Ch.1 Perspectives of Sexuality
To start things off, the previous class had a long discussion on virginity, so I added some
questions for them. Perhaps these questions will give you something to start with.
Bob
Virginity questions:
1. I recall a student who had anal intercourse, and oral intercourse, but not vaginal
intercourse. She considered herself virgin. Is she one-third virgin? Some of you may be
one third or two thirds virgin and did not know it!
2. What happened in American culture to change our attitude toward virginity? Fifty
years or more ago virginity was highly praised, but not as much today? Why?
3. What could be the practical value of virginity to a culture that strongly supports it?
If cultural norms support a behavior, it usually is seen as having practical value.
Why is that not the case in America?
4. With birth control, why are we still more concerned about female virginity than male
virginity? Or are we?
5. Have you lost your virginity as much if you only had one partner as if you have had
200 partners?
6. Do you think women have sex for the first time for the same reasons men do? What
are those reasons? Why did you have sex the first time?
7. If you are virgin (or not) what do you feel are the benefits (or disadvantages) of your
decision? Would you make the same decision again if you could?
8. The virgin bride concept developed when people would get married at perhaps 12
years old with arranged marriages. If you will not get married until perhaps 25 years old,
is it still applicable? What if you do not marry until 35 years old, or never? At what age
is it ever fully appropriate to have sex if you are not married?
9. What age is too young to have sex? How do you decide? Is this age different for girls
or boys? Why?
Other topics:
10. What behaviors do you feel constitutes sex? For example, is kissing or oral-genital
contact actually sex?
11. How has the “sex for procreation” legacy affected your attitudes toward sex?
12. How did you develop your ideas about sex?
13. If you are from a different country, how do you think your education and ideas about
sex vary from someone born in America?
14. Why did you take this class? What would you like to get out of this class?