Philosophy of Sex and Love On-Line
PHIL 3320
Professor John Bender
Ellis 202A, 593-4599
Office Hours: 1-2 MW
Description: Various philosophical issues surrounding the nature of sex, love,
sexual behavior and attitudes, and the ethics of sexually-centered activities will
be studied.
Requirements: There will be weekly “RATs”, or “readiness assurance tests”
that will be short multiple choice quizzes that you will complete each Thursday
on Blackboard. There also will be two short answer and mini-essay midterms
and a final exam. In addition, there will be written assignments on the week’s
readings, also to be submitted each Thursday via “SafeAssign” in Blackboard.
Your assignment will then be posted on Friday morning each week onto the
discussion board in Blackboard. Finally, on Friday of each week you will also
submit a one paragraph evaluation of your partner’s weekly assignment by
creating a thread under that person’s assignment in the discussion board and
you will recommend a grade out of 25 points.
Your final grade will be determined in approximately the following way: RATs:
28%; Midterms and final: 28%; Written Assignments: 35%; Assessments of
Other’s Written Assignments: 8%.
I will use a 933 pt. base so that each contribution can be weighed. The gradingpoint breakdown is as follows:
Midterms and final:
3 tests = 183 pts.
RATs:
15 RATs = 297 pts.
Written Assignments:
25 pts. x 15 assignments = 375 pts.
Assessments of
5 pts. X 15 assignments = 75 pts
Other’s Work:
Total Points = 930
Final grades will be determined on a class curve, based on total points
accumulated.
Required Text and Readings: There are a couple of readings posted on the
site, but all other readings are from one text: Philosophy of Sex and Love: a
Reader, eds. Borchert, Trevas, Zucker, 1996 Prentice Hall. All assigned readings
are required, and need to be done and should be read between Monday nad
Wednesday of each week. If you would like more reading, you can contact me.
Schedule of Topics, Exams, and Readings:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
TOPIC
Moral Positions re Sex;
Plato’s Symposium
The Myth of Platonic Love
Week 5
Aristotle; Aquinas
Modern Views of Sex and
Love: Freud
Fromm and Solomon
Week 6
Week 7
Friday
Sex With and Without Love
Feminist Critiques
MIDTERM
READINGS
BTZ, 1-14
Solomon (on-line)
“Myth of Platonic Love”
BTZ, 14-22; 37-46;
BTZ, 430-42; 46-57
Solomon (on-line) “Love: A Theory”
BTZ, 65-72; 72-86; 86-92
BTZ 94-103;104-108; 118-119; 119123
Spring Break – March 3-9
Week 8
Language of Sex
Baker (on-line), “Pricks and Chicks”
Week 9
Marriage
BTZ, 125-130; 130-138; 159-165
Week 10
Homosexuality/Gay Marriage
BTZ, 138-139; 260-268; 282-285
Week 11
Friday
Adultery
MIDTERM
BTZ, 168-175; 181-184
Week 12
Prostitution
BTZ, 191-196; 207-210; 217-226
Week 13
Perversion
Pornography
BTZ, 229-240
BTZ, 285-298; 312-321
Week 14
Rape and Date Rape
BTZ, 343-351; 351-362; 364-367
Week 15
Friday
Sexual Harassment
FINAL EXAM
BTZ, 327-343; 384-394
©Copyright John W. Bender – All rights reserved