WGS 201: Introduction to Sexuality Studies

This introductory course approaches the study of sexuality from a social perspective. Rather than studying sexuality as something that human beings are born with, for example, the course focuses on the ways that issues of desire, pleasure, identity, norms of sexual behavior, and intimate arrangements are deeply shaped by a range of historically specific social forces. Focusing on the U.S., a "social constructionist" framework guides the course. Family, religion, and social media will be studied as important social sites where struggles around sexualities and their meanings are played out.