Materials

Download a PDF of the unabridged syllabus, including videos and links to material, HERE.

5/26 – I’d Hit That: A Short History of Sex and An Introduction to Studying Sexuality

Videos

• “Sex Research, the Video.” Slate Video, 2008. Mary Roach, author of the new book Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, relates how she and her husband became the first couple to be filmed on 4-D ultrasound while having sex. 3 min 21 seconds.
• “Naked on the Inside.” Directed by Kim Farrant. Magic Real Picture Company, 2008. This fresh and unnerving feature-length documentary asks a simple, but audacious, question: Beyond our clothes and skin, who are we? Six extra-ordinary people from around the world reveal their bodies and share their secrets in a unique experiment in search of their inner selves. 82 mins.

Resources

• Sex In History. Reay Tannahill. Abacus: 1989.
• Sex, Etc feature on Body Image
• “Seven (Mostly) Scientific Devices for Measuring Sexual Arousal.” Annalee Newitz. Io9.com, April 16, 2009.

5/28 – The Plumbing: Anatomy and Disorders of Sexual Development

Videos

• “The Internal Clitoris.” With Betty Dodson. 2007. Sketch and narration of internal structures of the clitoris.
• “Footballers lesson in preventing erectile dysfunction.” The Sex Education Show. Channel 4 UK: Season 1, Episode 3, September 23, 2008.
• “XXXY.” Directed by Porter Gale & Laleh Soomekh. Intersex Society of North America/PlanetOut, 2000.

Readings

• Embarrassing Bodies. Channel 4 UK. 2009. see breast, vulva, and penis galleries
• “Just a Snip? A Social History of Male Circumcision.” Peter Aggleton. Reproductive Health Matters 2007;15(29):15–21. (PDF)
• “Rites and Rights” from The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World. Michelle Goldberg. Penguin Press, 2009. HANDOUT
• “Secrets of the Phallus: Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?” Jesse Bering. Scientific American, April 27, 2009.
• “How is Sex Determined?” Rick Groleau. NOVA Online, 2001. (Flash)
• “What is Intersex?” Michelle O’Brien. Organisation Internationale des Intersexués, 2009. (PDF)
• “What if It’s (Sort of) a Boy and (Sort of) a Girl?” Elizabeth Weil. New York Times Magazine: September 24, 2006. (WEB)

Personal Perspective

• “My Life as an Intersexual,” by Max Beck
• “Proof That I Like Penises.” Alice Dreger. Bioethics Forum, March 10, 2006. (WEB)

Resources

• All About My Vagina
• Anatomy: Man’s Best Friend – Male Sexual Anatomy
• Anatomy: Pink Parts – Female Sexual Anatomy
• Sex:Unknown film and website
• Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud, book by Thomas Lacquer
• Australian Affiliate of Organisation Internationale des Intersexués.

6/2 – Knocked Up: Reproduction, Contraception, Unplanned Pregnancy, Pregnancy & Birth. With guest speaker.

Readings

• “Why So Many Sperm?” Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. Radiolab/WNYC, Novermber 21, 2008. (22 minutes, audio).
• Birth Control Comparison, Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
• “Testosterone Injections Work Like a Male Pill.” BMJ Group. Guardian UK, May 5, 2009.
• “The New Underground Railroad.” Debbie Nathan. New York Magazine: December 5, 2005.
• “China’s excess males, sex selective abortion, and one child policy: analysis of data from 2005 national intercensus survey.” Wei Xing Zhu, Li Lu and Therese Hesketh. BMJ 2009;338;b1211 (PDF)
• Pictures of Your Growing Body and Baby
• “Ecstatic Birth: The Hormonal Blueprint of Labor.” Sarah J. Buckley. Mothering, Issue 111, March/April 2002. (PDF)

Personal Perspectives

• “Plan B Damned: The Quest for Emergency Contraception.” Nikol Hasler. RH Reality Check, August 12, 2008.
• “DJ’s Homeless Mommy.” Dan Savage. New York Times, September 11, 2005.
• My Home Birth: A Graphic Graphic Memoir. Christen Clifford and David Heatley. Smith Magazine, May 2008.
• “My Late Term Abortion.” Gretchen Voss. Boston Globe, Janaury 24, 2005.

Resources

• How Pregnancy Happens
• Post-Abortion Counseling and Support http://www.pac-consortium.org and http://www.4exhale.org/
• The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World. Michelle Goldberg. Penguin Press, 2009.

6/4 – The Bad: HIV & Other Sexually Transmitted Infections

Readings

• The AIDS Timeline, Avert.org
• Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Assessment, Scarleteen
• “The Moral Justification for a Compulsory Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Program.” Joseph E. Balog. American Journal of Public Health, April 2009, Vol 99, No. 4 (PDF)
• “The Criminalization of HIV.” International Planned Parent¬hood Federation (IPPF), the World AIDS Campaign (WAC), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and Living Positively, a project of the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA). 2008. (PDF)
• “Male Circumcision as an HIV Prevention Strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Lawrence O. Gostin and Catherine A. Hankins. Journal of the American Medical Association, December 3, 2008—Vol 300, No. 21. (PDF)
• “The Macro of Microbicides.” Alliance for Microbicide Development, 2008. (PDF)

Personal Perspectives

• “The Most Amazing Guy.” Kristen. Sexual Health Buzz, March 26, 2009.
• “Stories Written by HIV Positive Youth.” The Media Project.
• “To Be Young, Smart and HIV-Infected: Living a Positive Life.” Ben Cogswell. Sex Etc, Jan 20, 2006.

6/9 – The Good: Sexual Arousal, Pleasure, & Response

Video

• “Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Orgasm.” Mary Roach. TED Talk, February 2009.

Readings

• “Affairs of the Lips: Why We Kiss.” Chip Walter. Scientific American, February 2008.
• “I’m So Excited and I Just Can’t Hide It” from How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do. Dr. Sharon Moalem. Harper, 2009. HANDOUT
• “Neurobiology of Sexual Response in Men and Women.” By David L. Rowland, PhD. CNS Spectr. 2006;11:8(Suppl 9):6-12
• “Science of the Orgasm.” Regina Nuzzo. Los Angeles Times: February 11, 2008.
• “The Orgasmic Mind: The Neurological Roots of Sexual Pleasure.” Martin Portner. Scientific American, April 2008.
• Guide to Sex Toys

Personal Perspectives

• “The 30 Year Old Orgasm Virgin.” Maura Kelly. The Daily Beast, May 13, 2009.

6/11 – Gender, Orientation, and Identity. With guest speaker.

Required

• “Confessions of An Identity Junkie.” Cheryl Dobinson. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, Vol. 4, No 3, 1999. (PDF)
• “Double Lives on the Down Low.” Benoit Denizet-Lewis. New York Times Magazine, August 3, 2003.
• “A Boy’s Life.” Hanna Rosin. The Atlantic, November 2008.

Personal Perspectives – required

• Genderfork
• My Right Self

Optional

• Sexual Identity and Gender Identity Glossary and Trans 101
• “FAQ on cissexual, cisgender, and cis privilege.” Julia Serrano.
• “Letter to my Mother,” a poem by Sarah Dopp (video).
• “Asexuals Unite.” Tracy Hukill. Alternet, April 24, 2006.

Resources

• Sexual Identity and Gender Identity Glossary
• Trans 101

6/16 – Relationships and Love. With guest speaker.

Required

• Mating in Captivity. Esther Perel. Harper, 2007. (WEB)
• “Love’s Labors.” Laura Kipnis. Excerpted from Against Love: A Polemic. Vintage Books, 2003. (WEB)
• “Helen Fisher on Why We Love and Cheat.” TED Talks (video), filmed February 2006, posted September 2006.

Optional

• “Fiona and Sam” from Opening Up. Tristan Taormino. Cleis Press, 2008.
• “A conversation with Laura Kipnis” (WEB)

6/18 -  Kink and Beyond: Atypical Sexual Behavior

Video

• “Kinky: Black Sexuality and Kink.” Directed by A. Benjamin. 2008.

Required

• “Issues for DSM-V: Sexual Dysfunction, Disorder, or Variation Along Normal Distribution: Toward Rethinking DSM Criteria of Sexual Dysfunctions,” Editorial in American Journal of Psychiatry (PDF)
• Slap Happy.” Jessica Wakeman. Bitch, Issue 39. (PDF)

Optional

• “Paraphilias.” Guy E Brannon. eMedicine, February 14, 2008.
• “The Pleasure of Pain – Why Some People Need S&M.” Psychology Today, September/October 1999.

6/23 – Sexual Dysfunction and Treatment; Consent and Assault; Laws, Morals and Sexual Behavior
Videos

• “Consumer Reports Takes on Erectile Dysfunction Ads.” Consumer Reports, June 2008.
• “Overruled!” Lambda Legal, 2008.

Required
Sexual Dysfunction and Treatment

• “The marketing of a disease: female sexual dysfunction.” Ray Moynihan. BMJ 2005;330;192-194. (PDF)
• “ABC of Sexual Health: Assessing and managing male sexual problems.” Alan Gregoire. BMJ 1999;318;315-317. (PDF)

Consent and Assault

• “How You Guys Can Prevent Rape.” Heather Corinna. Scarleteen, 2008.

Laws, Morals, and Sexual Behavior

• “Sex and Civil Liberties.” Tom Head. About.com.
• “Texas Mom Faces Trial for Selling Sex Toys.” CNN.com: February 11, 2004.

Optional

• Antioch College Sexual Consent Policy
• Effects of Sexual Assault
• “Lawrence v. Texas: States may not prohibit private homosexual activity between consenting adults.”

6/25 – The Sex Industry. With guest speakers.

Required

• What is a sex worker?
• Sex Work, Trafficking – Understanding the Difference – by Melissa Ditmore
• Modern Hooker on Carnal Nation

Optional

• What is the sex industry?
• “The New Face of Porn.” Alison Lee. This Magazine, November-December 2008.
• Ask a Ho: Legal Issues for Dommes – $pread Magazine
• Beyond Vice and Victimhood (PDF)

Personal Perspectives – optional

• “The Rumpus Oral History Project— Lorelei Lee, Porn Performer.” The Rumpus, February 19, 2009.

Resources

• $pread Magazine
• Sex Workers Outreach Project
• Sex Workers Project
• Sex Work Awareness
• Sex Work 101
• Bound, Not Gagged

6/30 – Controversial Topics: Kids, Old People, People With Disabilities, Sex Ed.

Videos

• Abstinence Comes to Albuquerque. Directed by Charles C. Stuart. 2007.
• The Midwest Teen Sex Show. Nikol Hasler and Guy Clark.
• “Christen Clifford: What I Know About My Parent’s Sex Life.” Naked City TV, 2008.
• “Doin’ It: Sex, Disability, and Videotape.” The Empowered Fe Fes. Beyond Media, 2007.

REQUIRED
Kids and Sex

• “When kids make their own porn, who’s being exploited?” Violet Blue. SF Gate, January 29, 2009.

Old People and Sex

• “What Are HIV Prevention Needs of Adults Over 50?” Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. University of California San Francisco, 1997.

People With Disabilities

• “Sexuality and Disability Myths and Facts.” Corey Silverberg. About.com: Sexuality, December 15, 2006.

Sex Education

• “Sex Education in America.” NPR Feature.

Optional

• “Child sexuality and sexual behavior.” IngBeth Larsson. Translated by Kate Lambert and Stuart Tudball. Socialstyrelsen, 2000. (PDF)
• “Too Sexy for Her Rocker.” Michael Castleman. Salon.

7/2 – Final Exam