2015-2016 Academic Catalog

Jan 17, 2025

2015-2016 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

SOC 248 - Issues in Sexuality

This course introduces you to the sociological study of sexuality. We start with the assumption that humans are sexual beings and that our histories, cultures, genders, races, classes, and other social factors shape our sexualities. Our broad goal is to understand how social factors influence the ways we think about and experience sexual desire, behaviors, and identities. We will investigate how norms regarding sexuality are rooted in structures of power and how power is negotiated within the realm of sexuality. The course is divided into four sections, each of which is grounded in systematic empirical studies and examples. First, we ask what sexuality is and how it is studied and measured by social scientists. Second, we consider the ways social ideologies and social structures shape our ideas about sex, sexuality, and sexual bodies. Third, we explore how people develop senses of themselves sexually as individuals and in communities. Finally, we examine sexuality in the broader context of social institutions, including education, law and social policy, medicine, and the media.

Prerequisites: SOC 010 OR SOC 012 OR WGS 110

Anticipated Terms Offered: Bi-Annually