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Eli Kean

Director of Undergraduate Studies | Associate Professor of Instruction in Gender & Sexuality Studies | Adviser, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences

PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from Michigan State University

Eli Kean (they/them) is a Weinberg College Adviser and Associate Professor of Instruction in Gender and Sexuality Studies. Dr. Kean earned a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri. Their Ph.D. is in Curriculum & Instruction from Michigan State University. Dr. Kean's interdisciplinary interests include critical trans studies, anti-oppressive education, disability justice pedagogies, gender inclusive advising, LGBTQ activism and social change. They serve as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Queer and Trans Issues in Education. In every aspect of professional life, Dr. Kean finds great fulfillment in providing high-quality student support that centers holistic development, critical inquiry, and self-discovery. Their courses are informed by critical theories and liberatory frameworks that question the cisheteronormative, colonial/modern underpinnings of gender, sexuality, race, social class, and disability. Eli is the recipient of the 2018 Dissertation of the Year award from AERA Queer Studies SIG for their work on gender-expansive teaching methods. At NU, Dr. Kean was nominated to the Associated Student Government (ASG) Honor Roll in 2022, earned Honorable Mention in the Canvas Hall of Fame for Most Innovative Course and Excellence in DEI/Accessibility in 2024 and was inducted as an honorary member of Northwester’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 2024.

NU Courses:

GNDR_ST 101 Love as a Force for Social Justice: How and Why We Care

GNDR_ST 235 Beyond the Binary

GNDR_ST 354 Critical Trans Studies

Publications: 

  • Kean, E. (2025). Cisgender and Cisnormativity. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Education and Gender. SAGE Publications, Inc.
  • Kean, E. (2022). Genderism. In K.K. Strunk & S.A. Shelton (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Queer Studies in Education (pp. 211–217). Brill Publishers.
  • Kean, E., & Skrivan, P. (2022). Safe spaces and safe zone trainings. In K.K. Strunk & S.A. Shelton (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Queer Studies in Education (pp. 619–624). Brill Publishers.
  • Kean, E. (2021). Advancing a critical trans framework for education. Curriculum Inquiry, 51(2), 261-286. DOI: 10.1080/03626784.2020.1819147
  • Kean, E. (2020). Locating transgender within the language of queer in teacher education. Multicultural Perspectives, 22(2), 57-67.