Sociology of Sexuality 3395
Fall 2013
Instructor: Ms. Gayle Gordon Bouzard
Office: 449 B UAC
Office phone #: 245-4468
Office hours: MW 10:00-10:50, TTH 2:30-3:20, and by appointment
E-mail: gb12@txstate.edu
Sociology Office: 449 UAC
Sociology Office phone #: 245-2113
Graduate Assistant: Maria Wasley
Graduate Assistant Office: UAC 430
Graduate Assistant email: mw1331
Graduate Assistant phone # 245-4769
Graduate Assistant office hours: TTH 9:30-11:00 and 2:00-3:30, and by
appointment.
Course Description:
We tend to think of sexuality as a personal issue having more to do with biology
and hormones than with society. This course explores sexuality using a social
constructionist perspective in contrast to essentialist and biological determinist
perspectives that dominate Western society and its understanding of sexual
identity and sexual expression. Sexual identity, desire, behavior, response,
health, etc. will be viewed as outcomes of social definitions (social
constructionist) and as a result of techniques of social control.
Course Goals and Objectives
This course is designed to:
 Assist students in gaining an understanding of the essentialist and
social constructionist perspectives, and the assumptions on which
both are based, as they are employed in biological, psychological,
and sociological explanations of sexuality and gender.
 Provide students with some background in classical and
contemporary theories and research of sexuality.
 Make students more aware of the intersection between gender,
sexuality, and sexual orientation.
 Make students more aware of how institutions within society such
as the family, religion, education, government, and the media
shape and control sexuality.
 Assist students in applying a sociological perspective to their own
sexuality and sexual experiences.
 Encourage critical thinking skills. By the end of this course you
should also be able to engage in critical thinking. Critical thinkers
are able to see many sides to an issue, even if they disagree with
the arguments presented by different approaches. Critical thinkers
examine and analyze course material actively. Finally, engaging in
critical thinking means that you are able to set aside your personal
beliefs and values and understand issues from a scientific
perspective.
Required Texts and Materials:
1. Gayle Gordon Bouzard, Sociology of Sexuality
This is a text of selected chapters taken from Janet Shibley Hyde and
John D. Delamater, eleventh edition (2011), Understanding Human
Sexuality and Yarber, Sayad, and Strong, eighth edition (2013), Human
Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America.
This text may be purchased as an ebook or hardcopy through McGraw-Hill
or the University bookstore. Instructions on how to purchase from
McGraw-Hill can be found on our TRACS site for this course under
resources.
2. Access to TRACS – you need to have an active Texas State email
username and password. There will be assigned reading posted on
TRACS for some of our topics.
Students with Special Needs: Students with special needs (as documented by
the Office of Disability Services) should identify themselves at the beginning of
the semester. The Department of Sociology is dedicated to providing students
with necessary academic adjustments and auxiliary aids to facilitate their
participation and performance in the classroom.
Contacting The Instructor: The best way to contact me is by email. When you
do so, please include your name, which course you are in, including section
number, and your message. I check email regularly and I will respond promptly.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
ATTENDANCE:
In order for you to have a fruitful learning experience in this course and have
an interesting time doing so, it is necessary for you to come to class on time
and stay for the entire class, be prepared to participate in class discussion,
and be able to apply a sociological imagination. Being prepared means that
you will have read the assigned material for each class session, will have
thought about what you have read, and you will be able to discuss the
material based on what you are learning. Attendance will be taken daily via a
sign-in sheet. It will be your responsibility to make sure you sign-in. You may
miss class up to 5 times without penalty. After 5 absences 10 points per
absence will be deducted from your total points. To be “in attendance,” you
must be in your seat no later than 15 minutes after beginning of the class. If
you arrive more than 15 minutes late do not come into the classroom as it is
very disruptive to me and the other students. In addition, students who sleep
or excessively use technologies (e.g. cell phones/lap tops/earphones) in class
will be counted as absent. If you need to leave class before it is over, please
notify the professor prior to the class-time. These are common rules of
courtesy and are appropriate in a civilized setting. Students who have
perfect attendance at the end of the semester will gain 10 points toward
their total number of points. Your learning experience and the grade you
earn is much more satisfying when you attend class. Due to the nature of this
course, class participation and discussion is somewhat dependent on a level
of trust between those enrolled in the class. Regular attendance by all
contributes greatly to the learning experience in this class. I am interested in
what you think about the issue of sexuality, so, come enjoy, learn, and
participate. Please do not read newspapers, magazines, any other material,
or work on other class assignments during this class.
CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT:
I’m sure most syllabi you receive remind students about the importance of
maintaining a classroom environment that fosters learning. Obvious distractions
include the following:
1. This is a “no phone use” classroom. Please keep your phone on silence,
not vibrate. If it is on vibrate and it goes off, given what I teach, it will be
hard for me to refrain from making a vibration joke at your expense. I
understand that texting is the equivalent of eating and breathing, but I am
selfish and I want your full attention while you are in this class. So, please
detach from those not in the classroom with us for the time that we are
together. I do reserve the right to take up your phone for the class period
if I hear or see it. Also, if phone use becomes excessive I will ask you to
leave the classroom and you will need to get permission to return to the
class.
2. Laptops/iPads/Notebooks may be used in class for taking notes ONLY. If
I even suspect that you are using your laptop for surfing, checking email,
facebook, tweeting, etc. you will lose your computer privileges.
3. I must grant permission before any audio or video recording is done.
4. The giggle factor – Because we are not used to talking openly about sex
in our society, there is a “giggle factor” associated with the types of
material we will discuss in class. Humor is healthy in the classroom,
especially when talking about sex. However, no side conversations or
inside jokes are to be engaged in. If you have something to share, do
so with the entire class.
5. Class discussion is highly encouraged; however, do be respectful of
others in terms of what you say, the words you use and how they may
offend. You can respect other students by listening attentively when they
are speaking, not rudely interrupting anyone speaking and by not making
hurtful insults and/or comments that may silence other people in the class
by declaring whole groups of people wrong/criminal/sinful/sick because of
race, religion, politics, gender, ability, age, appearance, consensual sexual
choices. I want this to be a course with open discussion, but remember
that words have meaning and can be hurtful. This is a sociology class and
while your opinion is important, I will challenge you if you are only
speaking from your opinion and not applying a sociological imagination.
SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOCIOLOGY OF
SEXUALITY (that you should remember in order to master the goals and
objectives of this course):
1.
2.
3.
4.
The scientific objective of sociological research.
The goals of sociology when studying sexuality.
Sociological studies vs. personal/individual experiences.
Some people will feel threatened by or antagonistic towards sociology
because sociologists examine inequality and behaviors and attitudes that
we take for granted.
5. Sociologists do not blame or judge any groups.
GRADE DETERMINATION: Your final grade will be based on the number of
points you accumulate over the course of the semester. Points break down as
follows:
A – 405-450
B – 360-404
C – 315-359
D – 270-314
F –below 270
Exams 3@ 100 points each
Common Sense Beliefs vs. Scientific Research paper 150 points
Points are accumulated in this course instead of averaged. You will have a
grade report on TRACS for keeping track of your points as the semester
progresses. The total number of points is what you want to pay attention to
and not the percentage that is given. Your grade is not negotiable. I will
take into consideration improvement, class participation, and effort in the
case of borderline points.
EXAMS: There will be three (3) exams given over the course of the semester.
The final will NOT be comprehensive. All exams they will be multiple choice,
true/false, and take home essay. Each exam will cover material from class
lectures/discussions and readings. A scantron will be provided for you, but you
will need to bring a # 2 pencil to each exam. If you are more than 15 minutes
late for an exam you will not be allowed to take the exam regardless of
reason. Make-up exams will be given only in extreme emergency cases on
the day of the final, after the final exam. You must notify me before the
exam if you are not able to take it at the designated time. There will be no
make-up for the final and there will be no changing of the scheduled final
unless you have a documented conflict with another final being given at
the same time – no exceptions! The final in this course is scheduled for
Mon., May 6th at 8:00-10:30 am.
ASSIGNMENTS
Common Sense Beliefs vs. Scientific Research paper
Common Sense Beliefs vs. Scientific Research paper instructions:
Choose one of the following common beliefs about sexuality as your topic for the
assignment.
 It is mostly men who have extramarital affairs.
 Men who use pornography are more likely to assess women
negatively than men who do not.
 Most children who are sexually abused are abused by strangers or
childcare workers.
 In all cultures there are only two genders: male and female.
 Abstinence-only education is the best way to prevent teens from
having sex.
 Children raised by same-sex parents have more problems than
children raised by opposite-sex parents or single parents.
 As you age you become less sexual.
 All people who have fetishes or engage in BDSM are
psychologically disturbed.
 Men are more interested in sex than are women.
 Most women who get abortions don’t use birth control.
What does social science research tell us about this belief? Is it true? What do
we know about the issue? Find at least five academic research articles that
answer these questions and that provide more information about the topic. All
don’t have to be directed at the specific question that the belief raises, but they
must give additional information about the broader issue that the belief
addresses. Your articles must come from academic journals and they need to be
published within the last 5-7 years. Below is a list of acceptable journals to get
you started. There may be other appropriate academic journals from which to
find information. Web sites and books are not acceptable sources for this
assignment.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Gender and Society
Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
Journal of Applied Gerontology
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse
Journal of Homosexuality
Journal of Marriage and Family
Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality
Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy
Journal of Sex Education and Therapy
Personal Relationships
Sex Roles
Sexualities Sexuality and Disability
American Sociological Review
American Journal of Sociology
Journal of Social Issues
Journal of Sex Research
Present the articles you find in an annotated bibliography format. That is, cite the
articles in proper ASA style and write a brief, one-paragraph summary of each
article. Examples of how to do an annotated bibliography and how to use ASA
style for citations in the bibliography and in the body of the paper can be found in
documents on TRACS under resources. Photocopy the front page of each article
and attach it to the annotated bibliography.
Part 2
In three pages, synthesize what you learned from the articles into a response to
the belief that you chose as your topic. Do not re-summarize each article but,
rather, integrate the information into one overall picture of your topic. The paper
should answer, concisely, the following questions: “What does social science
research say about X?” What pieces of information did you find to be particularly
interesting or surprising? How does social science research on this topic relate to
what people commonly think or believe about the topic – that is does the
research support or contradict common beliefs? All three of these questions must
be answered.
You must use proper citation in this paper, meaning that your annotated
bibliography must be in proper ASA format and you must give proper
citation in the body of your paper if you quote from any of your articles or if
you paraphrase information from the articles, or if you put ideas, facts,
information about your topic in the paper that is not common knowledge. If
you make a claim about something in your paper that is not an original
thought or common knowledge, you must cite in the body of the paper
from where that claim is coming. You will not be given a second chance to
write this paper. Do it correctly the first time and do not wait until the last
minute to do this paper. Got it? Understand? Do you hear me? Just
sayin. Late papers will be accepted up to two days after the due date with
10 points per day taken off.
The rubric that will be used for grading this paper is as follows:
Accurate ASA style bibliography – 25 points
Accurate informative annotation of each source – 25 points
Correct writing, including spelling, grammar, sentence structure, no text
messaging abbreviations, etc. – 25 points
Synthesized research findings, what does the research say about the topic – 55
points
What did you find surprising – 10 points
Does the research support or contradict the common sense idea – 10 points
Due dates for this assignment is listed on the calendar. If you are a sociology
major, turn in two copies of each assignment. Include your student id
number on the front page with your name.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Cheating/plagiarism, have you heard of these?
Probably so, but many students don’t know exactly what constitutes either
of these. The Department of Sociology takes scholastic dishonesty very
seriously and so has provided a policy on it’s website to help you
understand exactly what is expected of you. That policy may be found at
the Sociology website www.soci.txstate.edu Please read. Ignorance of
what constitutes scholastic dishonesty does not excuse it! ). Any form of
scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in a grade of “F”.
Please note the university website listed on the policy has changed. (Texas
State Handbook) and http://www.txstate.edu/effective/upps/upps-07-10-01.html
(Academic Honesty UPPS No. 07.10.-01).
INCOMPLETES: A grade of incomplete may be granted if you have made
substantial progress and have extenuating circumstances arise (illness, family
crisis, etc.). An incomplete will not be granted if you have not made substantial
progress and/or simply fail to come to class. It is up to you to withdraw if you
cannot keep up with the course. If you do have circumstances arise during the
semester that could result in you needing to take an incomplete, don’t hesitate or
wait to speak to me about that.
EXTRA CREDIT: I will consider class participation, improvement over the course
of the semester, and demonstration of a sociological perspective in borderline
cases. In addition, there also may be events, lectures, etc. that are pertinent to
our study of sexuality for which you may attend and receive extra credit for doing
so. You will need to attend the event and turn in a typed paragraph about
how it relates to sexuality. All extra credit is worth 15 points added to the
total points. An alternative to attending a lecture, event, etc. is to bring before
the class examples of sexuality topics in the media, news, etc. You would need
to present the information to the class in some format. Each example is worth 5
points, up to 15 points. You may do only one extra credit during the
semester.
CALENDAR
August
26
Topic: Syllabus, Introductions, class activity
28
Topic: Sociological perspective, Introduction: What is sexuality: basic
sociological concepts
Readings: “The Invention of Sexuality” by Jeffrey Weeks on TRACS,
Chapter 1 text
September
2 Labor Day – No Class
4, 9, 11
Topic: Assumptions of Social Constructionism and Essentialism
Readings: “The Social Constructionist’s “Essential” Guide to Sex” by
Liahna E. Gordon and Sharon A. Abbott on TRACS
Seidman, “Introduction” from The Social Construction of Sexuality TRACS
16
Topic: Sociological perspectives of sexuality
Reading: Chapter 2 text
18, 23, 25
Topic: Research of sex and sexuality: history, issues, ethics
Readings: 18 – Chapter 3 text
23 - “The Invention of Heterosexuality” from Sex, Self, and
Society on TRACS. Bring a printed copy of the reading to class
on the 23rd.
September 30– First Exam
October
2, 7, 9
Topic: A History of Sexuality in America
No readings – films in class. Material covered in films will be on 2nd exam
14, 16
Topic: Links Between Gender and Sex
Readings: Chapter 4 text and “The Four Boxes of Gendered Sexuality:
Good Girl/Bad Girl and Tough Guy/Sweet Guy” by Betsy Crane and Jesse
Crane-Seeber on TRACS
Transgender panel or dvd one of these dates
21
Topic: Sexual Orientation
Readings: Chapter 5 text
23 Sexual orientation panel
28 Exam 2
30, November 4
Topic: Sexual Violence
30– Rape/Sexual Assault – Healthy Cats presentation
Readings: “Trains” from Sex, Self, and Society and “Raped: A Male
Survivor Breaks His Silence” from Sex Matters on TRACS
November 4– Genital Mutilation
Readings: “The Geography of Genital Mutilations” and “ Unmasking
Tradition: A Sudanese Anthropologist Confronts Female Circumcision and
Its Terrible Tenacity” from Constructing Sexualities on TRACS
November
6, 11
Topic: Variations in Sexual Behavior
Reading: Chapter 6 text
13, 18, 20
Topic: Ethics, Religion, and Sexuality
Readings: Chapter 9 text
18 Common Sense vs. Research paper due
25
Topic: Sex Laws and Sexually explicit materials
Readings: Chapter 7 text
November 27- December 1 Thanksgiving Break
December
2, 4
Topic: Sexuality in Adulthood, The Future of Sexuality, Wrap-up
Readings: Chapter 8 in text
4 All extra credit due
9
Final: 3:30 section Mon., 2:00-4:30
11
Final: 11:00 section Weds., 8:00 am-10:30 am
Calendar is subject to change with advance notice