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Spring 2014
TOPICS: ANTHROPOLOGY of SEXUALITY
ANTH 4342/WOMS 4392
M/W/F 10:00-10:50
UTA
UH 009
Instructor: Josephine Caldwell Ryan
Office: 426 University Hall
Phone: 817-272-2661 (departmental phone)
(cell) 214-202-0384
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M/W/F 11:00-12:30, walk-in, or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explores the biosocial aspects of sex and sexuality through multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural
perspectives. We will survey a number of topics ranging from the history of sexuality, evolutionary perspectives on
sexuality, to classic and contemporary anthropological scholarship on sexuality. The course will also address
practical issues such as contraception, reproductive health, and sexually transmitted infections. Biological sex and
culturally defined concepts of gender and sexuality influence virtually every aspect of human life either directly or
indirectly. How these concepts and forces influence us as individuals, how they affect our participation in society
and our perception of others will be explored and assessed throughout the course.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Identify theoretical orientations and research methods of several key disciplines contributing to
scholarship regarding human sexuality;
2. Appreciate the role of history in shaping the beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices in both
modern and ancient communities;
3. Use relevant cases from the ethnographic record to discuss cross-cultural perspectives on human
sexuality;
4. Demonstrate a basic understanding of human sexual anatomy and physiology;
5. Demonstrate an understanding of major components of human reproduction such as conception,
pregnancy and birth;
6. Apply practical knowledge in the areas of contraception, STD prevention, sexual health, and risk
reduction;
7. Identify important contributions of researchers in both biological and social/behavioral sciences
to our understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation;
8. Critically evaluate the relationship of personal values and behaviors related to human sexuality in
the context of larger social institutions.
TEXTBOOK: Required Text
Bolin, Anne, and Patricia Whelehan
2009 Human Sexuality: Biological, Psychological, and Cultural Perspectives. New York: Routledge.
978-0-7890-2672-9
Additional readings will be required. They will be accessible via BlackBoard, available on the Internet,
or given as handouts, depending on the item.
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EVALUATION
Examinations and quizzes:
There will be two tests during the semester and a final exam. Tests and exams will include multiple
choice, true/false, fill in the blank, short answer and essay questions. The final exam will not be
cumulative. Students are responsible for ALL textbook reading, lecture, videos, web sites, handouts,
and material presented by guest speakers. Lectures are intended to reinforce reading and to provide
additional information. All assigned reading is subject to examination, even if we have not covered it in
class. I will provide a study guide before each test.
I will also give short (10 minute) quizzes over the assigned reading several times during the semester.
Students will be graded on the basis of their performance on tests, written work, and participation.
Students will accumulate points according to the following schedule:
Two Tests
Final Exam
Journal Entries
(2@15 pts)
Project
Quizzes/Assignments/
Participation
Total Points:
180 points
100 points
30 points
40 points
To figure out the number of points you
accumulate on the tests, multiply your
test grade by 0.90
50 points
400 points
Letter grades will be assigned on the following basis:
A 375-400 points
A- 360-374 points
B+ 348-359 points
B 336-347 points
B- 320-335 points
C+ 308-319 points
C 296-307 points
C- 280-295 points
D+ 268-279 points
D 256-267 points
Class Participation:
Class participation includes attendance, oral participation, and journals. I realize that classroom discussion of sex
may seem unusual or uncomfortable for some students. If you are shy and do not feel comfortable with classroom
participation, you might want to consider coming to see me during office hours or using email to visit with me.
Journals:
Each student is required to keep an intellectual journal. The journal should be composed of essays and entries that
deal with topics covered in lectures, readings, and videos. Students are expected to address issues critically and
analytically. You may also explore personal opinions and views and integrate these into the journal. The journal
can provide an outlet to comment on the class or to vent, if need be. I evaluate journals on the basis of effort and
content, not your opinions and worldview. Journals may be handwritten if you can do so legibly. Journals must be
turned in on stapled pages--no spirals, folders, or bound books, please. Please use a cover sheet with your name,
journal number, and date on it. This allows me to keep my papers organized and provides privacy for you.
You may choose topics for discussion in the journal. If you cannot think of a topic, look at the tables of contents in
your texts or talk to me. Each entry should be dated and numbered. Over the course of the semester you will write
two journal entries. Each of these should be at least 750 words (approximately 3 double-spaced typed pages or
2
handwritten equivalent). A single entry may cover more than one topic, and may be written at more than one
sitting. Journals may be turned in during class or at my office on the day they are due. DO NOT SKIP CLASS TO
WRITE JOURNALS. You will not be penalized for writing more than 750 words, but you will lose points if you
write less than that. Put the word count at the beginning or end of the journal.
Journals will be returned with comments and a grade on a 15/15 scale. The most frequent causes of a grade less
than 15/15 are: unexcused lateness, shorter than required length, illegible, lack of focus, and lack of organization.
The journals are not formal writing assignments, however, so you have more latitude in the format and language
you wish to use.
Electronic Submission:
You may send journals and assignments as Word attachments, but you are responsible for creating file names that
identify you to me(for example, smithjournal2.doc. Please do not send journals pasted into emails.
Project:
Students will write a short paper applying course concepts in an analysis of a film (Kinsey: Let’s Talk About Sex),
TV series (Masters of Sex), or ethnography (a list of acceptable books will be provided).
Blackboard:
There is a Blackboard site associated with the course. It is the student’s responsibility to check the site for
announcements. The site contains study guides, assignment information, overheads, slide presentations, and other
materials. http://elearn.uta.edu to get started.
Make-Up Exams and Late Work
In the case of illness, family emergency, or other extenuating circumstances, a student may be permitted to a makeup exam. Requests MUST be made in advance of the scheduled time for the exam; students may be required to
provide written documentation explaining their absence. The instructor reserves the right to give all-essay make-up
exams. Late work which has not been excused in advance of the due date will lose one half a letter grade
per day.
OTHER POLICIES
Laptops and Phones: Laptops are permitted in class, but you are expected to refrain from email,
Facebook or other non-class activities. They are disruptive to students around you. Phones should be in
backpacks or pockets during class.
Attendance: Class attendance is expected. Role will be taken at my discretion, either by calling the role,
circulating a sheet for you to sign, or taking attendance from a quiz. It is your responsibility to see that
your name is on the roll sheet.
Changes to the Syllabus: The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus throughout
the course of the class as needed.
Notes Buddies: During the first week you will have the opportunity to get one or two “notes buddies” to
help you catch up on assignments or class activities if you miss a day.
“Sex. In America an obsession. In other parts of the world a fact.”
--Marlene Dietrich
“After people are clothed and fed, then they think about sex.”
-- K’ung Fu-Tzu (Confucius) 551-479 BCE
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UTA Policies
Drop Policy: Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in
MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration
period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an
advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the
term or session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering.
Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid
administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. For more
information, contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (http://wweb.uta.edu/aao/fao/).
Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both
the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students
with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation
for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in
the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented
a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and
policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability or by
calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364.
Academic Integrity: Students enrolled in this course are expected to adhere to the UT Arlington Honor Code:
I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington’s tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values
hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.
I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and
I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity
and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.
UT Arlington faculty members may employ the Honor Code as they see fit in their courses, including (but not
limited to) having students acknowledge the honor code as part of an examination or requiring students to
incorporate the honor code into any work submitted. Per UT System Regents’ Rule 50101, §2.2, suspected
violations of university’s standards for academic integrity (including the Honor Code) will be referred to the Office
of Student Conduct. Violators will be disciplined in accordance with University policy, which may result in the
student’s suspension or expulsion from the University.
Student Support Services: UT Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students
develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to
their courses. Resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers, developmental education, advising and
mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals, students may visit the
reception desk at University College (Ransom Hall), call the Maverick Resource Hotline at 817-272-6107, send a
message to [email protected], or view the information at www.uta.edu/resources.
Electronic Communication: UT Arlington has adopted MavMail as its official means to communicate with
students about important deadlines and events, as well as to transact university-related business regarding financial
aid, tuition, grades, graduation, etc. All students are assigned a MavMail account and are responsible for checking
the inbox regularly. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, which remains active even
after graduation. Information about activating and using MavMail is available at
http://www.uta.edu/oit/cs/email/mavmail.php.
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Student Feedback Survey: At the end of each term, students enrolled in classes categorized as “lecture,”
“seminar,” or “laboratory” shall be directed to complete an online Student Feedback Survey (SFS). Instructions on
how to access the SFS for this course will be sent directly to each student through MavMail approximately 10 days
before the end of the term. Each student’s feedback enters the SFS database anonymously and is aggregated with
that of other students enrolled in the course. UT Arlington’s effort to solicit, gather, tabulate, and publish student
feedback is required by state law; students are strongly urged to participate. For more information, visit
http://www.uta.edu/sfs.
Final Review Week: A period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions
shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare
for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or
performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes, research problems or exercises of similar scope that have
a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabus. During Final Review Week,
an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10% or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and
laboratory examinations. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final
Review Week. During this week, classes are held as scheduled. In addition, instructors are not required to limit
content to topics that have been previously covered; they may introduce new concepts as appropriate.
Emergency Exit Procedures: Should we experience an emergency event that requires us to vacate the building,
students should exit the room and move toward the nearest exit, which is found by exiting left from either
classroom door, then turning right. When exiting the building during an emergency, one should never take an
elevator but should use the stairwells. Faculty members and instructional staff will assist students in selecting the
safest route for evacuation and will make arrangements to assist handicapped individuals.
Anthropology of Sex
Dr. Ryan
Reading Schedule
Tentative
Week 1
1-13
Orientation
Roll; Icebreaker Sex IQ quiz
Video: History of Sex
Week 2
1-20
History of Sex
Mon: No Class Martin Luther King Day
BB: Ch. 1 from Sexuality Now (Carroll)
Video: History of Sex
Week 3
1-27
UTA
Spring 2014
Get your textbook as soon as possible
Historical Perspectives contined
BB: Sex in the Bible, Ch. 1,2, 5 (Ellens); Ch. 3 The Measuring Stick from A Mind of Its
Own: A Cultural History of the Penis (Friedman)
Week 4
2-3
The Anthropological Perspective
Journal One is due 2-5-14
B&W: Introduction, Ch. 2 (Hammock)
BB: The Animal with the Weirdest Sex Life (Diamond)
Week 5
2-10
Evolutionary Perspectives
B&W: Ch. 3
BB: Human Evolution and Sexual Behavior, Ch. 1 and Ch. 3 (Gray and Garcia)
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Week 6
2-17
Hormonal Basis of Modern Human Sexuality
B&W: Ch. 4
Anatomy quiz 2-19-14
Male Anatomy & Physiology
B&W: Ch. 5
Handouts: Physiology Coloring Book, pp.149-156 (Kapit, Macey, Meisami)
Week 7
2-24
Male Anatomy & Physiology continued
Female Anatomy
B&W: Ch. 6
Week 8
3-3
Sex and Gender Differences
B&W: Ch. 7, Ch. 13, pp. 347-380
BB: The Gender of Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes (Kulick)
Week 9
3-10
Spring Break!
Week 10
3-17
Pregnancy and Childbirth as a Bio-cultural Experience
B&W: Ch. 8
BB: Gender and Ritual: Giving Birth the American Way (Davis-Floyd)
Week 11
3-24
Early Childhood Sexuality
B&W: Ch. 9
Puberty and Adolescence
B&W: Ch. 10
BB: Prenuptial Intercourse between the Sexes (Malinowski)
Video: Guardians of the Flutes
Week 12
3-31
Topics in Adult Sexuality: Human Sexual Response
B&W: Ch. 11
BB: Historical, Scientific, Clinical, and Feminist Criticisms of “The Human Sexual
Response Cycle” Model (Tiefer)
Test Two Friday
4-4-2014
Sexual Orientations, Behaviors, and Lifestyles
B&W: Ch. 14
BB: Sexual Inversion Among the Azande (Evans-Pritchard)
BB: Lesbians, Men-Women, and Two-Spirits (Lang)
BB: Mehinaku Men and Women (Gregor)
Week 13
4-7
Week 14
4-14
Test One Friday
2-28-14
Topics in Adult Sexuality: Birth Control
B&W: Ch. 12
BB: Contraceptive Entrepreneurs and Black Market Birth Contro” from Devices and
Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America
BB: Dani Sexuality: A Low-Energy System (Heider)
Projects are due
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Projects are due
4-21-2014
Week 14
4-21
Topics in Adult Sexuality: Sexually Transmitted Infections
Ch. 15, pp. 435-438
BB: Sexually Transmitted Infections: Overview (Stoner)
BB: Love and the Risk of HIV: Courtship, Marriage and Infidelity in Southeastern Nigeria
Week 15
4-28
The Anthropology of Sexuality
BB: Sex and Repression in Inis Beag (Messenger)
BB: Sexual Behavior in Mangaia (Marshall)
BB: Virginity and the History of Sex in Samoa (Shankman)
BB: Selections from Irregular Connections (Lyons and Lyons)
Journal Two is due
Monday 4-28-2014
Final Exam Monday May 5, 2014 8:00-10:30 am
Students are responsible for checking the final exam schedule to determine the time of the final.
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