Human Sexuality (PSY 3800) Clayton State University Syllabus-Fall 2012 NBS 126 TR 3:35-4:50pm J. Celeste Walley-Jean, Ph.D. Office: LAB 116B Office Phone: 678.466.4837 Email Address: jeanettewalley-jean@clayton.edu Website Address: http://a-s.clayton.edu/jwalley/walley-jeanhome.html Office Hours: Mondays 10am-12pm Wednesdays 2pm-4:30pm All Others by Appointment Department of Psychology Mission Statement and Learning Goals The Mission of the Department of Psychology is to provide students with the highest quality instructional preparation for immediate employment in occupations such as human services or for graduate programs in areas such as counseling, social work, and psychology. The program faculty are dedicated to providing academically sound instruction in an environment that models for students the highest standards of professional, ethical, and caring behaviors. The learning goals are as follows: To understand and apply the major concepts, findings, and theoretical perspectives of Psychology. To evaluate research critically and apply research methodologies used in psychology. To communicate effectively and professionally both orally and in writing. To demonstrate an understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and career opportunities for those with psychology-related degrees. To understand and apply the ethical standards set forth by the American Psychological Association. Course Description and Purpose Sexuality is a part of all of our lives. This course is designed to explore the subject of human sexuality in a scientific and open manner. The purpose of this course is for students to gain knowledge about human sexuality as well as critically evaluate their own ideas, values, and mores about sexuality. Discussing issues related to sexuality can lead to strong opinions and ideas. I fully encourage your expression of those ideas; however, it is my expectation that students will RESPECT others opinions and ideas, even if they do not agree. I also expect that as you express yourself, each of you will show respect for others feelings. Finally, discussions of sexuality will inevitably address topics that are considered by some as private and personal, and, as such, may lead to feelings of discomfort; however, it is my expectation that students will EMBRACE the issues and, hopefully, by doing so, learn more about the human experience as well as themselves. One important note about my expectations of you throughout the course: It is my desire that you will engage with the material during this course. It is especially important that you remember that LEARNING HAPPENS BETWEEN YOU AND THE MATERIAL. I am here to facilitate and guide your
understanding of the material. You will get out of this course what you put in, and I hope that you are planning to put in 100%!! Behavioral Objectives Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: Demonstrate knowledge of research findings, facts and theories of human sexuality Demonstrate critical thinking skills and competence at critically evaluating the results and implications of research Demonstrate competence at communicating effectively about issues involved in, interpretations of, and implications of research on sexuality Apply knowledge acquired about sexuality to better understand real-life situations Demonstrate knowledge of a sample of the current research on sexuality by reviewing and forming positions on current questions in these areas for class discussions Course Requirements 1. Required Materials: (Each Student is required to purchase the book for this course!!) Yarber, W. L., Sayad, B. W., & Strong, B. (2010). Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America. (7 th Edition). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. 2. Class Participation and Attendance: University Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. Instructors establish specific policies relating to absences in their courses and communicate these policies to the students through the course syllabi (see below). Individual instructors, based upon the nature of the course, determine what effect excused and unexcused absences have in determining grades and upon students ability to remain enrolled in their courses. The university reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades. PSYC 3800 Attendance and Class Participation Policy: Our class meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:35pm-4:50pm. Although attendance is not mandatory, students are expected to attend, participate in class discussions, activities, and any other special assignments. Each prepared student s presence in class is important and integral to your individual success and the success of the class. Each student (that means YOU!!) has something to contribute and has a responsibility to the class to attend and be a factor in the course. To this end, students are expected to have read the assigned material before class and to be prepared to discuss and/or answer questions on material. Coming to class having read the material will be beneficial in that it will facilitate integration and generalization of course material. Presence in class denotes that a student has read all required readings and is prepared to contribute to the class discussion. Students should be on time to the class. It is disruptive to the class discussion, the professor, and other students for students to walk into class late. Thus, students will be considered late 30 minutes after the beginning of class and should not enter, EXCEPT FOR EXAM DAYS. On exam days, you
may enter regardless of how late you are. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to get notes, handouts, etc., from another student. 3. Exams and Quizzes During the course of the semester, you will have five (5) equally weighted exams. You will also have spontaneous in-class quizzes and activities to test and solidify your knowledge of specific information from the chapters and class discussion. Each student is required to take and engage in all exams, quizzes, and activities when scheduled. Make-up examinations will be given only in extremely extenuating circumstances (e.g., hospitalization, death in immediate family, etc.) with written documentation. In those cases, the instructor is to be contacted prior to the exam, if possible, and no later than one week after the exam. If permitted, make-up examinations must be taken within one week of the scheduled exam. The instructor will make the final determination of whether an absence is to be considered excused. Elective appointments, vacations, oversleeping, or similar absences will not be excused. Make-up exam dates and times for excused absences will be arranged with the instructor. No in-class quizzes or activities can be made up. 4. Group Activities/Class Discussions As part of your requirements for the course, periodically throughout the semester, you will be required to complete group activities. These activities will be assigned in class. You will be required to complete assignments in groups of no less than 3 and no more than 5 members. Specific details will be provided by Dr. Walley-Jean during class. Important Note about Group Work: I recognize that group projects are sometimes looked upon as being unfair. As a part of group work, misunderstandings/miscommunications may occur; if this occurs, I have two major expectations: (1) It is my expectation that you will make all attempts to resolve any group issues in a respectful and cooperative manner; (2) It is also my expectation that you (and your group) will contact me as soon as possible with any group issues that significantly impact the completion of any assignment. In this way, any issues that necessitate the rearrangement and/or dissolution of a group can be handled as quickly as possible without negatively impacting any one person. 5. Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is required of all students at all times. Correspondingly, cheating (which includes plagiarism) WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Refer to the description of the specific policy in the Clayton State University Student Handbook (http://www.clayton.edu/portals/46/docs/studenthandbook.pdf). You are expected to read, know, and adhere to the stated policy. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and will be dealt with in accordance with the CSU Handbook. This means that the minimum penalty issued will be a zero on the assignment for which academic dishonesty occurs. Specific academic misconduct polices and judicial procedures can be found in the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs (http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial/). As mentioned, plagiarism is one form of academic dishonesty. If you copy someone else s work and don t give them credit, that is plagiarism, and it will be taken very seriously!! I will view ANY information without proper citation/reference as plagiarism and respond accordingly. As a side-note, Wikipedia is not an appropriate source.
6. Disruptive Behavior: You all are junior scholars and I am excited to spend the next semester with each of you. I will treat you as junior scholars, meaning that I will do everything within my power to create an environment of mutual respect. To this end, I expect that you will also treat each other with respect. This means that behaviors which disrupt the teaching-learning process during class activities will not be tolerated. While a variety of behaviors can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more serious examples include belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior. A student who fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed from class. A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal. If found in violation, a student may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF. A more detailed description of examples of disruptive behavior and appeal procedures is provided at http://www.clayton.edu/portals/5/disruptiveclassroombehavior.pdf 7. Computer Access and Skills GaView: Students will be required to access the course syllabus, materials, and assignments via GaView. Students will be informed about the course on a regular basis with web calendar, bulletin board, and other web-related resources. Additionally, student grades will be reported via GaView. I strongly encourage students to make sure they are able to access GaView prior to class commencing. If a student is experiencing difficulties, the student should contact the Hub at (404) 466-4357. If (and when) you encounter problems with WebCT, notify myself and the HUB immediately. Also, keep any records of your issues as documentation. Email Account: Each student should have a CSU email account, and they must use it for this class. There may be times when I will communicate to the class via email, and you will be responsible for that information. Furthermore, I will not discuss or communicate any confidential information (e.g., student grades, etc.) using any other email account other than a student s CSU account. Notebook Computer Requirement: Each Clayton State University student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty approved hardware and software requirements for the student s academic program. The notebook computer that the student has ready access to must include the Clayton State University standard software load (MS Office 2007 Professional). Clayton State University will make the standard software load available to students as part of the technology fee. It will be the student s responsibility to visit the help desk (HUB) to obtain the software. Students will be responsible for having or obtaining basic computer skills including email, web surfing, word processing, and knowledge with respect to accessing the Internet. Furthermore, although students will not be required to bring their computer to class, they are welcome to use their laptops to take notes during class time. It is highly important that students realize that computer use during class time is limited to note-taking, and that ANY student discovered surfing the Internet, checking email, Facebook, MySpace, or other non-class-related activities will be, at minimum, verbally reprimanded, and at the extreme, asked to leave the class. Special Needs (Disabilities Statement): Students who have disabilities who require reasonable accommodations need to register with Disability Services (DS) in order to obtain their accommodations. You can contact them at 678.466.5445
or disabilityservices@clayton.edu. If you are already registered with DS and are seeking accommodations for this course, please make an appointment with me immediately to provide me with your accommodations letter and discuss your specific accommodation needs for this course. Please Note: Please disable all cellular phones, pagers, etc. during class. You are not allowed to use your cell phones in class. Grading Procedures Midterm Grade Exams 1 & 2 Final Grade Exams 3-5 In-Class Quizzes 34 pts. 51 pts. 15 pts. Grading Scale for Psychology 3800 Numeric Grade Letter Grade 100-90 A 89-80 B 79-70 C 69-60 D <59 F Note: This course syllabus provides a general plan for the course. The instructor reserves the right to make deviations from the schedule if necessary. August Schedule of Topics September 14 Introduction/Syllabus Review 16 Perspectives on Human Sexuality (Chapter 1) Studying Human Sexuality (Chapter 2) 21 Chap. 2, continued Sexuality, Science, and the Bible Discussion 23 Female Sexual Anatomy, Physiology, and Response (Chapter 3) 28 Male Sexual Anatomy, Physiology, and Response (Chapter 4) 30 Exam 1 (Chapters 1-4)
October November 4 Faculty Development Day (No Class) 6 Gender and Gender Roles (Chapter 5) 11 Chap. 5, continued 13 Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence (Chapter 6) 18 Chap. 6, continued Sexuality in Adulthood (Chapter 7) 20 Chap. 7, continued 25 Exam 2 (Chapters 5-7) 27 Love and Communication in Intimate Relationships (Chapter 8) 2 Chap. 8, continued Sexual Expression (Chapter 9) 4 Chap. 9, continued Sexual Behavior in Music Discussion 5 Last Day to Withdraw with a W 9 Exam 3 (Chapters 8-9) 11 Sexually Transmitted Infections (Chapter 15) 16 HIV and AIDS (Chapter 16) 18 Contraception and Birth Control (Chapter 11) 23 Chap. 11, continued Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth (Chapter 12) 25 Chap. 12, continued 30 Exam 4 (Chapters 11-12, 15-16) 1 Sexual Function, Difficulties (Chapter 14) 6 Chap. 14, continued
8 Variations in Sexual Behavior (Chapter 10) 13 Chap. 10, continued 15 Sexual Coercion: Harassment, Aggression, & Abuse (Chapter 17) 20 Chap. 17, continued 22 Thanksgiving Holiday 27 Sexually Explicit Materials, Prostitution, and Sex Laws (Chapter 18) 29 Chap. 18, continued Last Day of Class December 1-7 Final Exam Period (Check Final Exam Schedule)