California State University, Chico

HUMAN SEXUALITY

HCSV 265-01 Fall 2005

Professor: Dr. Lyndall Ellingson Office: Butte 637

E-Mail: lellingson@csuchico.edu Telephone: 898-6310

Office Hours: Wednesdays & Thursdays: 1:30-3:00; Fridays 2-5 pm

*About e-mail and telephone messages: If you have an emergency that requires you to miss a class without prior notification, it is a good idea to leave me a message before you leave town. However, leaving a message does not negate your responsibilities for attendance and timely submission of papers. You are welcome to ask me questions about the class, your group, or personal health issues over e-mail or during my office hours.

COURSE SPECIFICS

Time & Location: Mondays, 6 – 8:50 pm Plumas 102

Required texts:

· Carroll, Sexuality NOW: Embracing Diversity (2005).

· Reading Packet on WebCT

Required Access: WebCT to submit papers and access grades

COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES

Overview of human sexuality, including psychosexual development, gender roles, reproductive systems, pregnancy and childbirth, contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, relationships, sexual orientation, sex and the law, sexually explicit materials and sexual difficulties. This is an approved General education course and includes a 2500 word writing requirement.

The objectives of this course are:

1) To facilitate an atmosphere of learning, communication, and development of knowledge for life-long learning and understanding of human sexuality.

2) To present a forum for discussion of current sexuality issues including controversial topics such as abortion, rape, sexual orientation, pornography, contraception and conception.

3) To present the anatomy and physiology of human sexuality and reproduction and to dispel misinformation and/or myths regarding these areas.

4) To present, explore, and discuss issues pertinent to sexuality regarding the college student.

The course utilizes both lecture and small group discussion techniques. Lectures will emphasize the cognitive aspects of the subject, the discussion sessions will provide an opportunity to explore attitudes, feelings, and communication. It is hoped that as a result of your experience in this class, you will

Be more aware and accepting of your own individual sexuality and value systems;

develop an intelligent and responsible sexual lifestyle;

and

be more aware and accepting of the sexual value systems of others.

General Education & Life-long learning

HCSV 111 satisfies Area E – Life learning designed to equip human beings for life-long learning understanding and development of themselves as integrated physiological, psychological, and sociological entities. Part of General Education should provide instruction that fosters understanding of the self as a complex, integrated being. Each course, therefore must:

1) address issues that are likely to be important to most of our students throughout most of their lifetime;

2) significantly incorporate and integrate theory, data, and perspectives from each of the three broad areas of human life: physiological, psychologically and social;

3) have substantial written projects that ask the student to: a) integrate the ideas and materials of the course and apply these ideas and materials of the course to themselves and their own projected life course.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

1) Attendance will be taken randomly throughout the semester. You may miss 1 class period without penalty. For each absence over 1, your final grade will be reduced 1/3 letter grade. You must be in class for the entire class to receive credit. I frequently take attendance twice in one class session.

2) Respect: Respect the diversity of experience, values, and thoughts presented and explored in class.

3) Professionalism:

a) Arrive on time, prepared and ready to discuss readings and issues.

b) Submit high quality assignments on time via WebCT. Assignments must be submitted before 6 pm on the day noted in the syllabus. If you are unsure that your WebCT submission was successful, you must print out your response and bring it to class on the due date. NO EXCEPTIONS. No papers will be accepted outside of class. You are allowed one WebCT submission failure (on paper or WebCT email) after that you must expend all efforts to correct or access a usable WebCT interface, software, etc.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

Discussion Group Participation (10 @ 10 pts each)

Each student will be assigned to a discussion of 12-15 people that will regularly during the semester. Focus is on developing skills of verbal ease of communication about sexual matters, responsible listening to other persons, and openness in exploring and accepting divergent views. Attendance will be taken at each session, 10 points for each session. You must be present for the entire session to receive credit. While a quantifiable level of participation is not part of the credit received, inhibiting group functioning will be considered grounds for lost credit.

Anonymous Autobiographical Paper: “Who Am I Sexually?” (2 @ 10 pts)

One paper is written at the beginning of the course and the other at the end. The purpose of the paper is to provide you with an opportunity to evaluate and re-evaluate a personal intentional stance regarding yourself as a sexual person. This type of writing is usually difficult at first. You need to assess yourself and others of significance in your life honestly and realistically. If you can discuss your feelings openly (in writing) you may experience a reduction of fears and embarrassments; you may develop some newer understandings or appreciation of your own behavior and/or that of someone else close to you; and you may find solutions or alternatives to meet the requirements of your own situations. NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED in order to retain anonymity.

Ø See instructions in this syllabus for further directions.

Article Response (6 @ 20 pts)

Prepare for discussion by reading, answering questions and reflecting on article assignments in the course reading packet. Submit your answers via WebCT by 6 pm on the date assigned. No late submissions will be accepted. The questions are available on the WebCt course homepage: “Article Questions”. Use the “Assignment” tool to submit your answers. Your submissions should include:

· article # & title

· the review questions (abbreviated)

· Your answers to the questions in the course packet

· Any opinions, disagreements or comments regarding the reading

Exams: 3 @ 150 pts each

Exams will cover material from the text and reserved readings, lectures, guest speakers, and videos. Exams will be multiple choice, true-false, and short answer. The exams will NOT be cumulative. Make up exams will only be given under dire emergencies with documentation and are administered during finals week.

Ø See Text study guide on WebCT

Extra Credit (15 pts)

You may submit 1 extra credit paper anytime during the semester before the final date noted on the schedule. These will be two page reviews and personal reactions to events, speakers, performances related to sexuality. I will be announcing opportunities and welcome your contributions. You MUST GET APPROVAL from me in advance! Below is a list of movie possibilities for extra credit.

Ø Use the “Critical Movie Review” in WebCT to guide your movie review.

On gender: The Crying Game, Boys Don’t Cry

On sexual orientation: But I’m a Cheerleader, Beautiful Thing,

On attraction & desire: Fatal Attraction

On relationships: Harold and Maude

On Sexual Violence: The Accused

On pornography: Boogie Nights

On Sexual Variance: Quills (Marquis de Sade)

Grading Scale:

Article Responses (6 @ 20 points each) 120

Exams (3 @ 150 pts) 450

Autobiographical paper (2 @ 10 pts.) 20

Discussion group points (10 @ 10 pts) 100

Total 690

.

B+ = 88 - 89% C+ = 78 - 79% D+ = 67 - 69%

A = 94 - 100% B = 84 - 87% C = 74 - 77% D = 64 - 66%

A- = 90 - 93% B- = 80 - 83% C - = 70 - 73% F = 63% or less

Remember: lecture attendance will be taken randomly. You can be absent 1 time without penalty, for each additional absence, your final letter grade will be reduced 1/3 letter grade.

Letter grades in this course are in accordance with CSU academic policy:

A: Superior Work - A level of achievement so outstanding that it is normally attained by relatively few students.

B: Very Good Work - A high level of achievement clearly better than adequate competence in the subject matter, but not as good as the unusual, superior achievement of students earning an A.

C: Adequate Work - A level of achievement indicating adequate competence in the subject matter. This level will usually be met by a majority of students in the course.

D: Minimally Acceptable Work - A level of achievement which meets the minimum requirements of the course.

F: Unacceptable Work - A level of achievement that fails to meet the minimum requirements of the course.

COURSE SCHEDULE

DAY	TOPIC	READINGS/ ASSIGNMENTS	Group Meetings
8/22	Introductions & Healthy Sexuality
8/29	Sexual Attitudes & Values	Ch. 1 & 2 Autobiographical paper #1
9/5	No class – Labor Day
9/12	Gender and Sexuality	Ch 3 Article #1	1
9/19	Psychosexual Development	Ch 8 & 9	2
9/26	Sexual Orientations	Ch 11 Article #2	3
10/3	Exam 1 Movie: Ma Vie En Rose	6-7:15 pm 7:20 – 8:50 pm
10/10	Anatomy & Response	Ch 4, 5, 10 Article #3	4
10/17	Conception & Pregnancy	Ch 12	5
10/24	HIV & other STIs	Ch 15 Article #4	6
10/31	Birth Control	Ch 13
11/7	Exam 2 Movie: TBA	6-7:15 pm 7:20 – 8:50 pm
11/14	Sexual Attraction, Relationships, & Communication	Ch 6 & 7 Article #5	7
11/21	No class – Thanksgiving
11/28	Power and Sexual Coercion	Ch 17 All extra credit due	8
12/5	Sexual Variance & Expression	Ch 16 Article #6	9
12/12	Commercial Sex	Ch 18 Autobiographical paper #2	10
	Exam 3 8-9:50 pm

First Autobiographical Paper

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide you with an opportunity to evaluate a personal intentional stance regarding yourself as a sexual person. This type of writing assignment may be difficult at first. You need to assess yourself and others of significance in your life honestly and realistically. If you can discuss your feelings openly (in writing) you may experience a reduction of fears and embarrassments; you may develop some newer understandings and appreciations of your own behavior and/or that of someone else close to you; and you may find solutions or alternatives to meet the requirements of your own situations.

Procedure

DO NOT write your name or any identifiable number on the paper. Instead, write your name on a small piece of paper and attach it to the manuscript with a paper clip. When you turn your paper in during class, you will separate the slip of paper with your name from your autobiographical paper and put them in different envelopes. This way, you will get credit for submitting the paper, but your name will not be associated with anything you write. You will NOT be identified with your manuscript and your discussion leader and course instructors are the only ones who will see them. The manuscripts will be destroyed once the course has been completed.

The manuscript must be typed and must be NO LESS than 2 pages long.

Suggested sexuality aspects that you might want to consider when preparing the assignment are:

· relationships with parents and siblings

· the sex education received at home

· where your attitudes and sexual knowledge were learned

· teenage sexual practices/experiences

· present sexual practices/experiences

· your attitudes toward sexuality in general and toward you as a sexual person

· view of yourself in the future as a sexual person

Make 2 copies of your manuscript; keep one for any grading inconsistencies.

Second Autobiographical Paper

The purpose of this paper is to provide you with an opportunity to reevaluate your personal stance regarding yourself as a sexual person. The procedure is similar to the first autobiographical assignment. DO NOT write your name or any identifying number on the paper. Instead, write your name on a small piece of paper and attach it to the manuscript with a paper clip. The slip with your name on it will be detached as you submit the autobiographical paper. You will not be identified with your manuscript.

For this assignment, reflect currently your attitudes, knowledge, and behavior dealing with human sexuality. What (if any) new insights, experiences, information has occurred since the first paper about you as a sexual person? Describe how the course has, or has not, affected you relative to sexuality. What have you gained from the lecture sessions? What have you gained from the discussion groups? How could the course be improved? Where are you now in your feelings about sexuality? What else do you need to deal with in arriving where you want to be sexually?

This assignment must be typed and no less than 2 pages. Make a copy since these will not be returned.