ANT 208 Section 001: Anthropology of Sex

This course is an introduction to human sexuality from a four-field perspective (cultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeological) with emphases on sexual pluralism and psychosexual evolution.  We will trace the evolution of human sociosexual behavior, including human sexual physiology; reproductive strategies; contemporary courtship, mating, and marital patterns; gender differences in the brain and behavior; and sexual and social emotions.  We compare the sexuality of humans to non-humans, especially to that of other primates.  We also discuss human sexuality from the perspective of different cultures throughout the world based on ethnographic and archaeological accounts.  Among the topics we may discuss are the psychobiocultural dimensions and implications of attraction, fidelity, sex techniques, circumcision, gender, incest, auto-eroticism, homosexuality and transsexuality, and sexually transmitted diseases.

By the end of the semester, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate awareness of cultural sexual mores on language and folklore
• Describe some of the psychological, biological, and cultural components of human sexuality and the interactions between them
• Examine your own beliefs and assumptions about a variety of topics related to human sexuality
• Identify the biological, behavioral, and sociocultural factors that influence sexual health
• Explain human sociosexual behavior from an evolutionary perspective
• Appreciate the relativity of sexual behavior from an anthropological perspective.

Attendance will be monitored through administration of an in-class quiz or exam each class meeting.  Lectures will be made available via Tegrity on Blackboard.

Blackboard

This course will use Blackboard, which can be accessed via myBama.  There is a box called Blackboard on the Academics tab that should list your courses that are currently let up with Blackboard.  Blackboard is the way I will communicate to you about important changes in the syllabus or course activities.  The syllabus is likely to change in minor ways.  I will send out announcements if it changes in major ways (e.g., readings altered, which would affect what you read for quizzes), so you can download a revised copy.  I will NOT reprint the syllabus.  This is the only printed version you will received from me.  All future correspondance will be electronic, and Blackboard will be the primary vehicle of that correspondance.

Facebook

Interesting but less required information will often be communicated via Facebook.  The course has a closed Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/ant208/. This is where I will often ask you to post the data you generate from our course activities, as it is a good forum for online discussions.  Please request to join to participate in ongoing discussions, post extra credit summaries, and read relevant news items.

Also, please "like" the UA Department of Anthropology on Facebook so we can keep in touch with you and you can stay informed about the department: http://www.facebook.com/UAAnthroDept

Activities (10 points):  There will be several activities that we will require or encourage you to experience this semester.  Some of these will take place in class and others will require your participation on your own time.  These activities will not be evaluated, but your participation in them will be monitored.  They are designed to enhance your learning experience, and we will often draw upon your experiences of these activities to facilitate in-class discussions.  Information about these activities will be mentioned in class and made available in more detail via Blackboard.

Exams (70 points):  There are 4 exams, including the midterm and final.  Exams will consist of multiple choice questions.  The midterm and final exams are cumulative.  The exams will cover material presented in lecture, in the assigned readings, activities, and in the films.  You must take the exam on the scheduled date.

Quizzes (20 points):  Quizzes will be administered at every class meeting except on exam dates.  Quizzes will cover the assigned reading for that date.  Material from these readings is also subject to appear on exams.  There will be 25 quizzes worth 1 point each.  Thus, you will have the opportunity to earn up to 5 extra credit points through attending every lecture and answering quiz questions correctly.

Exam 1:                 15 points

Midterm exam:       20 points

Exam 3:                 15 points

Final exam:            20 points

Quizzes:                 20 points

Activities:               10 points

TOTAL                  100 points

 

These represent the course points available for each exam or assignment.  Assignment and exam points may vary, but scores will be calculated to determine the course points earned.  For instance, each quiz will be worth 1 course point.  If there are two questions on a quiz, but you only get one correct, your score for that quiz will be 0.5.

DATES	TOPIC	READING		ACTIVITY
		Bolin & Whelehan	Joyce/Crocker
Thurs, Jan 10	Introduction & syllabus	Ch 1		pre-test
Tues, Jan 15	Anthropological Perspective	Ch 2, pp. 21-31		cultural consensus activity
Thurs, Jan 17			Crocker preface/intro
Tues, Jan 22	Sexological Perspective	Ch 2, pp. 32-45
Thurs, Jan 24			Crocker ch 1	folklore activity
Tues, Jan 29	Evolutionary Perspective	Ch 3		Lynn lecture
Thurs, Jan 31			Crocker ch 2	self-deception activity
Tues Feb 5	EXAM 1
Thurs, Feb 7	Sexual Anatomy & Physiology	Ch 4		ethology activity
Tues, Feb 12		Ch 5
Thurs, Feb 14	Comparative Psychology and Morphology	Ch 6		smelly t-shirt activity
Tues, Feb 19			Crocker ch 3
Thurs, Feb 21	Sexual Differentiation: Genotypic, Chromosomal, Phenotypic	Ch 7		Science of Sex Appeal
Tues, Feb 26			Crocker ch 4
Thurs, Feb 28	Childhood (Developmental) Sexuality: Puberty, Adolescence	Ch 9
Tues, Mar 5		Ch 10		Circumcision/ vaginaplasty movie
Thurs, Mar 7	MIDTERM EXAM
Tues, Mar 12	Human Sexual Response	Ch 11		Johnna lecture
Thurs, Mar 14			Crocker ch 5	orgasm activity
Tues, Mar 19	Pregnancy & Childbirth	Ch 8
Thurs, Mar 21			Joyce intro & ch 1	birth control activity
Tues, Mar 26	SPRING BREAK
Thurs, Mar 28
Tues, Apr 2	Sexual Orientations	Ch 13, pp. 347-354, 412-424
Thurs, Apr 4			Joyce ch 2	queer activity
Tues, Apr 9	EXAM 3
Thurs, Apr 11	Gender identity	Ch 13, pp. 384-411		Paradise Bent
Tues, Apr 16	Aging		Joyce ch 3
Thurs, Apr 18
Tues, Apr 23	Dark Sides of Sex: STIs, sex trade	Ch 14	Joyce ch 4
Thurs, Apr 25			Joyce ch 5
FINAL EXAM: Tues., April 30, 8-10:30 AM

You may earn up to 15 course points via extra credit opportunities.  There are several extra credit opportunities in this course. as follows:

• You may earn up to 15 course points by submitting a sexology-related research paper or 10 course points for a book review to a peer-reviewed journal (e.g., JOSHUA and EvoS Journal are two forums for undergraduate research).  See Dr. Lynn to discuss/approve topic or book, details, and due dates.
• You may earn up to 6 course points by attending sexology-oriented events or activities (up to 2 points per activity).  There are numerous opportunities during the course of the semester to enhance your education through attending or participating in sexology-oriented activities.  Examples include attending or participating in a burlesque performance (the Pink Box Burlesque is a Tuscaloosa troupe that performs regularly) or attending a relevant lecture.  To receive extra credit, you will need to attend the event and write up your experiences in the form of a document in the course's Facebook group.  This will enable other students to read about your experiences and interact.  BEFORE ATTENDING SUCH AN EVENT, contact Dr. Lynn to obtain approval and ensure that it is a relevant activity meritorious of extra credit.  You will be expected to tell us the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of the event.  Ideally, your description will stimulate discussion, and you will be expected to interact in that discussion.  Finally, you may be called on to give an in-class summary of your experience if it sounds particularly compelling.
• You can also earn extra credit by attending ALLELE lectures.  There are four public lectures this semester, and there may be additional departmental lectures.  "Like" the ALLELE series on Facebook to stay apprised of dates.  You can receive 2 points per lecture by attending and signing in afterward.

Other extra credit opportunities may be announced through the course of the semester.

Attendance:  If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact a classmate to get notes from a particular lecture.  Lectures will be recorded and available in a Tegrity folder on Blackboard, but I cannot guarantee that every lecture will be available and will not meet with you to clarify a whole lecture because of an absence.  It behooves you to use Tegrity to clarify material that you may not have understood during class or to help you clarify material you missed in conjunction with classmates’ shared notes.

 

Activities:  There will be several course activities that will not be evaluated but will be used for discussion purposes and to gauge your engagement in the course.  While you will not be given a grade for such items, you will be penalized if you do not complete them.

 

Exams:  If you miss an exam for any reason whatsoever, whether excused or unexcused, valid or not, you can make it up by writing a double-spaced 15-page term paper on a topic of Dr. Lynn's choosing.  This will be turned in to a GTA by the last day of class.

 

Quizzes:  Quizzes can be taken at any time during the class period and turned in to the GTAs.  If you miss class, quizzes cannot be made up.

The Anthropology Department offers several avenues for getting involved in undergraduate research.  We offer a course in Undergraduate Research that you can take in conjunction with mentoring by a department faculty member.  There is a portal on the department website that will help us guide you to appropriate mentor and project: http://anthropology.ua.edu/ugres.php.  Additionally, I take new students into the Human Behavioral Ecology Research Group (HBERG) every semester who are interested in getting involved in the kind of research I conduct and which is related to this course.  Under some circumstances, I may offer extra credit for such participation, but you can also get involved without receiving credit, if you simply desire research experience.  You can learn more about HBERG activities here:  http://anthropology.ua.edu/hberg/.  To apply to work with me, fill out the form at this portal: http://anthropology.ua.edu/hberg/4/.

All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.

The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss any course accommodations that may be necessary. If you have a disability, but have not contacted the Office of Disability Services, please call 348-4285 or visit 133-B Martha Parham Hall East to register for services. Students who may need course adaptations because of a disability are welcome to make an appointment to see me during office hours. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services, 133-B Martha Parham Hall East, before receiving academic adjustments.

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