Dr Kirsten McLean
Tel: +61 3 990 52418
Fax: +61 3 990 52410
Email: Kirsten.McLean@arts.monash.edu.au
Room W1114 11th Floor
Building 11 (Menzies) Clayton Campus
Kirsten McLean is a Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Political and Social Inquiry. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a PhD, both from Monash University, and a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) from The University of Melbourne. Prior to coming to Monash in 2000, Kirsten taught in the TAFE sector for three years. Her PhD thesis, completed in 2003, examined the lives of 60 Australian bisexual men and women.
Teaching
Kirsten currently coordinates the following units:
| SCY2031 | SCY3031 | Sexuality, Gender and Social Relations |
| SYM4055 | SYM5055 | Data Analysis Software for Social Research |
Kirsten is also the Postgraduate (Coursework) coordinator for Sociology, and for the School of Political and Social Inquiry.
Research
Kirsten's research interests are bisexuality; gay and lesbian issues; sexuality theory; qualitative research; data analysis software such as SPSS and NVivo, and information communication technologies (ICT) and social space. She is particularly interested in the diversity of human sexualities, the ethics and methodologies of sexuality research, as well as the use of ICT as a means of social support and the establishment of community.
She is often called upon by the media to talk about sexuality and relationship issues. She has been interviewed by The Age about same-sex marriage, bisexuality, monogamy in relationships, and sexual fluidity, and by the gay and lesbian publications MCV and Melbourne Star about bisexuality and gay and lesbian rights.
Kirsten is also on the editorial board of the journal Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review.
Current Research Projects
Kirsten's current research projects include an investigation of the human geography of same-sex couples (together with colleagues from the University of Wollongong); a project investigating women and sexual fluidity; and an investigation of the pedagogical and methodological issues involved in teaching and researching sexualities.
Publications
- Seear, K. & McLean, K (2008) ‘Breaking the silence: The role of emotional labour in qualitative research', The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Annual Conference Proceedings, Melbourne: University of Melbourne, December 2008.
- McLean, K. (2008) ‘Silences and stereotypes: The impact of (mis)constructions of bisexuality on Australian bisexual men and women', Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, Volume 4, Number 3, December.
- McLean, K. (2008) “Coming out, again': boundaries, identities and spaces of belonging', Australian Geographer, Volume 39, Number 3.
- McLean, K. (2008) ‘Inside, outside, nowhere: Bisexual men and women in the gay and lesbian community', Journal of Bisexuality, Volume 8, Numbers 1-2.
- McLean, K. (2007) ‘To tell or not to tell? Researcher privacy in sexuality research', TASA/SAANZ Joint Conference Proceedings, Auckland: University of Auckland, December 2007.
- McLean, K. (2007) ‘Hiding in the closet? Bisexuals, coming out and the disclosure imperative', Journal of Sociology, Volume 43, Number 2, June 2007.
- McLean, K. (2006) ‘Coming out, again: exploring the lives of women who have changed a lesbian or bisexual identity', The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Annual Conference Proceedings, Perth: University of Western Australia, December 2006.
- McLean, K. (2005) ‘Correcting Some Guesstimates: Review of Juliet Richters and Chris Rissel, Doing It Down Under: The Sexual Lives of Australians' in the Australian Women's Book Review, Volume 17, Number 1, 2005.
- McLean, K. (2005) ‘Out of the Shadows: Talking Bisexuality in the Classroom', in Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli (ed.) When Our Children Come Out: How to Support Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Young People, Sydney, Finch Publishing, 2005.
- McLean, K. (2004) ‘Negotiating (Non)Monogamy: Bisexuality and Intimate Relationships', Journal of Bisexuality, Volume 4, Numbers 1-2, 2004.
- McLean, K. (2001) ‘Living Life in the Double Closet: Young Bisexual Speak Out', Hecate, Volume 27, Number 1, August 2001.
- McLean, K. (2000) ‘Where am I? Bisexual Invisibility in the Classroom', Redress, September 2000.
Postgraduate Supervision
Kirsten has supervised a number of Honours, Masters and PhD theses on topics such as gay men and body image, queer Muslims and feminism and young people, and is currently supervising the following postgraduate research projects:Postgraduate research students currently being supervised include:
|
PhD |
||
|
Student |
Topic |
Supervisor/s |
|---|---|---|
|
John McCormack |
"The use of popular music genres by Pentecostal churches in the greater Melbourne area" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Dr Andrew Singleton |
|
Budi Sudarto |
"Cross-cultural relationships between gay Asian men and gay white men in Australia" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Dr Mark Davis |
|
Delanie Woodlock |
"Why so sad? Antidepressants, and the girl power generation" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Prof Alan Petersen |
|
Davina Lohm |
"How do young residents of Australia perceive their own national identities?" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Dr Dharma Arunachalam |
| MA | ||
| Student | Topic | Supervisor/s |
|---|---|---|
|
Rachmad Hidayat |
"Masculinity, Islam and Domestic Violence in Indonesia" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Dr Andrew Singleton |