medical professionals to incorporate a sexual rights and social justice approach in their practice, and works to help people improve their responsiveness to worldviews that challenge their own.
Dr. Brooke Wells is an Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Interdisciplinary Sexuality Research Collaborative at Widener University’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies. With a background in social psychology, Brooke conducts research in four primary areas: HIV prevention; sexual cultures and communities; sexual violence; and substance use and abuse. She has published in a range of academic journals, presented at conferences around the world, and has talked to the media extensively about her work. Brooke is also the director of the PhD program in Human Sexuality Studies, where she supports and collaborates with students as they learn about and conduct sexuality research.
Javontae Lee Williams, MPH, is an Applied Research Scientist at the Interdisciplinary Sexuality Research Collaborative at Widener University. He manages a grant-funded sexuality education project for Black men in Baltimore and Jackson, Mississippi. His research explores the racial, gender, age, and cultural factors that influence black men’s health, particularly regarding their well-being and aging. Javontae is known as a dynamic speaker nationwide, and his work has been featured in popular media outlets like National Public Radio, Philadelphia Weekly, and TheBody.com among others.
The Science on Screen® program pairs screenings of classic, cult, science fiction, and documentary films with lively presentations by notable experts from the world of science and technology. Each film is used as a jumping-off point for a speaker to introduce current research or technological advances in a manner that engages audiences of all backgrounds.
Science on Screen is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.