ISS21 Master Class: 'Researching Intimate Lives'

15 Nov 2018

On 15th and 16th November 2018 ISS21 hosted a master class on the theme of ‘Researching Intimate Lives’. Dr. Beth Sundstrom delivered the keynote lecture, entitled ‘Sometimes a private matter needs public support: reproductive justice and women’s health in the digital age’. Focusing on innovative methodologies and stakeholder engagement, Dr. Sundstrom outlined how she has applied a reproductive justice framework to researching intimate lives and women's reproductive health.

Dr Sundstrom is a Fulbright Scholar at ISS21 (September-December 2018) and Associate Professor, Department of Communication, College of Charleston, South Carolina. She is a leading scholar on health communication, social marketing, and women’s reproductive health and author of Reproductive Justice and Women's Voices: Health Communication across the Lifespan (2015). 

Papers presented as part of the masterclass included:

• ‘When intimate lives become public: a case study of institutions and intimate lives in Ireland’, Dr. Sarah Robinson (Applied Psychology, UCC) 
• ‘When the private becomes “public”: reflections from research observations of family law court hearings’, Dr. Carmel Halton and Dr. Gill Harold (Applied Social Studies, UCC)
• ‘Emotions, evidence and medical professional regulation: research and regulatory challenges’, Dr. Órla O’Donovan (Applied Social Studies, UCC) 
• ‘Up close and public: intimate engagement in contemporary art’ Fiona Kearney, Director, Glucksman Gallery, UCC.