A special effort is made to use primary source material in the course readings. This course concerns ideas of human sexuality and to a lesser extent, gender, in a cross-cultural context. In the course, students study the human brain and hormonal system in order to discover what about sexuality and gender are biologically programmed. Once that is established, students look at sexuality as it is understood in a number of cultures, including our own. This course examines some of the dilemmas facing women at various points during the life cycle.
Attention is given to minority women throughout the course.
The main objective of the course is to introduce students to the subject of family violence, especially as it relates to the legal system in the United States. In addition, the course will seek to develop skills in students to find and evaluate information on family violence, especially as it is found in sociological sources and court needs. The class will emphasize both the singular perspectives each writer brings to her work as well as each author's perspectives on the role of women in her particular era. America is often called a great melting pot, yet many voices are often ignored or marginalized because they are not the voices of majority culture. Writers to be studied include Zora Neale Hurston, June Jordon, Maxine Hong Kingston, M. Scott Momaday, Simon Ortiz, and Alberto Rios.