PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SEXUALITY (PSY 367-OL)
Dr. Gabie Smith
Contact information:
How to contact Gabie Smith:
Call campus phone (336-278-6452) or home phone (336-437-8560, not after 9 pm please) or email
gsmith@elon.edu . Dr. Smith will also have online office hours.
How to contact each other:
You can contact other students in the class by using Compose Email tab on Moodle
Course description:
This online seminar examines the psychological aspects of human sexual behavior and attitudes. Course content and
materials have been recently revised and review topics such as research techniques used to study sexuality; cross
cultural aspects of sexual experience; theories of attraction and love; sexuality across the lifespan; psychological
aspects of sexual response; and variations in sexual attitudes, orientations, and practices.
Students will participate in a variety of online assignments including discussions, web assessments and activities, and
multiple-choice/essay quizzes.
This course counts toward the Women/Gender Studies minor. Prerequisite: Introduction to Psychology (PSY 111).
Required readings:
The course will have a required text, which can be purchased from the book store or the publisher. There will also
be a selection of supplemental required readings for the online discussion board activities (called advanced forums
in Moodle). There will be a required class meeting prior to finals week. During this meeting we will review the
course calendar and assignments and answer any questions you may have about assignments.
Course goals and objectives:
The primary goal of this course is to investigate the psychological literature concerning human sexual behavior and
attitudes. We will also examine current controversies and media representations of the human sexual experience.
By the end of the online seminar, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge in each of the following areas:
- patterns of human sexual behavior across the life cycle and across cultures
- research methods used to study sexual behaviors
- psychological processes that influence sexual decision-making
- theories of love and attraction
- variations in sexual behaviors and sexual disorders
- gender issues affecting sexuality and the social construction of sexual attitudes
- patterns and theories of sexual violence and the effects on women
Grading requirements:
Quizzes
Dear Dr. Sexpert discussions
Web activities
TOTAL
330 points (11 of 12 Quizzes, 30 points each)
40 points (3 discussions @ 10 points each; 2 discussions @ 5 points each)
100 points (4 of 5 assignments @ 25 pts each)
470 points
Final grades will be determined by the percentage performance of the total points accrued in the course.
% cutoff
% cutoff
% cutoff
A
> 93%
B80-82.95%
D+
67-69.95%
A90-92.95%
C + 77-79.95%
D
63-66.95%
B+
87-89.95%
C
73-76.95%
D60-62.95%
B
83-86.95%
C70-72.95%
F
< 60%
Honor Code:
The Elon University Honor code can be found at the following website
http://www.elon.edu/e-web/students/handbook/judicialhonor.xhtml
Your work in this class should be in accordance with the Academic Honor Code. I am assuming that all the work
you complete and turn in is your own work unless explicitly stated that you can work together. If I discover that you
have misrepresented yourself either by using fellow student's work, cheating on examinations, or by plagiarizing
from published works or online resources, you will be reported to the college's judicial system. Potential penalties
include an F in this course and dismissal from the college.
Description of class requirements:
Quizzes 30 points each (330 total)
The first quiz will review information from the syllabus and course policies. Each quiz other than the first quiz will
review information from a particular chapter in the text. Each quiz will consist of 15 multiple-choice items.
- The online quizzes are not designed to be open-book. After you read each chapter, review it carefully
prior to taking the quiz.
- If you have documentation of needing extra time on quizzes, please make arrangements to send the
documentation to me.
- The quizzes will be posted on Moodle and must be completed in allowed time limit (once you submit
the quiz, I will receive a time stamp for each student’s completion time. If you go significantly over the
time limit you will be docked 4 points)
- Do not open the quiz until you are ready to take it. You cannot use the back button or refresh button
once you start the quiz or it will lock you out of the quiz.
- Late quizzes turned in the same day of the quiz will be penalized 4 points; I will not accept quizzes
completed after the assigned date (EST used for all times/dates). If you complete all 12 quizzes, I will
allow you to drop the lowest grade quiz grade from the grade distribution. If you skip a quiz, it will be
counted as a zero in final grade calculations.
Web activities (25 points each; 100 total)
Web activities will involve reading and reacting to online articles and assessments concerning sexuality. Each activity
will require that you apply course concepts as you evaluate online materials. Your responses to these activities will
also include an application component in which you use the theories and constructs from the class in the original
example. I will check each website prior to providing students with the address; however, in some cases websites
may become unavailable after I have already posted the assignment. In addition, in some cases legitimate
organizations lose their domain name (i.e., the web address) by not renewing the name in a timely manner.
I also strongly discourage students looking for course resources from searching the web using general search terms
such human sexuality, fetishism, etc.
- I will post instructions for turning in web activities need using Moodle.
- These assignments should be prepared in MS Word – not WordPad or any MAC programs.
- In the web activities refrain from using quotes if at all possible and double-check that you are not
plagiarizing in your written assignment.
- I will penalize assignment by 4 points if they are turned in late or if they are turned in using the wrong
format.
Dear Dr. Sexpert (40 total points possible)
Human sexuality is an often controversial topic area. In order to increase your ability to consider issues relating to
sexuality, I have designed several virtual discussions (via the Dear Dr. Sexpert Advanced Forums) for our class to
participate in. I will post discussion topics as letters to a sexual and relationship advice column called “Dear Dr.
Sexpert.”
- Each of you will be required to respond to 3 of the 5 discussion boards as “Dr. Sexpert” (possible 10
points each).
o Your responses should not be based on your personal opinion, but rather review of the material
in the text and assigned readings. In your response you should answer the question/issue raised
by using course material.
o Your Dr. Sexpert response should clearly be aligned with a “Yes” or “No” position, but should
express specific thoughts related to both sides of the issue.
o Do not attach files to the advanced forum response; post your letter in the discussion area itself.
- For the debates that you are not writing as Dr. Sexpert - you still will be required to read and respond to
classmates’ postings (5 possible points per discussion topic; 10 points total possible).
o You will need to write responses to two classmate’s postings within 24 hours after the original
due date.
o If possible, you should respond one post reflecting the “Yes” side and one the “No” side.
How to study for this course:
The first tip I can provide for doing well in this class is to be familiar with the syllabus. The syllabus provides you
with a description of each assignment and my expectations of your performance. If you have questions about
policies or due dates, refer back to the syllabus prior to contacting me. There are a number of resources you will use
in completing this course, including the text and articles and websites posted online. You can proceed through the
course at your own pace – SOMEWHAT. The only limitations for this are whether I have posted the necessary
assignments or assessments. Here is a loose procedure for how to get through your assignments for each of the
units or topic areas in the course:
1) Read the assigned chapter. While reading the chapters it may help you to make your own notes or outline based
on the readings.
2) Study the assigned chapter. You can also look at the publisher’s website for example questions and flashcards.
Study the material prior to taking the quiz.
3) Do the online quiz prior to the assigned time.
4) Complete the discussion responses by the assigned date and time. Feedback on classmates’ postings is due 24
hours after the discussion board due date.
5) In order to complete the web activities, read the assignment several days before the due date, visit the websites
indicated and follow the directions carefully. The web activities are posted under the specific topic areas on Moodle.
In addition to website resources, some of the assignments also incorporate films and/or current media resources.
Please note: I will provide a calendar indicating all topics and due dates. Please make sure you turn in assignments
by the due date & time in order not to lose points.
Classroom etiquette:
In a class such as this, we will be discussing many sensitive and possibly controversial topics. We will be examining
sexual topics from a variety of religious, cross-cultural, familial, ethnic, and gender experiences. Many of these views
may be new and interesting to students, some may seem odd or bizarre. I expect students in the class to be
respectful of other students’ views, to be polite in discussion of their own opinions, and to treat the topics with
maturity and an open mind.
Tolerance Issues
We will each bring our own personal experiences and values to the discussion in this seminar. Most individuals have
fairly strong opinions and values concerning sexual issues. In addition, most of us assume that others view sexuality
the same way we do. This, however, is frequently not the case. You will need to work extra hard to not be
judgmental of students who express views that are not consistent with your values.
Please be aware that the online medium of this course means we have to work harder to convey tolerance and
respect. Refrain from making jokes or sharing overly personal stories in your online interactions. This course is not
the appropriate place for such types of interactions. Many times online interactions can come across as abrupt,
overly blunt, or rude. This is especially true when you are in a rush in replying to email or a discussion board.
Follow these guidelines to assist in conveying tolerance and respect:
Make time to write your responses and emails.
Choose your words carefully.
Reread your own communications so that they will not be misunderstood.
Identify any instance of being sarcastic so you will not be misunderstood.
Use the emoticons as necessary -  !
Privacy Issues
We are all part of an “exclusive” classroom community, meaning that only the instructor and students registered in
the class have access to our course Moodle site and discussions. As many of the assignments will be posted online
through Moodle, I expect each of you to protect the exclusivity of our site as much as possible by following the
guidelines below:
Logout of Moodle when you leave the computer.
Do not read through discussion boards in places where lots of other people are around.
Do not print out other students’ responses to discussion boards, etc.
Refrain from talking with others about the interactive aspects of the course.
Even with these guidelines in place, each student needs to remember that online interactions (i.e., emails, discussion
boards, assignments) will be read by the instructor and in some instances other students in the class.
I will be monitoring/participating in the interactive components of this class. If a student is inappropriate or
offensive in interactions or assignments, I will contact him/her individually and will penalize grades on particular
assignments as necessary. I will also block the student from further discussion boards and he/she will receive a
grade of zero on those assignments. If the behavior is not altered, I will contact the student’s advisor and start the
process of having him/her removed from the class.
Please note: The complete Course Schedule is posted in a separate document in Moodle.