{"id":212,"date":"2019-10-23T10:20:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T14:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/people.clas.ufl.edu\/marsig\/?page_id=212"},"modified":"2026-03-19T08:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T12:55:53","slug":"sociology-of-human-sexualities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/people.clas.ufl.edu\/marsig\/sociology-of-human-sexualities\/","title":{"rendered":"SOCIOLOGY OF HUMAN SEXUALITIES"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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SOCIOLOGY OF HUMAN SEXUALITIES<\/h1>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
SYP 4060 (Section 5579)<\/center>Spring 2002, (Tues: 4th, Thurs: 4th & 5th, CSE 222)

This section is not a Writing Requirement section for the 24,000 word writing requirement.<\/p>

Dr. William Marsiglio
\nOffice: Turlington Hall 3108-A<\/p>

Office Hours: Tuesday\u00a0\u00a0 3:00-4:00 p.m.
\nThursday\u00a0 4:00-6:00 p.m.
\nAnd by appointment<\/p>

Phone:\u00a0 392-0251, x233
\nHome Page:\u00a0http:\/\/web.clas.ufl.edu\/users\/marsig<\/a>
\nEmail:\u00a0\u00a0marsig@soc.ufl.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

COURSE DESCRIPTION<\/b><\/p>

This course examines theoretical and conceptual issues, empirical research, and social policies germane to human sexuality.\u00a0 The primary focus is on sexuality within the United States.\u00a0 Students should be aware that while this course may prompt them to think about their own sexuality more systematically, the course is not designed to be a “personal growth” experience.\u00a0 Instead, I expect students to think about sexuality analytically and to develop a sociological and social psychological understanding of the diverse issues covered in this course.\u00a0 These topics include:\u00a0 sexual identity and orientation; sexuality throughout the life course, including childhood, adolescent, middle-years, and later years of life; primary relationships and sexual desire\/behavior; the impact of changing gender relations on facets of sexuality; sexual communication and STD transmission; coercive sexuality and incest; the relationship between capitalism and sex; and the relationship between sexuality and the socio-political process.\u00a0 Discussion of selected topics is grounded in macro sociological and micro social psychological theories.\u00a0 Students should have taken previous courses in sociology or have a strong background in social psychology.<\/p>

Students should understand that this is an upper division undergraduate as well as a graduate level course.\u00a0 My lectures and most of the readings I have chosen will require students to think abstractly and critically about the relevant issues.\u00a0 If you are looking for a “fluff” course on sex, you should look elsewhere.<\/p>

Major Objectives:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Familiarize students with a sociological approach to sexuality,<\/li>\n
  2. Expose students to recent scholarly literature covering a wide range of sexuality topics,<\/li>\n
  3. Provide students with the theoretical and substantive insights necessary to think systematically and raise compelling research questions related to a variety of sexuality issues, primarily in a U.S. context,<\/li>\n
  4. Sensitize students to the sociopolitical context within which knowledge about sexuality is produced,<\/li>\n
  5. Introduce students to various perspectives on sexuality that may prompt them to have a better understanding of their own and others’ sexuality<\/li>\n
  6. Provide students with opportunities to work in small groups and discuss their ideas about sexuality issues.<\/li>\n
  7. REQUIRED TEXTS\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Townsend, John (1998).\u00a0 What women want–what men want: Why the sexes still see love & commitment so differently.\u00a0 New York: Oxford University Press.<\/p>

    (This book can be purchased at Goerings Book Store (Books & Bagels),
    \n1717 NW 1st Ave (behind the Purple Porpoise), 372-3703, goerings@fdt.net.<\/p>

    A collection of readings including journal articles and book chapters can be purchased from Custom Copies and Textbooks, 309 N. W. 13th St. (across from Krispy Kreme–docunut shop), phone 375-2707.<\/p>

    A set of lecture outlines and handouts can also be purchased at Custom Copies and Textbooks.<\/p>

    OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS<\/b><\/p>

    I have prepared a series of PowerPoint slides that I will use in class and I am asking students to download all of these slides and bring the set of slides with them to class every day.\u00a0 We will be using another set of handouts that include in-class project assignments and discussion questions.\u00a0 Students should print all of these documents out and bring them to class every day.\u00a0 I will\u00a0NOT\u00a0<\/b>bring extra copies of these documents to class, so please make sure you assume peronal responsibility for this task. Thanks!<\/p>

    Download entire on-line version of slides:\u00a0\u00a0human.sexualities.slides.notemplate.PDF<\/a><\/p>

    Download entire set of handouts:\u00a0\u00a0human.sexualities.handouts.PDF<\/a><\/p>

    These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded:\u00a0here<\/a><\/p>

    If you do not want to download the files, you can\u00a0purchase<\/b>\u00a0all of these materials from Custom Copies and Textbooks.<\/p>

    RELEVANT WEB SITE LINKS:<\/b><\/p>

    Alan Guttmacher Institute http:\/\/www.agi-usa.org\/<\/a>
    \n    Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States http:\/\/www.siecus.org\/<\/a>
    \n    The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction http:\/\/www.indiana.edu\/~kinsey\/<\/a>
    \n    The Sex Education Coalition http:\/\/www.indiana.edu\/~kinsey\/<\/a>
    \n    Center for AIDS Prevention Studies UC San Franciso http:\/\/www.caps.ucsf.edu\/<\/a>
    \n    Planned Parenthood http:\/\/www.plannedparenthood.org\/<\/a>
    \n    National Gay and Lesbian Task Force http:\/\/www.ngltf.org\/main.html<\/a><\/p>

    COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING<\/b>
    \n(Based on a 1,000 point scale)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

    I.\u00a0Undergraduates<\/u><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Points<\/u><\/td>\nCourse Requirement<\/u><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1. (100 pts., 10%)<\/td>\nIn an effort to promote and reward attendance and reading course materials in
    \na timing fashion, I will have 11 class sessions where I will assign points that\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 require a student to be present in class.\u00a0 I will count 10 of these days (up to 10 points apiece) when I calculate your final grade.a) Some of these projects will involve small group exercises.\u00a0 I will award 10
    \npoints for those persons who participate and complete their small group\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 projects in a satisfactory manner.b) In other instances I will ask students to turn in a brief summary of their
    \nreadings for the week, or I will ask them to summarize the material at the
    \nbeginning of class, or I will ask them to complete a short written task at home
    \nthat must be turned in the following period. I will announce any reading
    \nsummary quiz at the beginning of the class period and collect students’ papers
    \nwithin a specified amount of time.\u00a0 Thus, if you are late to class that day, your
    \nscore may be affected (I will not accept LATE summaries). I start my classes
    \non time; I will appreciate it greatly if you make a conscientious effort to be on time and ready for each class session.\u00a0\u00a0 For the reading summaries, I will assign 0-10 points to students’ work based on its quality.

    c) On other occasions I will take attendance during the period and those in
    \nattendance for the full period will receive 10 points (those come late or leave
    \nearly will receive a reduced point total).<\/p>

    I accept\u00a0ONLY UNIVERSITY AUTHORIZED<\/b>\u00a0absences for travel or
    \nillness, i.e., if you miss class because your car isn’t working, you overslept, your partner broke up with you, etc. then you forfeit the opportunity to earn those10 points.\u00a0 If a project\/attendance day falls on a day when you have a
    \nuniversity authorized absence, you must show me written documentation of this
    \nconflict and I will add 1% to the weight of your final exam for each instance.
    \nIn short, unless you are dead, I expect you to be in class.<\/p><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

    2. (150 pts., 15%)<\/td>\n1st paper assignment due February 7th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    3. (300 pts., 30%)<\/td>\nA multiple choice midtern exam (50 questions) will be given on February 21st (I will give specific details about the exam later).\u00a0 An essay question may be included as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    4.\u00a0 (200\/220 pts.,\u00a0\u00a0 20%)<\/td>\n2nd paper\/project assignment can be completed by doing either Option A or Option B. Note that option A is based on 200 points and option B is based on 220 pts.\u00a0 In effect option B provides all students with an equal opportunity to pursue extra credit.\u00a0\u00a0Option B is considerably more work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Students may do only Option A, or B, not both.\u00a0 The following example illustrates how these options work.\u00a0 If the quality of a student’s work for the Option A project were equivalent to 87%, B+, the student would earn 174 points.\u00a0 If a student were to complete the same quality of work for Option B, he\/she would earn 191 points since the denominator is 220 rather than 200.\u00a0 In either case, these point totals would represent 20 % of the final course grade.Mandatory proposal<\/b>\u00a0for this project is due March 12th.
    \nFinal Projects\u00a0<\/b>due: Option A: March 28th
    \nOption B: April 4th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    5. (250 pts, 25%)<\/td>\nA multiple choice final exam (50 questions) will be given during the scheduled exam period.\u00a0 The final will NOT\u00a0 be cumulative. Thursday, May 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    I.\u00a0Graduate Students<\/u><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Points<\/u><\/td>\nCourse Requirement<\/u><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1.(100 pts, 10%)<\/td>\n10 unannounced in-class project\/attendance days (see above for undergraduates)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1. (150 pts, 15%)<\/td>\nLecture project due February 21st.\u00a0 Develop a neat and detailed outline for what would represent\u00a0 a 1-hour lecture on a sociological topic relevant to sexuality that is not specifically covered in this course.\u00a0 You should include a bibliography.\u00a0\u00a0 Obtain my approval first. (more details later).\u00a0 I may ask graduate students to present some or all of their material during the 15th week–depending on the topics, number of students, quality of lectures, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    2. (400 pts, 40%)<\/td>\nA research paper on a human sexuality issue (15-20 pages of text, minimum of 20 scholarly references) will be due April 19th during the class period (more details later). If students want to conduct 5 in-depth interviews and incorporate these data into their paper project this assignment will count for 500 pts and the take home exam will be reduced to 250 pts)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    3. (350 pts, 35%)<\/td>\nA one week take-home final.\u00a0 Students will receive their exam on April 23rd and it will be due in my office by April 29th by 4:00 p.m.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Final Grade Distribution<\/u><\/caption>\n
    Grade<\/td>\nPercent<\/td>\nPoints<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A<\/td>\n90-100<\/td>\n900-1,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    B+<\/td>\n87-89<\/td>\n870-899<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    B<\/td>\n80-86<\/td>\n800-869<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    C+<\/td>\n77-79<\/td>\n770-799<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    C<\/td>\n70-76<\/td>\n700-769<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    D+<\/td>\n67-69<\/td>\n670-699<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    D<\/td>\n60-66<\/td>\n600-669<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    E<\/td>\nBelow 60<\/td>\n599 and below<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    EXAMS, PAPERS, AND GRADING POLICIES<\/b><\/p>

    All exams are the property of this course.\u00a0 Students are not permitted to take an exam out of the classroom or office nor may they write down exam questions–failure to comply will result in an “E” since non-compliance is, in effect, cheating.\u00a0 Cheating or copying during an exam also results in an “E.”<\/p>

    I expect all students to take the exams during the scheduled class periods.\u00a0 I do no give make-up exams except under the rarest of circumstances.\u00a0 You\u00a0MUST NOTIFY ME IN ADVANCE<\/b>\u00a0that there is a very serious problem and I will decide if you are allowed to take the make-up.\u00a0 If you are not allowed to take the make-up, and you do not take the scheduled exam, you are given a grade of zero for the exam.\u00a0 If I do administer a make-up exam, I reserve the right not to give the same exam the class had, to give a more challenging exam than the in-class exam, or to give an essay exam.\u00a0 Do not take this class if you anticipate that you might miss an exam for any reason. Students who take the make-up exam are\u00a0NOT<\/b>\u00a0elligible for whatever curve I may apply to the regularly scheduled exam.<\/p>

    A late penalty will be assigned to papers handed in after the announced due date.\u00a0 The penalty is 10 points per day (Saturday and Sunday count as 5 points apiece).\u00a0 So, if the paper is due on a Thursday and you don’t get around to handing it to me until the following Monday, you will be penalized 10 points for Friday and another 10 points for Saturday and Sunday combined).\u00a0 Thus, if you would have earned, say, 180 points out of a possible 200 (90%=A), your final paper score would be 160 due to the penalty (80%=B).\u00a0 A good rule of thumb is to plan to hand the paper in a week in advance and then spend the last week making minor changes to it if necessary.<\/p>

    Your final grade is based solely on your performance on the exams, papers, and attendance days.\u00a0 However, I may, on rare occasions, award a student up to 10 additional points if he\/she has done an\u00a0EXCEPTIONAL<\/b>\u00a0job in class discussions (offering insightful comments and asking thought provoking questions on a regular basis–simply talking a lot does not suffice).\u00a0 There is absolutely\u00a0NO<\/b>\u00a0extra credit for this course.\u00a0 Please do not ask to do any.<\/p>

    In-Class Projects and Reading Summaries\/Attendance (worth 100 points)<\/b><\/p>

    See description in Course Requirement section above.
    \nPaper Assignment #1: Due February 7th (worth 150 points)<\/b><\/p>

    Complete one of the following assignments in a sociological and creative fashion:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Images of sexuality permeate our society, sexualizing our environment.\u00a0 Keep a diary of the sexual images and messages you see and hear in a 24 or 48 hour period.\u00a0 Then identify a few key themes that enable you to write an essay that interprets them sociologically.<\/li>\n
    2. Television is one of the most pervasive forms of media affecting our views of sexuality.\u00a0 What ideas and images about sexuality do your favorite programs convey?<\/li>\n
    3. Shock jocks such as Howard Stern are popular radio and TV personalities whose programs are filled with sexual references and innuendos.\u00a0 What messages do they suggest about sexuality?\u00a0 Men?\u00a0 Women?\u00a0 Homosexuality?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      You should explicitly incorporate sociological theories\/perspectives and concepts (research findings may even be appropriate in some cases) into your answer.\u00a0 I will evaluate your answer on its sociological content, analytic rigor, organization, creativity, and writing style.\u00a0\u00a0I will weigh very heavily your ability to apply a sociological perspective (e.g., symbolic interactionism, social exchange, scripting) to the question you choose.\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0Do NOT use more than one direct quotation (paraphrase and footnote if you refer to others’ work).\u00a0 You can write this essay in the first person.It should be typed, double-spaced and between two and half to three pages in length (1 inch margins).\u00a0\u00a0HAND IN TWO COPIES (I’LL KEEP ONE)<\/b>.\u00a0 Use a separate cover sheet and put the following information in the middle of the page using the format outlined below:
      \nStudents must complete this assignment in order to pass the course.\u00a0 See previous section for my policy on late papers.<\/p>

      Things to Note:<\/p>

      1. Make sure you include a cover page with the information listed below.\u00a0 Center this information on the page as the following template illustrates.<\/p>

      Last Name, First Name
      \n(social security #)
      \n(e-mail address)
      \nSociology of Human Sexualities
      \nDr. William Marsiglio
      \nDate<\/center>Type question # and actual question here

      2. Do NOT use plastic or any other kind of cover.<\/p>

      3. Papers must be typed using 12 inch font and 1 inch top and bottom margins. Make sure the print is clearly legible (I have to do a lot of reading).<\/p>

      4. Attach a separate page to the end of your paper and assign a letter grade (e.g., A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, E) to your effort for each of the four criteria I describe below. In other words, I want you to evaluate your own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      1. Analytic effort<\/td>\n______<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      2. Organization and writing style<\/td>\n______<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      3. Creativity<\/td>\n______<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      4. Professional presentation<\/td>\n______<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      I will assess your journal paper on the following criteria (use this as a check list):<\/p>

      1. Degree and quality of analytic effort (MOST IMPORTANT<\/b>)<\/p>\n