NCFR member Stephanie Coontz, M.A., and notable sociologist Paula England, Ph.D., have convened a online symposium for the Council on Contemporary Families on the topic of how colleges can define consent. 

Defining Consent examines the question of what counts as consent to sexual activity – and what should not. The contributing scholars outline the complicated realities and various dilemmas caused by sexual activity in a college setting, and confront media portrayals of both victims and offenders. Research cited in the symposium offers new strategies for reducing harm on college campuses, including options such as restorative justice, bystander interventions, and public health campaigns.

Ms. Coontz and Dr. England served as editors for the symposium and authored the keynote essay, “No Easy Answers: Can Colleges Define Consent and Reduce Unwanted Sex?”

The entire symposium is available to be read online or for download as a PDF.

Ms. Coontz is professor emerita at Evergreen State College and a frequent author of Journal of Marriage and Family. She has authored seven books on marriage and family life and her work was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court case decision to grant same-sex couples the right to marriage. She will present the opening plenary at the 2019 NCFR Annual Conference, as well as a preconference workshop on media training for scholars preparing to take their research public.

Dr. England is the Silver professor of sociology and director of graduate studies at New York University, and a frequent author of NCFR's scholarly journals. Her research focuses on gender inequality in the labor market, the family, and sexuality.