CHAPTER 1
WHY A COURSE IN HUMAN SEXUALITY?
TEACHING TIPS
A. Potential problems
Early Christian beliefs regarding sex were very negative and still influence modern Christian
thought. However, in reviewing this history, be careful that your lecture is not interpreted as a general
condemnation of religion. If students become defensive about their own religious beliefs it might
possibly make them less open to examine other topics related to human sexuality. Point out that
religious views regarding sexuality are constantly evolving and that the views at the clergy level are
often less harsh than official dogma.
Some students may have reservations about whether sexuality is a subject suitable for
scientific study. Be sure to point out that the purpose of scientific research is to generate factual
information and emphasize that it is morally neutral. Scientific results cannot say if a particular
attitude or behavior is moral or not, or even if it is advisable. It can determine, however, whether a
majority of people believe a particular behavior to be moral or advisable.
B. Media resources/Guest lectures
1. "Cultural Influences" (60 minutes), distributed by Jeffrey Norton Pubs., has people from
different cultures talk about their beliefs about sexuality. The film shows the wide
range of attitudes regarding the subject.
2. “Sex and the Scientist” (86 minutes), distributed by Indiana University Audio Visual
Center, examines the career of Alfred Kinsey.
, 3. “Love & Sex” (52 minutes), distributed by Films for the Humanities & Sciences, is part
of the “Human Animal” series that was hosted by Phil Donahue, and also includes
Masters and Johnson and June Reinisch (Kinsey Institute). The film looks at sex in a
variety of settings, including birth in a hospital, homosexual rights march, and a male
strip club. A good, broad introduction—if you have time to show it.
4. “Sex Education: Too Little, Too Late” (26 minutes), distributed by Films for the
Humanities & Sciences, assesses sex education. It includes interviews with teachers,
policy makers, and teenagers.
5. “Teen Sex: The Chastity Crusade” (27 minutes), distributed by Films for the
Humanities & Sciences, examines the controversy about which approach to take
in sex education—abstinence only or comprehensive education (including
contraception).
6. Invite campus religious leaders (of different denominations) to class to give their
religion's contemporary views on various sexual issues. You might also recruit
students from different cultures to do the same thing.
C. Classroom activities/Discussion
1. Ask the students how they scored on the Sexual Knowledge Quiz (pp. 3-5). I created
the quiz, but there are several others you might want to use as well. June Reinisch of
the Kinsey Institute published an 18-item “Sex Knowledge Test”: Reinisch, J.M. (1990).
The Kinsey Institute new report on sex: What you must know to be sexually literate. New
York: St Martin’s Press. Students can compare their grades with those of a national
sample. Reinisch found that most Americans received a “D” or “F” on this test.
, 2. Have the students discuss their feelings about sex for a) reproductive purposes, and b)
for pleasure only. Many students will indicate that they have a positive attitude about
sex for pleasure, but test their true feelings by asking how they feel about their parents
or grandparents having sex for pleasure, having sexual intercourse in different
positions, having oral-genital sex, etc. (This topic is covered in Chapter 10.)
3. Have the students make a list of examples of sexual repression and sexual
permissiveness in their own community.
4. Have the students discuss how the media have influenced their own sexual behaviors
and attitudes. The biggest problem you may encounter here is getting them to
acknowledge the cumulative effect of years of exposure to sexually oriented material
on television and radio, and in movies, magazines, and advertisements.
5. Have an open discussion of the students’ views about the meaning of “sex” and “had
sex.”
6. Have the class construct their own questionnaire by each contributing a question or
two. Read the questions to the class and discuss the problems with obtaining valid
results. Generalize the discussion to the problems that sex researchers face in their
own studies.
D. Outside activities
1. Have the students monitor afternoon and evening television programs, morning rock
radio programs, and the daily newspaper for references to sexual topics. Do this for 2
or 3 days or longer. Have them classify the references as positive, negative, or neutral.
2. Have the students examine magazine advertisements to determine if the message is
product information or identification.
, 3. Assign the students to read an article from a scientific journal (such as the Journal of
Sex Research or the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy) and another article about
sex from a popular magazine (such as Cosmopolitan). Have them compare and
contrast the magazines’ styles. What methods are used to collect data? Does the
article from the popular magazine give references or validate its claims?
TEST QUESTIONS
A. Multiple Choice
1. A person's sexuality refers to his or her
p. 1 a. sexual attitudes
Factual b. sexual feelings
d c. sexual behaviors
d. all of the above
2. For most teens, the major source(s) of information about sex is (are)
p. 2 a. friends and the media
Factual b. parents
a c. sex education
d. parents and sex education
3. What percentage of Americans favor the teaching of comprehensive sexual education in
high schools?
p. 2 a. about a third
Factual b. about half
WHY A COURSE IN HUMAN SEXUALITY?
TEACHING TIPS
A. Potential problems
Early Christian beliefs regarding sex were very negative and still influence modern Christian
thought. However, in reviewing this history, be careful that your lecture is not interpreted as a general
condemnation of religion. If students become defensive about their own religious beliefs it might
possibly make them less open to examine other topics related to human sexuality. Point out that
religious views regarding sexuality are constantly evolving and that the views at the clergy level are
often less harsh than official dogma.
Some students may have reservations about whether sexuality is a subject suitable for
scientific study. Be sure to point out that the purpose of scientific research is to generate factual
information and emphasize that it is morally neutral. Scientific results cannot say if a particular
attitude or behavior is moral or not, or even if it is advisable. It can determine, however, whether a
majority of people believe a particular behavior to be moral or advisable.
B. Media resources/Guest lectures
1. "Cultural Influences" (60 minutes), distributed by Jeffrey Norton Pubs., has people from
different cultures talk about their beliefs about sexuality. The film shows the wide
range of attitudes regarding the subject.
2. “Sex and the Scientist” (86 minutes), distributed by Indiana University Audio Visual
Center, examines the career of Alfred Kinsey.
, 3. “Love & Sex” (52 minutes), distributed by Films for the Humanities & Sciences, is part
of the “Human Animal” series that was hosted by Phil Donahue, and also includes
Masters and Johnson and June Reinisch (Kinsey Institute). The film looks at sex in a
variety of settings, including birth in a hospital, homosexual rights march, and a male
strip club. A good, broad introduction—if you have time to show it.
4. “Sex Education: Too Little, Too Late” (26 minutes), distributed by Films for the
Humanities & Sciences, assesses sex education. It includes interviews with teachers,
policy makers, and teenagers.
5. “Teen Sex: The Chastity Crusade” (27 minutes), distributed by Films for the
Humanities & Sciences, examines the controversy about which approach to take
in sex education—abstinence only or comprehensive education (including
contraception).
6. Invite campus religious leaders (of different denominations) to class to give their
religion's contemporary views on various sexual issues. You might also recruit
students from different cultures to do the same thing.
C. Classroom activities/Discussion
1. Ask the students how they scored on the Sexual Knowledge Quiz (pp. 3-5). I created
the quiz, but there are several others you might want to use as well. June Reinisch of
the Kinsey Institute published an 18-item “Sex Knowledge Test”: Reinisch, J.M. (1990).
The Kinsey Institute new report on sex: What you must know to be sexually literate. New
York: St Martin’s Press. Students can compare their grades with those of a national
sample. Reinisch found that most Americans received a “D” or “F” on this test.
, 2. Have the students discuss their feelings about sex for a) reproductive purposes, and b)
for pleasure only. Many students will indicate that they have a positive attitude about
sex for pleasure, but test their true feelings by asking how they feel about their parents
or grandparents having sex for pleasure, having sexual intercourse in different
positions, having oral-genital sex, etc. (This topic is covered in Chapter 10.)
3. Have the students make a list of examples of sexual repression and sexual
permissiveness in their own community.
4. Have the students discuss how the media have influenced their own sexual behaviors
and attitudes. The biggest problem you may encounter here is getting them to
acknowledge the cumulative effect of years of exposure to sexually oriented material
on television and radio, and in movies, magazines, and advertisements.
5. Have an open discussion of the students’ views about the meaning of “sex” and “had
sex.”
6. Have the class construct their own questionnaire by each contributing a question or
two. Read the questions to the class and discuss the problems with obtaining valid
results. Generalize the discussion to the problems that sex researchers face in their
own studies.
D. Outside activities
1. Have the students monitor afternoon and evening television programs, morning rock
radio programs, and the daily newspaper for references to sexual topics. Do this for 2
or 3 days or longer. Have them classify the references as positive, negative, or neutral.
2. Have the students examine magazine advertisements to determine if the message is
product information or identification.
, 3. Assign the students to read an article from a scientific journal (such as the Journal of
Sex Research or the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy) and another article about
sex from a popular magazine (such as Cosmopolitan). Have them compare and
contrast the magazines’ styles. What methods are used to collect data? Does the
article from the popular magazine give references or validate its claims?
TEST QUESTIONS
A. Multiple Choice
1. A person's sexuality refers to his or her
p. 1 a. sexual attitudes
Factual b. sexual feelings
d c. sexual behaviors
d. all of the above
2. For most teens, the major source(s) of information about sex is (are)
p. 2 a. friends and the media
Factual b. parents
a c. sex education
d. parents and sex education
3. What percentage of Americans favor the teaching of comprehensive sexual education in
high schools?
p. 2 a. about a third
Factual b. about half
