Dr. Fehlbaum's main area of research is sex education; however, she is also interested in research regarding sexual deviance (broadly defined) as well as research that utilizes her qualitative research skills.
Sex Education
Dr. Fehlbaum's dissertation, Sex Ex Libris: Abstinence Messages in High School Health Textbooks Cultivate Sex Negativity Among Teens was a content analysis of the six high school health textbooks used across the United States. She found that the focus on abstinence in the textbooks were promulgated through emphasis on marriage, distrust of teens' decision making skills, and risk prevention.
She continues to have an interest in researching sex education curriculum, branching into study of the ancillary materials, programs that schools may bring in to provide sex education, as well as how sex is addressed in the lower grades.
Sexual DEVIANCE
Sexual deviance can be explored in many ways. For example, adolescent sexuality is often considered deviant because there is societal pressure to maintain the idea that not knowing about sex means adolescents will show no interest in it. Another way of exploring it is by looking at image-based sexual abuse and its impact on survivors. Dr. Fehlbaum has conducted research in both of these areas and is working on a literature review on incel culture.
Qualitative analysis
Dr. Fehlbaum specializes in qualitative analysis and is proficient in Atlas.ti and NVivo software packages. She has worked on interdisciplinary teams, performing qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts.
Publications
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PEER-REVIEWED
Fehlbaum, Amanda. 2019. “Delayed Gratification: How High School Health Textbooks Portray Marriage and Sex.” Sexuality Research and Social Policy. DOI: 10.1007/s13178-019-00408-x
Book Chapters
Leftwich, Cryshanna Jackson, Nicolette Powe, and Amanda Fehlbaum. 2023. “Hair and Career: The Impact of Hair Bias on Women of Color” Pp. 126-153 in Women of Color and Hair Bias in the Work Environment, edited by Kula A. Francis and Anna M. Clarke. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Fehlbaum, Amanda and Katelyn Bowden. 2020. “Battling Against Demeaning and Abusive Selfie Shaming: Empowerment Through Activism After Image Abuse” Pp. 30-53 in Young Adult Sexuality in the Digital Age, edited by Rachel Kalish. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Fehlbaum, Amanda. 2016. “Adolescent Sexuality” in Sexual Deviance and Society: A Sociological Examination by Meredith G. F. Worthen. Routledge Books: Criminology Series.
book Review
Fehlbaum, Amanda. 2015. "Defiantly Fat, Gay, and Sexual: Negotiating Shame of Size and Sexuality: Fat Gay Men: Girth, Mirth, and the Politics of Stigma by Jason Whitesel, New York, NYU Press 2014." Sex Roles 72: 262-264. DOI: 10.1007/S11199-015-0459-z
Encyclopedia entries
Fehlbaum, Amanda. 2016. “Cult of Domesticity” In The Encyclopedia of Family Studies, edited by Constance Shehan. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. DOI: 10.1002/9781119085621.wbefs032
Fehlbaum, Amanda. 2016. “Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)” In The Encyclopedia of Family Studies, edited by Constance Shehan. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. DOI: 10.1002/9781119085621.wbefs070
tEACHING reSOURCES
Fehlbaum, Amanda. 2019. "Reciprocity 2.0: A Simulation Game for Sociology of the Family." Class Activity published in TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington DC: American Sociological Association. http://trails.asanet.org/Pages/Resource.aspx?ResourceID=13719
Fehlbaum, Amanda and Ami Stearns. 2015. Instructional Materials for The Sociology of Gender: A Brief Introduction, Fourth Edition by Laura Kramer and Ann Beutel. New York: Oxford University Press.