Theory Application

This assignment asks you to apply theory, not summarize it. You will again use Southern Queeroscopic Interactionism (SQIT) to analyze a scenario and demonstrate that you understand how theory:

• Shapes what we see
• Defines what counts as evidence
• Connects structure and lived experience
• Functions as both explanation and research orientation

Though multiple people have been assigned varying components of the theory, you are not working in groups, only sharing a concept. This is individual work.

Me – Interactional Resistance + Counter-Symbolic Practices

Scenario:

A Black queer college student at a Southern HBCU avoids LGBTQ campus events but regularly uses coded language, fashion choices, and humor among trusted peers to signal identity. They maintain a respectable public persona in classrooms but curate a different digital identity online.

Assignment

Part I Conceptual Grounding

1. Explain your assigned SQIT concepts in your own words.
2. What theoretical gap or problem are these concepts responding to?
3. How does Johnson position SQIT as botha theory anda methodology?

Part II Application to Your Scenario

Using your assigned theoretical lens:

1. What is happening at the structural level? In your structural analysis, consider institutions, policy, regional norms, historical context, and broader systems of power.
2. What is happening at the interactional level? In your interactional analysis, consider dynamics such as identity negotiation, visibility and invisibility, symbolic resistance, and everyday navigation.
3. What does SQIT help you see that mainstream or urban-centered queer theory might miss?
4. If you were conducting research on this case, what kinds of data would you prioritize and why?
5. Explain how your theory determines what counts as evidence.

Overall, your response should be no less than 1 full (double spaced page) with proper APA citations where necessary. It is also important for to remember that this is an analytical exercise, so I offer this guidance:

Do:

• Use theory actively
• Connect macro and micro analysis
• Be specific about region and power
• Show methodological you thinking

Do not:

• Summarize SQIT
• Treat the scenario as fictional storytelling
• Default to general statements like society is oppressive