Human Sexuality 2010

My Last Post

Well today was a little bitter sweet. I am excited to be done classes however this was my last class with Rob for the year.

I will take away a lot from this class! One thing in particular is Habermas’s paradigms. I feel by using them it allows you to really look at something at every angle. It is hard not to immediately judge something or someone but by using the three paradigms it allows you to stop and try to understand it or them better. The one I find myself using the most is the situational interpretive paradigm. Because my focus in education is psychology I always try to see things through a lived reality. I feel it is the easiest way to understand why people do the things they do. I hope to someday be a school counsellor teacher and I intend to use these paradigms. Children are particularly hard to really understand but I intend on trying my best to stay open minded. I am a very caring and compassionate person and hope that it will help me reach out to others and help.

Rob has taught me so much. Not just in content but as a future educator. I have said many times before how his passionate and caring attitude is very contagious. He makes you want to learn more. I have never had a teacher that showed me what I was capable all by allowing me to talk about my opinions. Rob always asks his students for their opinions and thanks them for sharing no matter how irrelevant their answer may be. He truly appreciates what you have to say and always listens with a supportive ear. When I interviewed Rob last year for a school project I came to discover that his favourite class was one in which he was able to express himself and his beliefs. It is to no surprise that this is the way he structures his classes. I hope to get into the middle years program so that I will be fortunate enough to have Rob as a teacher again. I hope he knows just how much he has made a difference in my life and as a future teacher. I hope to stay in touch with Rob for years to come as he will allows me to be myself and I think he appreciates my hard work and enthusiasm. I feel he believes in me and it means the world to me. Thanks Rob! What a great semester!

Thanks for reading My Thoughts and My Beliefs!

Ps. I am grateful for this opportunity to Blog about this class. I am glad I structured it the way I did as it allows me to see what we covered in this class. I really enjoyed this project. I hope Rob continues this project as it allows people the opportunity to reflect on topics which may make them uncomfortable speaking about in class.

Post Number Fourteen

On December 6, 2010

Well today was the last FAM 322 class. Rob continued talking about prostitution and showed us a video clip. The video was of a man named Victor Malarek talking about his views on prostitution. He felt that it was not the women’s fault but the men who engage in the act. I found it interesting when he mentioned that in Sweden they see it as an act of violence and that it is illegal for men to purchase sex. It was surprising to hear that even with making it illegal they are still having issues with it. I feel it is a hard thing to enforce as it can be done in a very sneaky manner. The reason I feel so strongly against prostitution is because I feel for the women who are involved. I believe that there must have been something horrible happen to them that would cause them to put themselves at such risk. I guess I am looking through the critical theoretic perspective. There must be something else going on.

Post Number Thirteen

On November 29, 2010

Rob showed us a video of a man named Stephen Lewis. He was a very famous Canadian, who was passionate about making a difference against the spread of HIV. His speech was very empowering and honest. You could tell that he was very driven and hard working man. I am a proud that we have such a man that is Canadian and making a difference! I will post the link to this video because I feel it really showed how passionate this man was about trying to make a change.

On December 1, 2010

During this class Rob talked about HIV, which is an STD that destroys white blood cells in the immune system leaving the body vulnerable to life threatening diseases. It can lead to AIDS. People can prevent HIV from turning into AIDS through medication. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome which is caused by HIV characterized by destruction of the immune system so the body is stripped of its ability to fend off life threatening diseases.  I was shocked to hear that 33 million people live with HIV AIDS and the majority of them live in poverty in Africa.

During the class Rob had mentioned that the critical theoretic perspective would ask why the west has taken so long to respond. Potentially maybe there is underlying global racism. I would have to agree with that question. Why? Whenever there is a natural disaster people rush to help make a difference. Yet, there is a global issue and it has yet to be resolved. How can that be? Well I can’t say I have an answer and apparently no one else does otherwise this question would have been resolved by now.

Rob ended the class with a video from a show called, “Kinked.” This video was very sexually explicit. Rob posed a question for us to blog about: What are contours of your own limits of comfort level and why? I am a very comfortable person. It doesn’t take much to make me uncomfortable. I am lucky to be in a relationship with my best friend as it allows us to be very open and honest with each other. We both know each other’s comfort level and I believe that is very important. Public affection or people talking about sexual issues do not make me feel uncomfortable because I feel it is something we all are aware of and should be mature enough to deal with it.  I personally choose not to be overly affectionate in public as I feel there is a time and place for things and making out in public is not my idea of appropriate behaviour. But that is just how I feel.

On December 3, 2010

During this class Rob talked about paraphilia and prostitution. Paraphilia is a typical pattern of sexual arousal or behaviour that becomes problematic in the eyes of the individual or society. Examples of this could be fetishism and exhibitionism. Kinked is a television show that proudly represents paraphilia. Our society is definitely becoming a lot more open when it comes to discussing sexual content. I wished that families would be more open with their children as it is so important to know what and why your body experiences the things it does.

Rob second topic was about prostitution, which is defined as the sale of sexual activity for money or goods of value such as drugs. I personally feel that prostitution is wrong and should be illegal in every way. I feel it is degrading to women and is extremely unsafe. Not only does it increase the risk of STD’s but it is generally unsafe as you do not know the person and what their intentions are. It scares me to think that someone’s life could be so bad that they would have to resort to prostitution just to provide for themselves or their families. Prostitution is a topic that I have a hard time considering the reasons people would chose to be involved with. Drugs, gangs, human trafficking and or past trauma histories are all things that could lead to involvement, I just feel that there is resources available to get help with issues such as those. I do however feel that our societies need to make those resources more available and affordable. Human trafficking and gangs need a bit more involvement from our societies as they need to become more aware of these problems. Preventative measures need to be enforced and enhanced. I know our world will never be free of this situation however, I do feel it could be lessened.

Post Number Twelve

On November 22, 2010

In this class Rob asked us this question: What is your own sex education history? Did you receive sex ed in school? How was it taught? Did you find it valuable? What would you do differently should you find yourself with the opportunity? We talked about in small groups and then talked about it as a class. I received sex education in grade eight. It was very vulgar and I felt it was targeted to scare us. Because I attended a catholic school it does not surprise me. I feel it was a waste of time as it was very uninformative and was not presented in a manner that we could really grasp. As I want to teach junior high health I feel that I would do many things differently. I would not just make it a one time conversation and then avoid it for the remainder of the year. I don’t feel like our education system understands that to prevent teen pregnancies or to prevent the spread of STD’s we need to EDUCATE our students! They have the right to know what they potentially could get involved with. I also believe it would be vital to include the parents. They are the ones who will inevitably follow up with the information on a day to day basis.

On November 24, 2010

Rob talked about sexual relationship patterns in adulthood. He mentioned three patterns singlehood, cohabitation and marriage. Singlehood has become a lot more popular than in past years. This topics hits home with me as my sister who is 27 still currently lives at home. She has chosen to stay at home as she hasn’t found that special someone to share a home with. She owns her own business and is a very beautiful girl. Unfortunately she has never come across Mr. Right.  I however have met my Mr. Right have chosen to live together. We have been together for eight years and with talk of marriage in the future I feel our relationship is strong enough to survive the statistic that states people who cohabitate stand a less chance of lasting than a couple who do not. Ironically enough my oldest sister is married so the three of us girls cover all the types of sexual relationship patterns in adulthood.

On November 26, 2010

 At the beginning of this class Rob passed out a handout asking us whether or not we believed humans are naturally monogamous. To be classified natural means to be without human intervention. To me monogamy is a choice made between two people. Monogamy maybe classified as normative. However with the numerous amounts of cheating spouses it poses the question, are humans naturally polygamous? It is natural to be attracted to another so in that sense I do not believe humans are naturally monogamous.  

Rob then showed us some ads about Viagra. They look at sexual dysfunctions from a humorous perspective. Maybe they believed that by doing so it would make light of the topic and encourage men with sexual dysfunctions to seek help.  Considering most sexual dysfunctions go unreported. We also learned that there are four different types of disorders: sexual desire disorders, sexual arousal disorders, orgasmic disorders and sexual pain disorders which all pretty much explain themselves.

Post Number Eleven

On November 15, 2010

In today’s class Rob talked about the very controversial topic, Abortion. Everyone has their own beliefs of whether or not abortion is right or wrong and I would love to share my personal opinion on the matter. I would first like to make very clear that in no way do I expect people to believe what I believe as I feel everyone has their own opinions from their own lived realities. In high school I was very against abortion. Near the end of grade 12 a friend of mine had an abortion and it took her a month before she had told me. I was so upset and hurt that we didn’t speak for three months. After I had realized how selfish and unsupportive I was being we began to reconnect. I never took into consideration what she must have been going through and how much she probably needed me to just listen and keep my mouth shut. Looking back it surprises me how foolish it all was. During the situation I should have been there for her regardless of my beliefs. After the whole situation was over I took a hard look at my values. Who was I to say that she made a mistake? It wasn’t my life or my choice. I now see abortion as a personal choice and one that is made based on the situation. I myself do not foresee ever having an abortion but that doesn’t mean that I will ever push my beliefs on to another. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that if I were able to become pregnant I would embrace it. I believe my sister’s troubles have made me believe very passionately that every child is a blessing. So that is how I feel towards the subject of abortion.

On November 19, 2010

Rob started the class off by talking about Sue Johanson. She is a sex educator who has become very publicly known through her television show and her radio broadcast.  This class was spent mostly talking about sources of information about sex. The book tells us that sexual education is quite uneven across the country. I am not surprised as even within our city the sexual education given is uneven. Although sexual education is a uncomfortable subject to talk about it is one area I would like to teach. I feel it is very important to inform our students and have someone there for them to talk to if they have questions. After all that is our job isn’t it? In the 1970’s the main problem was justifying sexual educations existence was the anxiety of teen pregnancy. However, in the 1980’s the main problem was HIV AIDS. Crazy how within 10 years the focus could change is a very drastic way. Rob mentioned bill C44 which stated that teachers needed to give the parents notice, if they are going to talk about sex, religion or sexual orientation. As they have the right to take their children out of those lessons. I personally disagree with this bill in a sense. Yes I do believe that there should be notice given that teachers are going to talk about those topics, however I feel that students should be taught about these things in a professional manner. A lot of the time parents feel uncomfortable talking to their children about it and some parents just ignore it. It is crucial to provide them with the correct information and allow them to ask questions and feel comfortable doing so. Rob told us that there is no universal guideline for sexual health education within our school systems. I wish this was not true. We all know the information is available so why is it so hard to pass it on to the ones who need it the most.

I found it extremely interesting that to be considered a sexual health professional you do not need any formal training. I feel that if there was maybe then sex education would become universal and become as important as I feel it is. I would love to teach this area as I feel I would be very self-fulfilling to know I would be teaching a subject that will forever be a part of the students.

Post Number Ten

On November 8, 2010

During this class we talked about Homophobia. Rob stated that the book says that research shows that men tend to be more homophobic than woman. Rob then asked us why do we think that is the case? He wanted us to draw from personal experiences/observations and our learning in the course so far.

This was my response: I feel that through my own experiences this is true. I feel that our society has made it more acceptable for women to befriend gay men and men to view gay women to be “hot”. Also our society believes that gay men always possess feminine traits which are not always the case!

Rob wanted us to understand that masculinity is very fragile. Rob also stated that gender functions as a kind of ideology police force and that social expectations are enforced by gender. I believe this to be true. Our society puts a huge importance on gender and how if you are not within the “norms” than there is something wrong with you.

All this talk about sexual orientation and gender roles really makes me think about the recent suicides that were caused by bullying do to the kids not playing their “normal” gender role. I know that by becoming a teacher I will probably teach some children who may be homosexual and I feel that by being the compassionate, caring and open-minded person I am it will give me an advantage. I hope to help those children feel accepted and confident in themselves.

Rob concluded the class with Madonna’s, “What it feels like for a girl,” music video.  Rob told us that the video was telling us that it is ok for a girl to look like a guy but for a guy to look like a girl is degrading. I feel the video was a great way of opening the controversial topic and saying look enough is enough. It personally bothers me when people act like a person who is homosexual is less of a person than a heterosexual person. I feel a lot of the negative beliefs have been taught and embedded through religion. I think it is becoming more of an accepted thing now because many people are choosing to not follow a religion.  I feel it is a lot to do with how you were raised. I am very fortunate that my parents were both very open minded.

On November 10, 2010

At the beginning of this class Rob mentioned the term Mysogny, which is the hatred of woman. We talked about the word bitch and what it is meant when it is said by women versus when it is said by men. As a class we discussed this idea and it was almost unanimous that we believed that men say it as a sign of hatred towards gay men. I personally believe that the term is very degrading to women but especially when it is said towards a man, as it implies that the person is acting like a woman which implies there is something wrong with being a woman.

Rob talked about contraception, pregnancy and childbirth. One important statement that Rob made was that your life is not over when you have a child. I am super happy to hear that! My two best friend’s have had children at a young age and I hate when people tell me that they have ruined their lives. Because my sister had such a hard time conceiving that I now see every child as a miracle. I think it is very important to surround yourself with a positive support system. Rob talked about some pregnancy issues. He talked about baby blues, postpartum depression, influences of narcotics, alcohol and smoking while pregnancy.  In my Psychology classes we look at these pregnancy issues and effects in detail.

On November 12, 2010

Rob started the class off by showing us a video from Monty Pythons the meaning of life: the miracle of birth part II- Every Sperm is special. I found this video to be hilarious! I was raised Roman Catholic and I am very familiar with the belief of not using any form of contraception. I personally believe in the use of contraception as I would rather be prepared and ready to give my child the best life possible rather than struggling to provide for them. I know that I would be a great mother but I would prefer to have my education behind me.

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Post Number Nine

On November 1, 2010

Rob showed us a video from, “Brokeback Mountain.” It was an interesting video to say the least. I haven’t seen the video but from the clip that we saw it seemed to be very sensitive to the topic of gay love. Our society is forever changing and I am glad that this video was very upfront about this controversial issue. It is about time that people open their minds and their hearts to our people’s decisions. It is not our life to live so why should anyone have the right to say if it is wrong or right. I am glad that the video received so many awards as it shows that our world is becoming more accepted. This clip opened us up to the topic of sexual orientation.

On November 3, 2010

Rob started this class off with a general introduction to the topic of sexual orientation. He mentioned that it only becomes an issue when you are talking about the minority orientation. I wasn’t surprised to hear that our generation is more accepting compared to those of in past.

We then furthered the subject by talking about some terms related to sexual orientation. We defined sexual orientation, heterosexual orientation, homosexual orientation, homoerotic and heteroerotic.

Kinsey and Michael Storm both came up with a method to classify sexual orientation. Kinsey’s Continuum measured homosexuality on a scale from 0-6, 0 being heterosexual and 6 being homosexual. Michael Storm believed that there were different dimensions of sexuality. The dimensions were determined by either being low or high in homo and hetero eroticism.

Rob mentioned the show, “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” He felt that these men had turned the negative things society said and turned it into a positive. I have never seen the show but I find it empowering that men that have so much riding against them can stand up and say they are proud of who they are.

Post Number Eight

On October 25, 2010

Today Rob expanded on Sternberg’s Triangular Model of Love. He thought us about the seven different types of love. They are: intimacy, infatuation, empty love, companionate love, fatuous love, romantic love and consummate love.  Each type of love possess one or more of the following traits; intimacy, commitment or passion.

Rob also discussed the social exchange theory. Rob said that it is a subjective cost/ benefit analysis. It is a way to determine if the relationship’s outcome is worth the cost. It is evaluated on a give and take basis. There is also a model that was developed by George Levinger that acts as an extension or application of the social exchange theory. It is the ABC(DE) Model, which stands for : A- Attraction, B- Building, C- Continuation, D- Deterioration and E- Ending. The last two stages are only applicable if the relationship is coming to an end.

On October 27, 2010

During this class we watch a video called, “The British Way: Monty Pythons the Meaning of Life.” In the video they seem to talk about sex in a very hidden way; however the students knew exactly what the instructor was speaking about. I found this video to be very humorous and made sex appear to be just the act with no emotion attached.

After the video we talked about communication and how sex itself is a form of communication. Rob also mentioned a couple of obstacles that may face a couple when talking about sex issues. They are vulgarity and irrational beliefs. Because people believe sex to be vulgar it is talked about less. Also because people believe that their partner will know exactly what they want they form irrational beliefs. Rob talked about ways to a conversation about sexual problems started. You want to make sure it is an appropriate time and place, ask for permission and also give permission. It makes sense to use those techniques as these topics can make people feel very uncomfortable. It is also very important to listen effectively.

Rob ended the class with getting us to list ten ways to get a conversation started. The one I thought was very appropriate was wine! It is a great way to relax and talk about the topic at hand.

October 29, 2010

Rob showed us the recent Dentyne Ice Commercial that’s slogan is, “practice safe breath.” I love this commercial! I feel it was very well marketed. After the video Rob asked us, “What did people think about masturbation in high school?” The majority of people felt that in high school guys would normally joke about it and girls didn’t usually bring it up.

Rob mentioned the term ideology. I believe that an ideology is something people are trying to achieve. Karl Marx believed that the interests of the dominant group in society become the dominant ideologies. Rob also introduced the term, function. The notion of function is that it is an indirect effect of something. The example Rob gave was that the rich continue to get rich and poor continue to get poorer. Although societies do not intend on making the poor poorer it is an indirect effect.

Also during this class we started talking about the uncomfortable topic of masturbation. It is widely known that our society frowns upon the topic. However it is a source of one’s true sexuality. Rob stated that we discover our true self through solitary behaviour. I do believe that statement is true. I feel that it is a private matter and that society may not frown upon the act but more so the idea of talking about it publicly. Traditionally masturbation was considered a form of self abuse and through an Early Judeau Christian view it was considered to be a sin as it was non-procreative. Rob mentioned a Greek comedy called, “Lysistrata.” It confronted the topic from a humorous point of view. I had never heard of the play but would love to familiarize myself with it. Rob had mentioned that Sylvester Graham and Dr. JH Kelloggs both had invented snacks that had the intention of curbing sexual desire. I remember hearing about a video that was based on Kellogg’s sanatorium that was put into place to help cleanse people of sexual behaviour. It was called, “Road to Wellville”, I haven’t seen the whole video but would love to if I could get my hands on it. I will post the link to the trailer of the video if you are interested in seeing it. I found it very interesting that a place would actually be invented to specialize in curing that kind of problem. Rob also mentioned that Freud believed that infants themselves have a sexuality and that they also had libidinal urges. I could see that causing controversy within a society. Personally I believe Freud had some pretty out there theory but I could see this one to be true. I believe humans a born as sexual beings and have a internal curiosity about your body and the pleasure one can feel. The last note Rob made about masturbation was that today it is seen in a more positive way. The book says that emotional negative effects are directly correlated with the thoughts of masturbation. Rob had quoted Hamlet who believed that nothing is good or bad but thinking that makes it so. I love this quote because it leaves room for people to look at things through their own situational interpretive paradigm.

Rob also brought up the idea of sexual fantasy. In the book it tells us that this concept is widely practiced. I wasn’t surprised about this fact. What I was surprised about was the study that was done in Ontario. They found that one half of women fantasize about forced sex! This surprised me because I would have never thought that one half of women would fantasize about such a thing. The book also stated that for women there was a correlation between sexual experience or quality of sexual experience and sexual fantasy. I found that to be interesting but not surprising because if a woman had become uninterested then maybe she would look for new ways of experiencing pleasure.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and my beliefs.

Ps. May is masturbation month J

Post Number Seven

On October 18, 2010

Rob talked about Attraction. We started the class with an activity. Rob had asked us these two questions:

§  List features you find attractive (sexually) in a person

§  List 3 features you find attractive in a potential or long term, life or spouse partner

There are many features I find attractive in a man they are also what I would look for in a long term partner. They are handsome, hardworking and funny. Luckily my boyfriend of eight years is all three of those things.

Rob then got into the material by talking about information categorized into three sections: Beauty, Non-Physical Traits and Long Term. Within the Beauty section we learnt that physical attraction is important in a relationship. We also learnt that is varies between cultures. In the Non-Physical Trait section we learnt that there are many factors that can cause people to become attracted to another. They are familiarity, liking someone, respecting someone, sharing values and goals, smiling and gender extremes. The one I found interesting was that women prefer take charge men but men are less attracted to take charge women. I found this to be interesting because I am a very take charge woman and my boyfriend is a very take charge man. I guess some how we found a loop hole into making it work. We didn’t have time this class to cover long term so we continued it in the next class.

On October 20, 2010

During this class we concluded our lesson of attraction and watched a video. We talked about long term attraction. There were three topics discussed. We talked about David Buss and how he believed women were looking for men to provide for them and how men were looking for long term partners. He also believed that people who share a similar attractiveness level are more likely to date. Rob mentioned two terms propinquity and reciprocity. I was familiar with these terms from my EDCM class that I took last year. Propinquity is another term for proximity and when the term is applied to attraction it means that people are attracted to others who are within close proximity to them. For example, my boyfriend and I met in high school. The other term reciprocity means that people seek a mutual exchange in a relationship.

For the last half of the class we watch the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet. Rob must like this version because he also showed it in FAM315. I personally love this version. The first time I saw this film I was in grade ten in English class. It allowed me to understand the play much better. I felt that the film told the tragic love story in such an interesting and modern way. This film was an introduction to our next topic, love.

October 22, 2010

On this day we started talking about love. Rob talked about some Greek Influences. They were storge (non-sexual love), agape (love of selflessness), philia (brotherly love) and eros(commitment, respect and passion).  Rob also talked about infatuation vs. romantic love. Rob mentioned that infatuation is a phenomenon among the young and is an intense absorption in another person. Romantic love is idealized and is something I feel can be achieved but not one person will ever experience the same romantic love. From a situational perspective everyone experiences a different lived reality. Rob handed out an activity that was to measure the level of love felt by the participant. I took the test and it determined I am in absolute love. It was nice to discover that what I feel was confirmed.   Also during this class we also were introduced to Sternberg’s Triangular model of love. It is a method to determine what kind of love someone is experiencing. We ran out of time this class so it was continued next class.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and my beliefs!

Operation Beautiful

Hey All,

This is the link to the website I spoke of in my last post.

http://operationbeautiful.com/

Please check it out!

Post Number Six

On October 13, 2010

During this class we watched the video, Sexy Inc; Our children under influence. Rob had asked us to watch the video and decided whether we felt it was feminist and if it was what feminist wave it would fall under. I felt the video was most definitely feminist and I believed it would fall under the second wave of feminism as it was focused on the degrading sexual representation of women. I believe this video was spot on. Our society has made sex appeal one of the most important factors in a woman’s life. I truly believe that if society would focus on internal beauty rather than external beauty we would see that women would have more self-confidence and respect for themselves. Our media has targeted young girls and it is appalling that there is very few corporations that try to change this reality. One of the largest corporations that have worked very hard is Dove. They have made a huge effort in promoting self-esteem to young females. A classmate recently showed me a website that I was very impressed with. It is called operationbeautiful.com its main idea is to post post-it notes in different places with inspiring messages or compliments that make you feel beautiful. I LOVE THIS IDEA! That note could be the sign you need to accept yourself and feel beautiful. It may not be a life changing thing but if for just one day that note made your negative perspective of yourself go away it did its job. I intend on adopting this idea and starting it here in Red Deer. I hope it catches on and spreads like wild fire! I volunteer at a junior high school in Sylvan Lake and I know this could make some girls feel better about themselves. It might also teach some to accept others for who they are rather than teasing them or treating them like an outcast.

On October 15, 2010

During this class we discussed the subcategories of psychological gender typing. I will briefly describe each one:

·         Psycho-Analytic

o   Freud believed that gender emerges as a feature as our psycho-sexual development.

·         Social- Cognitive

o   Albert Bandura believed that development occurs through an interaction between cognition or thinking and social experiences.

·         Cognitive-Developmental

o   Laurence Kohlberg believed the child gradually comes to see gender as more and more permanent

·         Gender Schema Theory

o   States that the child learns schemas about gender, but over time blends with self concept.

Rob told us that the book mentioned that if a child’s gender self concept is consistent within their culture they are more apt to have higher self esteem. Although there are exceptions I believe that statement to be very true. Rob then asked us to get into small groups and answer the following questions:

1.    Please think of a person of figure who does not fit their typical gender expectation?

2.    In what ways do they not?

3.    How do people react to them?

Our group chose to talk about Elton John. We believed that he didn’t fit into his typical gender expectation because he was a famous singer who openly came out as a homosexual. It was surprising how he had lost very few fans and still remained popular within society. I say surprising because of the time that it had happened, 1975, you would expect people to distance themselves from homosexual people.

Post Number Five

This week seemed to fly by. We had our first exam on Wednesday. I believe I did well as it only took me seven minutes to write it! I was very confident going into the exam and was even more confident when I finished.  I felt that I had a bit of an advantage due to me taking FAM315 last year with Rob. I knew the way he tests and some of the material was my second time learning it. We did have class on Monday and Wednesday and here’s what we covered:

On October 4, 2010

During this class we talked about sex assignment, which by the books definition is “the labelling of a newborn as male or female.” We talked about some key terms Piaget believed in, Hermaphrodites and Intersexual. I was shocked to hear Rob say that 1 in 1000 people are Intersexual.  I found this fact very interesting because if you were to take Red Deer’s population there would be about 90 people who are intersexual.  We also talked about Plato. Plato was the one to script what Socrates said. They believed in a “Primordial Hermaphrodite,” which was one individual who possessed both a male and female part. They believed that the gods separated the two parts and today we are driven to reconnect. I found this idea to be very interesting. To think that the reason we are attracted to the opposite sex is because by being with them we feel whole is quite intriguing.  

On October 8, 2010

This class started off on a great note! I had just returned from a conference in Calgary and was very excited to give Rob the gift we had gotten him. The key note speaker was Richard D. Lavoie. This man is an inspiration and has made me look at learning disabilities in a new light. In Rob’s EDPY class that I took last year he showed a video of Richard and I was hooked. You could almost say I had become a Ricky-D groupie. I googled his name and saw that he was coming to Calgary. I then emailed the contact persona and asked how much and where it was going to be held. After getting a reply I was devastated to find that the cost was three hundred dollars to attend. Knowing I was not able to go I forwarded the message to Rob in hopes he would be able to go. Well the day before today I was contacted by another classmate that we were offered a cheap rate of only $fifty dollars to see Richard D. Lavoie. So of course I attended. His presentation was unbelievable! I shed some tears and let out some laughs. He was a great speaker and I am so blessed to have been offered such an opportunity. The group I went with was able to get an autographed book for Rob. I hope he understands that without him we would have never been introduced to this wonderful man.

In class we did an activity that I had also done in EDPY. We were to choose a male and female that represented the ideal of each femininity and masculinity. My partner and I chose Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston. We felt that both had good looks, were both successful and both were influential. I feel as if we did this kind of activity in the 1950’s, before the first wave of feminism, that the answers would be very different. After the activity we talked about gender roles and stereotypes, sexism and aggression. This class was a refresher for me as I have learnt this in another one of Rob’s classes. I feel that our society plays a great importance on how we view genders. What is femininity? What is masculinity? And who are we to decide?

Post Number Four

I feel that this week we really dove into some heavier material.

On September 27, To start this class Rob handed out an assignment that had multiple statements that described someone’s personal explanation of an orgasm. We were to determine whether or not it was described by a male or female. Out of ten statements I got 5 correct.  After the activity, Rob talked about Masters and Johnsons 4-phase sexual response cycle. I found it very interesting that there were so many things that happen within our bodies during sexual activity.  I was afraid that this class may be a bit awkward or uncomfortable at times but so far I am surprised as to how comfortable I am.

On September 29, During this class we watched a film clip and learned about variations to sexual response. The film clip was from, “Everything you wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask.” This Woody Allen film focused on the stages a man goes through during sexual activity. It took the information and made it humorous. It was a lighter way to understand the material. After the clip we talked about Ellen Signer Kaplan, Rosemary Basson and Sigmund Freud. They each had their own responses to sex. Kaplan is a sexual therapist therefore she talked about her Three Phases of Sexual Problems and/or Dysfunctions. Her phases were desire, excitement and orgasm. Basson took a more feminist perspective and talked about intimacy. And last but not least Freud. He believed that sex was the engine that drives child development.  He believed that there is only one way for a woman to have a proper orgasm. He had two types of orgasms; vaginal and clitoral. He felt that clitoral orgasms showed the immaturity of the woman.  I feel that Freud was very close minded towards the purpose of sex. I think he felt that reproduction was the only reason to engage in sexual activity.

On October 1, Today in class we spoke a little bit about how Masters and Johnsons believed there was only one type of orgasm and that the 4-phase cycle did not only happen during intercourse but could happen during masturbation or oral sex. We also touched on how relationships placed an importance on sexual activity. Then we also talked about masturbation and how it is somewhat frowned upon. For the remainder of the class we did an flip chart activity. Rob asked us to determine some features of sexual diversity and commonality within our community. I will share one from each. We determined that the use of birth control and contraception’s were a diversity in our community as we felt many people feel differently towards the topic. We then determined that teenagers are pressured by peers to lose their virginity at an early age. We felt that was a commonality within our community.

This week was a very busy one for me. I have a couple of exams coming up and I am starting to feel the pressure of school again. I am very glad I chose to take this class. It is very informative and interesting. Well I think that is it for this week. I’m off to study for our upcoming exam! Wish me luck J

Post Number Three

This week was interesting to say the least.  We were shown three videos that were quite vivid when it comes to human sexuality. Heres how I feel:

On September 20, Rob talked about a man named Alfred Kinsey, a man who talked about sexuality in a time when it was unheard of to speak about such a topic. Rob showed us part of the video, “Kinsey”.  Kinsey had performed a large scale survey regarding the topic of sexual behaviour. It was crazy to see how people were so unaware of their bodies and what they could do with them. In the movie, Kinsey talked about a study he had done on gall wasps and how every one of them were different. After the video clip Rob had asked us to answer this question, “What is Kinsey’s view on sexual normalcy?”My response was that Kinsey knew there is no normalcy! I think his purpose of the surveys and studies was to open the eyes of Americans to show them that sexual behaviour is experienced by everyone. I believe the reason the gall wasp study was mentioned in the film was to allow the audience to discover that it was a metaphor. Human’s sexuality in much like the gall wasps, all different!

On September 22, Unfortunately I was unable to make this class, however; I was lucky enough to receive the notes from a friend in the class and the link to the video clip that was shown from Rob. From the notes and video I believe this class was spent exploring the ideas of female anatomy and physiology through the social, cultural and political perspectives. After I watched the clip, “The Vagina Monologues: My Angry Vagina,” I was shocked! I felt this video clip was over exaggerated and vulgar. I felt that the video tried to talk about some very important issues regarding the female anatomy but the speaker over did the rest of the performance which I felt took away from any real concrete issues she was trying to bring awareness to. The speaker in the video was definitely speaking from a critical theoretic point of view as she was trying to talk about important world issues but went beyond just a scientific point of view.

On September 24, This class was spent focusing on the male anatomy and physiology through the social, cultural and political perspectives. We were shown a video called, “Private Dicks: Men Exposed.” This video was very professionally done. I felt this video was very eye opening as I am not experienced in the way men feel about themselves. It was interesting to see that men can struggle with their self esteem due to their body shapes just as much as women. I feel women are mainly insecure about their body shape and now I feel men are mainly insecure about the size of their penises. Now I don’t mean that all men are or that it is the only thing men can become insecure towards but I feel that it is something society has placed importance on for men. Just the same as how society has placed importance on women’s body shape and weight. This movie was seen from a situational interpretative perspective. It was different men speaking of their own lived experiences. Rob asked us how we compare the two films, “Vagina Monologues” and “Private Dicks,” to each other. I feel as if one film was full of exaggerated information and another was full of personal lived information. I feel to compare the two is unjust. They were so different however both are trying to bring awareness to human sexuality as our country is still blinded to the truth. Humans were born sexual beings and I believe bringing awareness to topics that have been taboo for years is something we must to do. I feel by allowing sexuality to be talked about it will avoid self esteem issues and misunderstandings about our bodies and what they do. I believe that many students are afraid or embarrassed about their bodies as they don’t understand what they are going through. Because our society has made this topic unmentionable, parents are unable to speak to their children about such a topic.

This week made it very clear how important this topic is and that we need to start teaching children about their bodies and that what they are going through is normal. I remember when my body started changing and I felt that I was weird and that I wasn’t like everyone else, which was exactly right! I am not like anyone else, I am me! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

Pro-Life Song & Video (Anti-Abortion)

It didn't take me long to find a video in relation to my last post. I found this video about Pro-Life. It made me think that this is something someone I would have interviewed would have put together. Although it is controversial it is a great video and again because I mention this topic or post this type of information on my blog does not mean it represents my beliefs on this topic. It is just simply a great representation of what Justin and I chose to question and respond to.

Click on the link below and see how it makes you feel. Please keep an open mind if you disagree with Pro-Life. Try to use Habermas' Situational Interpretive Perspective. Thanks! If you would like to you can comment on this post and let me know how it made you feel. Please be honest and professional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pla_MQNfQ0 

Post Number Two

This week in FAM 322 we talked about Habermas’ Paradigms (which is more than just two dimes ha-ha good one Rob), Principles of Critical Thinking and little intro into The Scientific Method. I would like to share my responses to the in-class activities.

On September 13, Rob went over Habermas’ paradigms in detail. Lucky for me this was a refresher. He then asked us to select any phenomenon relating to human sexuality and briefly explain how it “looks” from the perspectives of each paradigm. I chose to look at Sexual Attractiveness.  In my EDCM class last year we learnt about specific reasons people are attractive to each other. There are many reasons such as: Appearance, Similarity and Complimentary, Reciprocal Attraction, Competence, Self-Disclosure and Proximity. I chose to explore Habermas’ paradigms strictly looking at Appearance.

Empirical Analytical (Scientific Perspective) - There are reasons as to what men find physically attractive in women. Different cultures and individual preference play a huge role in why men would be attracted to women. For example some cultures prefer women that are a little heavier set and some men are attracted to women who have wider hips as they see this type of women as a great child bearer.

Critical Theoretic (Political Perspective, more to what you see) - I had a hard time thinking of an example for this perspective but Rob mentioned a great one in class. He used the example of why women feel the need to be slim to be attractive. I find it funny that they have done studies proving that men prefer women who have wider hips for child bearer yet our society plays such an importance on being skinny. Being a girl who does not fall into the category of skinny, I feel it can be hard to see myself as attractive. Society doesn’t accept that you have a little more to love.

Situational Interpretive (Lived Reality) -  I feel an some simple questions  you could ask girls in relation to Attractiveness is “What makes you feel beautiful?”, “What do you love most about your body?”, and “Why?”. There are many more questions you could ask women in regards to Attractiveness but those are just some ideas. The great thing about the Situational Interpretive Perspective is that it is so personal. Everybody goes through life differently. I find it amazing that no two people will ever live the same life.  Our world is complex and complicated. I believe that because we all have our own lived realities that this is why we have such diversity in the world, which isn’t a bad thing.

On September 15, Rob continued to teach Habermas’ paradigms. He also briefly touched on the Principles of Critical Thinking. During this class students were able to share with the class their responses to the activity from the previous class. Rob had used my topic as an example so I didn’t share mine with everyone. This class was great as it helped to understand Habermas even more than I did before.

On September 17, Rob explained in depth The Principles of Critical Thinking. This concept is new to me but seems almost like common sense. I feel it allows you to make sure you explore every aspect of something and it also allows you to base your opinion on facts rather than assumption. But I could be wrong I guess I need time to really work with the principles. They are as followed:

a.      Be skeptical

b.      Examine definition of terms

c.       Examine the assumptions of arguments

d.      Be cautious in drawing conclusions from evidence

e.      Consider alternative interpretations of research evidence

f.        Consider kinds of evidence

g.      Do not oversimplify

h.     Do not over generalize

Rob then asked to read a section in our text regarding The Scientific Method, get into small groups (my partner was Justin K.) and answer the following questions:

-         Please design a human sexuality research study using the scientific  method

o   What is your question?

§  Why do some people believe that abortion is murder?

o   What is your hypothesis?

§  Some People believe that to have an abortion after conception is considered murder.

o   How will you test the hypothesis?

§  Surveying different people who think abortion is murder and ask them why they feel that way.

o   What do you anticipate finding?

§  I anticipate on finding that the people who believe that abortion is murder feel very strongly towards the subject. I am sure these people will consider themselves pro-life. I am guessing that they believe as soon as conception takes place there is life and to get rid of the fetus is to murder the innocent life that cannot advocate for itself.

We chose a very controversial topic and our responses to the questions do not reflect our views on the matter.

Well that was this week in a nutshell. This week was a good week. School is starting to get busier and I am finding my courses this semester are going to keep me on my toes! I hope to post a video or song that pertains to this week somehow later today. Hope you enjoyed hearing about this week’s lessons in FAM 322! Thanks for taking the time to read... My Thoughts and My Beliefs :o)