HSED 668 - Understanding Sexuality Through the Lens of Social Theory

3 Credit(s)

What is sex and why is it “set up” the way it is? Our own theories of how the world works and why people do what they do is based on what we learn from interactions with our families, schools, religious institutions, government, the media, and other social institutions. These everyday assumptions affect our professional practice and our scholarship, yet they often go unexamined. In this course, students read and reflect on classic and multicultural social theories as frameworks for analyzing sexualities. Students can also critique the key contemporary literature and debates related to gender and sexuality studies. With an interactive and participatory course style, students learn to talk theory, write theory, and think theoretically in ways that can enhance their practice and research. This class engages students in reading, writing, and “ruminating”—the building blocks of critical thinking and academic excellence.